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Tonight and tomorrow night's shows will air from New York. I haven't been on an airplane for four days and I am getting the shakes going through withdrawal, so I am flying to New York City. Obviously, I am kidding. I dread getting back on another plane. As I have repeatedly noted, my job is a great one, an easy one, but the flying around can get old.
Tuesday night we reported again on Martin Anderson, the 14 year old who died after a beating at a Florida boot camp. That beating was caught on tape. FYI: That boot camp is now closed (someone mistakenly said on the show that the boot camp had not been closed. We double-checked the fact after the show and I also received an e-mail from Dr. Baden informing me that the boot camp had been closed.)
If you have not seen the video of the beating, you should try and see it online. It is disturbing. No kid should be beaten to death, especially in the name of rehabilitation. I do hope there are criminal charges filed and quickly. Martin died on January 6. The first autopsy claimed he died from a blood disorder and more than two months later a second autopsy revealed the truth. He died after the beating. I still don't understand why it took more than two months to get a second autopsy or why the first one was wrong. Was it a mistake? A cover-up? What do you think?
I saw a movie this weekend that you will love. The movie, "Akeelah and the Bee," is a wonderful, wonderful movie. It is being released on April 28 (I was sent an advance screener.) If you want to see a movie that your entire family can watch, or if you want to be inspired, or both, see this movie. You will love it.
Under the category of "never dull," check out the drawing a viewer (Lydia Velarde) sent me. The drawing is of Bernie. You can see it in the section where I usually post pictures. I hope Bernie likes it.
Check out the poll we have posted on the right side of the gretawire.com page. Please vote and also check out the results.
Now for some viewer e-mails:
E-mail No. 1 — This e-mail was sent to me yesterday and refers to the first part of Deepak Kalpoe's statement that we read on the air on Monday:
Something I picked up on yesterday from statement from Deepak. He said that he went and sat in his car and couldn't call the Dutch kid because his phone was out of time. So how did the Dutch kid call him from the beach to pick him up? Someone's lying.
Thanks,
Ed M.
E-mail No. 2
Greta,
I have watched your program faithfully since the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and believe you reported fairly and in depth. I would really like to know why Joran doesn't have a car. In his testimony, he talks about calling his father to pick him up at McDonald's and Deepak and Satish running taxi service for him. Why doesn't he have his own set of wheels? I really enjoy your 'experts' segments. Ted and Bernie make me laugh, but they also seem to take their jobs seriously. I served on Ohio's Grand Jury a few years ago shortly after completing paralegal school. It really opened my eyes to the justice system. Keep up the good work. I'll see you again tonight.
Sincerely,
Nondis Walker
Massillon, OH
E-mail No. 3
My gosh, why on earth would you tell such a lie? Beth Twitty did not break her leg. She was at a taping for the Tyra Banks show on March 10, 2006 and she did not have a broken leg. That was three days after you reported that she told you she did.
We always knew Beth was a liar, but now you are lying for her.
You both belong together. You and she will do anything to keep the sympathy and the donations rolling in.
You should both be ashamed of yourselves.
Jody
ANSWER: Jody, don't be silly. She did break her leg — she probably has one of those removable "casts" and must have taken it off for the show. You might want to hold the fire.
Why, by the way, are you so hostile? We should all share the same goal: To find out what happened to Natalee (and all the other missing children and adults in this country and abroad.) Incidentally, to spare you getting many e-mails from readers who disagree with you — or share your hostility — I am careful not to post your entire e-mail address. However, one part of your e-mail address is "hunterofserenity" — maybe that is not exactly the best screen name for you. I am not so sure how much serenity you are going to find if you busy trying to find fault and send hostile e-mails.
Here is a question for people reading this blog: Do you have any new ideas for a screen name for Jody? Or do you think "hunterofserenity" is the right one for her? Here is my suggestion: "Iamhavingahardtimetodayandneedtotakeitoutonothers."
OK, I am just having some fun with Jody. I hope she has a sense of humor.
E-mail No. 4
Once again, thank GOD for a video camera being on the scene to capture the truth of the matter. Without a taped document, that fourteen-year-old boy's beating death would be chalked up to "just one of those things" and go unchallenged. There are no doubt PLENTY of falsified records to back death by natural causes, when in fact such is not the case!
Leah
E-mail No. 5
Hi Greta,
Thanks for the shows with Joran's interview and now Deepak's statement. I read in your blog that you're currently trying to decide how to best present these statements. First let me say that I'm sure that you'll get feedback from some saying that you reading all of these statements is too much. I disagree and hope you will find the appropriate way even if it's just to post the translated statements and let us read them for ourselves. We've heard so much about the various stories and changes to stories. We want to know what those statements say — not just what others suggest or summarize them to say and we want to know we're getting an accurate translation of the statements. We trust you to do that — well, maybe not translate them yourself!
I hope that you'll continue to read them on the air as you're doing with Deepak's June 9 statement, but I understand that you might not be able to give enough airtime to this to read everyone of them so I'd be a happy viewer if you just posted them. I do have two suggestions though. First, if you continue to read them on the air, instead of just showing random snapshots or footage of various people involved in the case show us some maps or diagrams or even photos and snapshots directly related to what you're reading at the time. It would sure help us to visualize more about what the statements are suggesting. My second suggestion is: If you don't decide to read all the statements on the air but post them for us instead — post them for us to read BEFORE you and your panel discuss them so we can follow the input a bit better.
Love the show and appreciate all you do.
Anna
Arkadelphia, AR
E-mail No. 6
No excuses, no justifications, no explanations... There is no way to 'spin' what was clearly witnessed on the video. At the very least all of the officers and the (assumed to be) nurse present on that video should be charged with at least 2nd degree murder. If they did not know what they were doing could result in harm, why was a nurse present? Do they require a nurse or health professional to be present for all beatings or 'physical penalty' interventions? How many other incidents have occurred in which an inmate has been injured, maimed or died while at this camp?
If the first medical examiner is as incompetent as his findings suggest then perhaps his license should be revoked: If he's not incompetent than he must be an accessory-after-the-fact and should be prosecuted.
An independent outside agency, maybe as was suggested the feds, should definitely investigate this entire incident including the medical examiner and the running of this camp.
Donna SantaMaria
Mercerville, NJ
Finally, some articles that caught my attention:
• Mother, boyfriend accused of duct-taping girl
• Jackson gets another day to pay $306,000 in Neverland wages
• Vikings, Dolphins agree on Culpepper trade
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