COMMENTARY: MERI ULRICH, BLOG CONTRIBUTOR

This will be a different kind of blog for me. Usually I write pieces about the case or the people involved in the case of Natalee Holloway's disappearance but this time I want to write about the people who report the case.


The media has their own take on what is happening on Aruba and depending on their guest, they offer different perspectives and opinions which is fine and the way that it should be.


As with any legal matter there are two sides and one side will advocate for the (victims) or Plaintiffs and one side will advocate for the defense (suspects). There are no official Defendants in this as of yet because no one has been charged with a crime in regard to Natalee's disappearance but for the sake of clarity I will use the above terms. I will refer to the Plaintiffs as Natalee and her family members and the defendants as Joran van der Sloot, the Kalpoe brothers and anyone else under suspicion.


Aside from the media reportage there is the Internet coverage of what is happening in the case. The lead Internet site for news and up to the minute information is THIS site which is run by Michelle. (Meri, I don't think so...Red's the man...but thanks anyway.) Michelle is VERY careful to check all of her sources before she posts anything and although there are op-ed pieces (such as mine), whatever Michelle herself posts is checked on several levels before it ever reaches this site.


I know this for a fact because Michelle is not only a friend, but someone I have met and worked with. I know who some of her connections are and how she goes about achieving the real-time information that she posts on this blog. I know that she is an honorable person and that she would NOT post anything that she had not sourced.


Someone commented on the fact that Michelle used the Germanic term that precedes a sir name (von) instead of the Dutch version (van). Both of those terms simply mean that they are part of a family name. In Israel the name Ben signifies "Son of" and is placed before the full last name. . The van der Sloot name translates to "of Sloot" as do Germanic names where von is used instead of van. This is not something commonly known or used in America and it is understandable that Michelle or any one of us could use the term incorrectly without malice or to change anything of importance on her reportage.


To use that as a basis for criticism is beyond petty. Maybe we have a little jealousy going on here when this site scoops all of the others with information that has not been presented to the public? I personally resent this type of pettiness especially when I am fully aware of how hard Michelle works to get her information, check it factually and than post it in a more than timely manner for all of us to disseminate.


Let's be grateful that Michelle takes her valuable and limited time to keep us all updated and that she cares so much about Natalee and her family to update this site on an almost hourly basis. Not many sites do this and rather than putting her down, we should thank her.

Editors Note: I did NOT pay Meri to write this. :) She thinks very highly of me, which makes me feel weird...I'm not used to taking compliments. I'm just an extremely strong opinionated 'beeeatch' (when necessary) with an immense passion for things I believe in. I love to write and I just happen to have a blog. That's all. What'cha see is what'cha yet.