Eric Not Free Yet

Eric's Conviction overturned by Appeals Court, but NOT YET FREE...

Here's what we know.

Today, the Nicaraguan Appellate Court ruled 2-1 in favor of Innocence
for Eric Volz and demanded his immediate release. In fulfillment of
Nicaraguan law, Judge Ivette Toruno, the convicting judge who is
required by law to sign the release papers, arranged for Eric's
attorney to pick-up the release papers at 2pm this afternoon. However,
Toruno left the court at 1:30 and will not come back for the rest of
the day. It is unclear as to whether or not she will be in the office
tomorrow, as well.

Judge Toruno is currently in contempt of court by refusing to make her
appointment and sign the release papers. Eric has been freed, but is
still being detained illegally, against the orders of the Appellate
Court.

Nicaraguan radio broadcasts have been announcing that the people need
to take justice into their own hands, since word of the court's
decision. We are more concerned than ever before, for Eric's safety.

It appears as if no one in the judicial, penal and/or immigration
systems in Nicaragua is responding to requests by Eric's attorney or
by the US Embassy to process Eric's release immediately as ordered by
the court.

Eric's mother Maggie will appear on CNN AC360 TONIGHT and The Today
Show tomorrow morning in the first hour.


--
+FREE ERIC VOLZ+

-an american journalist unjustly imprisoned in nicaragua-

WWW.FRIENDSOFERICVOLZ.COM

Eric Volz Free

NICARAGUAN COURT OVERTURNS SENTENCE

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) -- A Nicaraguan appeals court on 12/17 Monday
overturned the conviction of a U.S. man sentenced to 30 years in
prison for killing his Nicaraguan girlfriend.

Eric Volz, of Nashville, Tenn., was immediately freed from a prison in
the town of Granada, 25 miles east of the capital, Managua. His
whereabouts were not immediately known.

Nicaraguan Attorney General Julio Centeno Gomez told Channel 12
television he would appeal the decision to the nation's highest court.

"This seems unheard of to us," Centeno said.

While overturning Volz's conviction, the appeals court upheld the
30-year sentence of his alleged accomplice, Julio Martin Chamorro.
Both were sentenced in February for the death of Doris Ivania Jimenez,
who was found raped and strangled in November 2006 in a clothing store
she owned in the town of San Juan del Sur.

Life is Good

A young technician and his General Manager board a train headed through the mountains on its way to Wichita. They can find no place to sit except for two seats right across the aisle from a young woman and her grandmother.

After a while, it is obvious that the young woman and the young tech are interested in each other because they are giving each other "looks."

Soon the train passes into a tunnel and it is pitch black. There is a sound of the smack of a kiss followed by the sound of the smack of a slap.

When the train emerges from the tunnel, the four sit there without saying a word.

The grandmother is thinking to herself: "It was very brash for that young man to kiss my granddaughter, but I'm glad she slapped him."

The General manager is sitting there thinking: "I didn't know the young tech was brave enough to kiss the girl, but I sure wish she hadn't missed him when she slapped and hit me!"

The young woman was sitting and thinking: "I'm glad the guy kissed me, but I wish my grandmother had not slapped him!"

The young tech sat there with a satisfied smile on his face. He thought to himself: "Life is good. How often does a guy have the chance to kiss a beautiful girl and slap his General Manager all at the same time!!!!!

I AM LEGEND

I was talking with a friend of mine about the movie coming out this weekend, I Am Legend, staring Will Smith. This movie is an adaptation of the same title by Richard Matheson. Just from the previews my friend Scott pointed out that Smiths character seems like a Christ figure. He is the I Am Legend. God says that he is the great I Am. In the previews Smith is immune to the virus that has effected NYC. He is the only one alive, everyone else is dead. Christ being the only one alive when everyone is dead in sin. And Christ provides the "immunity" to the dead. Smiths character says, "I can help you. I can stop this."

Not to overspiritualize this film but as Christians we should be looking for the redeeming value in movies. I saw Stephen Kings The Mist...and there was NOTHING redeeming about this movie. It is in the truest sense a tragedy.

I did a little research and Richard Matheson is not a Christian. However, he does hold some spiritual views. I am posting an interview by Matheson. I hope to go see this movie next week. Feel free to join me. Just comment and we will decide times. Here's the interview:

FAX: Though you’ve always used supernatural themes in some of your work, there is a deepening spirituality in your fiction as the decades pass. Was this because of your growing personal feeling about the nature of the human soul and what lies beyond what we call life?

MATHESON: I have read countless books on parapsychology, metaphysics, etc., through the years. My special favorite is Thinking and Destiny by Harold W. Percival. It inspired my book The Path which consists mostly of quotes from Thinking and Destiny.

Anyway, I have studied these books and evolved my personal philosophy which, when all the details are considered, consists of that little quote in Hunted Past Reason—“To die is nothing. To live is everything”—with all that implies.

FAX: Were you religious as a youth?

MATHESON: Not particularly. I was raised as a Christian Scientist, which I accepted. A good religion. On the wall of the pulpits in Christian Science churches is the phrase “God is Love;” not a bad statement.

FAX: Did your experience in World War Two affect your religious views?

MATHESON: I used my Christian Science belief system when I was in infantry combat. It reassured me. At the same time, my blood pressure went sky high—so you pays your metaphysical money and you takes your choice. Later, I left the Christian Science religion and chose to evolve my own belief system, which does not adhere to what has been described as “Churchianity.” However, I still think Christian Science is an acceptable religion.

29/28/27/26/25/24/23/22

29. NICHOLAS

Well, thank you. I guess I will have to come in here more often and build a relationship with her and ask her out.

28. LUCIAN

No, my boy. You will just ask her out. See, I called her earlier and told her I would be bringing a friend by. The kiss on the check she gave me, means she’s interested in getting to know you.

27. SEBASTIAN

Good evening Sir.

26. NICHOLAS

Sebastian, would you mind sending me my bag?

25. SEBASTIAN grins

Do you mean, “The” bag Sir?

24. NICHOLAS grins

Yes, I mean “The” bag Sebastian.

23. SEBASTIAN

I certainly will Sir.

Girl Friends

I am going to be very vulnerable here and talk about my personal life. Girl friends, I need your help. I have recently switched from using a rag and my Axe body wash, the commercials are not true, to a loofa and my Axe body wash.

How in the world do you get the soap out of the loofa once you are all clean!!!? No matter how hard I try to squeeze the soap out, it makes more soap. Its a loofa soap machine. So, I give up and just hang it up. Any advice from my girl friends out there would be helpful. Or I guess I could ask my friend Carl. I believe I saw him toting a soapless loofa around Peru. Hmmm...?

31 / 30

31Sebastian

I am very well aware of what happened. Have you lost faith in Nicholas? Don’t you think he knows exactly what he is doing? He of all people is well aware of the consequences of being gone too long. We have to trust and believe that he is doing what he thinks is best. Even if he decides to give all this up, for her.



30 MR. LUCIAN

Well, Nikki, only you know if your heart has the capacity to do this. But let me warn you. In your position, use extreme caution. If there is any uncertainty in your heart you know what you will need to do. Otherwise, this year for you may be a long and exhaustive process. With no guarantee on a return. You are a wise man, listen to your instincts. You are a young soul in a very wise mind.