how corrupt are things

Submitted by docrobin on 23 April, 2007 - 05:48.

I saw a TV show about Eric Volz last nite and while I was aware of the situation, I was not really. Today I am searching for inf here and saw an old article and someone who had posted re their horror story in dealing with a car accident that was not their fault. If things are at this level there, and property can be taken if one os gone for 6 months, I need to rethink my decision to live there one day. I will not live in a corrupt country nor will a support the economy of such. Life is too hard to be fighting this insanity, especially at my age. For those who live there I would appreciate your honest feedback. In addition, is there anything I can do at this point as the appeal is imminent.

Thanks for the dialogue, that is what a democray is all about. I have let go of my dream to live in nicaragua, my lot is up for sale. i will always remember my trip there, sitting by a petroglyph while communing with a huge toad outside of magdelina then swimming in lake nic nude with a rainbow behind the volcano and the pink cranes, knowing life doesn't get any better than this (of course there was my scare when i first couldn't find my clothes on the shore and the thought of the reaction of the simple folk on ometepe seeing this naked 50 something gringo walking down the road). i will never forget the wonderful faces of the old and young people there, flying thru the trees doing the "superman" with the 20 something aussies and mayan looking guides), feeling so alive, waiting all nite for the tutles to arrive on shore while talking politics with the soldiers, so many wonderful moments, thanks nicaragua, i will be back. now i am off for another of my favorite places, new orleans for jazz fest.

‹ Adventures of the Esteli Public Registry leaving Nicaraguan property to someone ›
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I couldn't help , but to add my three cents

Submitted by ed33 on 11 May, 2007 - 22:24.

In the begining of this year , January 1, my brother in law was savagely stabbed 7 times in the middle of panamerican highway in broad daylight by some punk. Who was caught by a mob of people who were passing by. The stabber conffesed to the police that he had done it, and after spending the day in the local prision, he was set free. I don'tknow to this date , why. but apparently none followed the proper procedure to fill out the report and that is why this man is walking the streets of Esteli as if nothing happened. My brother in law recovered from this, and he has been to a couple of the hearings that keep being postponed . In the end, I think nothing is going to be done about this because the local goverment is worthless. I think , it is scary sometimes to think that in Esteli many things have not changed.

Here's what I think

Submitted by betovar2000 on 11 May, 2007 - 00:59.

It seems that, in Nicarugua, time have stood still. Nothing has really changed. The difference between the Somoza regime and the Sandinistas regime is the name, and the players. The game still the same. Corruption on the top and anarchy at the bottom. Add this to your survival kit in Nicaragua: Plata (money) y Pata (connections). Gotta have money to buy your way out and know the right people to help you out.

One of very good friends

Submitted by GranadaSherif on 25 April, 2007 - 12:08.

here in Nicaragua is a Prosecutor who has reviewed the evidence. According to him, all concrete evidence that they had pointed to his guilt, including a large "bribe offered" to the mother to drop charges and support the defense. Basically this action pissed people off here and increased the level of doubt as the authenticity of the defense witnesses as they could all be bought for far less than the bribe offered to the mother.

My opinion is, I do not know what the evidence really is, but I have to accept the ruling of the court. in this case guilty without a doubt does not apply here, here, because of the bribes and the private army he had, he should pove himself innocent without a doubt for me to believe himself innocent... In any case, there are MANY innocents in jails in the USA, Canada, etc.. and we do not hear that much about them ...

What the USA does not have

Submitted by thunderdial on 13 May, 2007 - 21:45.

is a lot of benches that shiver and bow down to the riot outside.

trial court level is one thing....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 14 May, 2007 - 14:06.

but i suspect the usa supreme court bows down to the pressure of the liberal media. how else do you get a 300 page opinion saying mccain-fiengold is ok, but you have the constitution saying congress shall make no law abridging free speech. go figure.

No doubt

Submitted by thunderdial on 14 May, 2007 - 16:38.

But it took a lot of time, and everyone ajourned with an okee dokee on their face. Our system is not perfect, but it's the best out there (well, except Lousiana law - hee hee, I have to deviate from the standard cliche somehow). But nobody in the states holds a murder case in a day, and weighs numbers and threats from the street. I haven't see the evidence either - come to think of it, no one has - I am beginning to think there is none.

bribe to eric volz's mother

Submitted by azul on 12 May, 2007 - 21:18.

This rumor that the mother was offered a bribe to "drop the charges" does not make sense at all. this is a criminal case, the STATE is pressing charges, not the mother. Even if Doris did not have any family member, the state still presses charges. It is not in the power of the mother to stop the prosecution of a suspect. that is why in a criminal case there is a prosecutor (fiscal)representing the state, and a defense attorney. in a civil case there are two attorneys, one for each side, going at each other. murder is tried in criminal court, it is not a civil matter. all the gold in the world could not make it possible for doris' mother to drop the charges; this is not in her power.

Charges and bribes

Submitted by carina_cisneros on 14 May, 2007 - 16:38.

Charges do exist independent of next of kin demands. But, kin not caring means nothing. Kin are not the only ones looking for bribes. If someone is charged, then there are people who stand to profit via a bribe, namely prosecutors, judges, and witnesses. Cases have just as must clout regardless of what the kin wants cause there is the potetntial for money to change hands and when foreigners are involed all the better cause that means much MORE money could be involved. Per the other later posts, the million dollar figure is laughable.

it does.....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 13 May, 2007 - 08:04.

i don't have a dog in the fight. and i want justice to be done. i haven't heard all the evidence. but, having been a prosecutor for 10 years, when a victim or victim's family does not want prosecution, it often does have some influence. therefore, the allegation that someone tried to bribe the aunt does make sense.

don't know if a bribe was offered. the more troubling question is why the 1 million dollar amount is bandied about. i doubt the family has that kind of money. therefore, that allegation would not make that much sense.

I love that expression

Submitted by dirtbag on 13 May, 2007 - 09:49.

I don't have a dog in the fight, or is that dawg? Where does the million dollar bribe come from? I agree from a Canadian perspective at least, if the victims family does not want prosecution there is at least, considerable hesitancy on the part of the prosecution to continue. We have a case at the moment whereas the police have brought charges against a boy whilst playing school Rugby injured another 16yr old in a tackle, subsequently and tragically the boy died as a result of the "Play". The(deceased) Boys Family want the charges dropped..they have already lost their son and do not want another "Victim". It will be revealed in the next week or so whether the charges will be dropped. I applaud the Family for their humanity in the most saddest of circumstances.

incredibly sad....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 13 May, 2007 - 15:55.

set of circumstances. something that boy will carry with him no matter what happens. i remember a story in montana or wyoming where a man accidentally killed his son. they gave him probation. he then took his own life. sometimes people have to do some penitance to help get over it. if that father had been jailed for a year, it would have been harder for him to take his own life. i don't believe our lives belong to ourselves to take them on a whim.

dog is a one syllable word, whereas, god has two.

Simple explanation

Submitted by betovar2000 on 11 May, 2007 - 01:15.

If there was such thing as "bribe" it was probably to keep the lady from pressing charges with false allegations. It is customary to blow things out of proportion. You can't believe everything that's being said, unless, you yourself know for a fact that it's true. Nicaraguans are good at embellishing stories and spinning the facts.

They also mentioned

Submitted by Pinolero2 on 25 April, 2007 - 13:18.

Hard evidence of the victims skin, on Volz"s finger nails.

I guess him offering a bribe to the mother,to a certain degree is admissal of guilt. or at least the parents and the system is looking at it that way

FAP

my understanding....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 25 April, 2007 - 13:33.

the mother passed away and the aunt raised doris. so my question is what proof do they have that there was a bribe? who offered it? was it on tape?

i have not heard the evidence.....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 25 April, 2007 - 12:41.

but is it true the man who was granted immunity had scratches on his genitals? and that same man had a criminal history?

who offered the aunt a bribe? do they have it on tape?

my love for my family

Submitted by vern on 25 April, 2007 - 10:57.

and my love for my friends keep me their. i have lived their for a year and i keep going back every year for 2 weeks to stay in condega. we just got home yesterday. i dont mind donating money for gas to the police. i look at it like this. if i had to stand in the hot sun for 12 hours a day for about $100 A MONTH i would take donations as well, maybe even more. i dont expect things to be like in the states because i am not in the states when i am Nicaragua. i just treat people with respect and go with it. i have never been robbed or harmed in amy way. i am a gringo and my wifes family live in condega, i really love my family and my friends. they are some of the best in the world and we will eventually move back to live. untill then you will see me walking around in condega and esteli for two weeks a year.

For Comparison

Submitted by fyl on 24 April, 2007 - 12:41.

I offer http://www.madcowprod.com/04242007.html and http://www.madcowprod.com/04102007.html for comparision. Some will say "but it isn't proven". Nope, not yet but neither is the heresay we have here.

Comparison

Submitted by expatyank on 12 May, 2007 - 08:04.

Not a good comparison.. The first line said it all -- "the fireworks is not over". If the Nicas had their way the Volz trial would be all over and he would be rotting in jail.End of Story.. There is corruption in the US. But try to bribe your way out of a drunk driving arrest, in the US you go to jail, in Nicaragua you pay the price of a bottle of rum to the cop and weave your way on down the road. If you then run over and kill someone, with enough money the cops will then drive you home.With the right connections you will never even see the inside of a courtroom let alone a jail.

knowledge is power

corruption of legal system

Submitted by susie on 24 April, 2007 - 10:34.

My husband and I travel extensively and HAD planned to get to Nicaragua in the next year to look at investment properties for retirement. However, since viewing the legal system corruption there in Nicaragua, we have decided it's not going to happen. We had heard some news about the American convicted for murder, but didn't have the details until now. How can a country convict anyone based on no evidence? I watched Dateline on Sunday night and could not believe any country had a system that would disregard any and all evidence in order to get a conviction! How can descent people allow this to happen? It is a tragedy what happened to that poor young lady, but obviously the mother isn't wanting to catch the real killer..killers with her ranting and encouraging the actions of mobs. Did this shed light on a country or what? I now understand the total meaning of 3rd world nation, I will never get that picture out of my mind, guns, pipes, screaming vengence of death, all supported by a grieving mother who actually looks as though she was enjoying it all. No wonder that young lady lived with her aunt and cousin instead of the mother. She looked like a liar and dressing for a lynch mob after the American left her daughter to make his living in the capitol. Sounds to me as if this mother had already decided her daughter was going to continue living off this young man so why not lie, it must be a Nicaraguan thing, drink, murder, and lie. Since the story, I have been checking in various web sites only to find the same issues lie everywhere there. Police demanding cash...US cash, or they are charged with a crime, maybe murder. Your country has a long way to go as far as I can tell, and now you will see your tourism fall ramptly. That's going to stall you into an economic diaster considering the coverage world wide, and US Nicaraguan's are apologizing for your actions stating this is NORMAL. I have now set out to get the American freed by donating to his legal fund and contacting my friends and family to do the same. I have found numerous web sites set up for Eric Volz, and encourage even the Nicaraguans to jump on board to stop this injustice for it represents the people that make up the country. If you want to be a respectable country, you need to make sure the appeal process is based on the evidence and all the evidence presented to the court. Law schools in the garage? Anyone can get a judgeship is what is being said now. Heads up people, this is not good for you! Free Eric Volz... www.friendsofericvolz.com. Take a good look!

Reconsider

Submitted by timotlc on 18 July, 2007 - 16:12.

I would reconsider your thoughts about moving here until you have at least come to visit. The last palce you want to get your information about anything is on USA, wepons of mass destuction TV.

CORRUPT LEAGAL SYSTEM?

Submitted by hobo on 12 May, 2007 - 17:16.

FOR SURE...BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STATES WE LET O.J. GO AND LOOK AT THAT EVIDENCE...HE HAD ENOUGH MONEY ..FOR GOOD LAWYERS SO NICARAGUA CONVICTS A INNOCENT MAN AND THE U.S, LETS A GUILTY WALK THERE IS FAILURE OF JUSTICE IN ALL COUNTRIES ...SOME HAVE MORE THAN OTHERS......WE PRAY THAT ERIC WINS HIS APPEAL....

i hope....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 12 May, 2007 - 19:59.

justice is done.

:o(

Submitted by frankoba on 25 April, 2007 - 14:34.

It’s a shame what is happening to Eric Voltz, but it does not dictate or defines what Nicaragua and its inhabitants are like. There’s so much anger on some of these postings that it’s pretty scary. What’s scarier is the way my poor country is being trashed because of this whole mess.

As far as some individual’s decision of not moving here, I can promise you that it is not going to stop this country from moving on, broken hearted, but WE WILL SURVIVE. Luckily, the # of people loving us is greater than the # of those resenting us.

And those who like “researching everything”, maybe will find that it would not be the first time an American comes to this country to kill and goes back home like nothing. That’s not to say that he did kill, but just so you know this is not the first time something like this happens involving a foreigner. Still Nicaraguans ALWAYS embrace & welcome Americans and others, not because of the might $, cuz it's not like they give it out for nothing in return, but because we simply like all people, no matter where they come from.

People commiting crimes

Submitted by expatyank on 12 May, 2007 - 08:09.

You Might want to look at the crime rate of Latins in other countrys before you make these statements. knowledge is power

realities of retirement in a third world country

Submitted by docrobin on 24 April, 2007 - 12:44.

It amazes me how many people try to defend the actions of the legal system there by saying that things are corrupt in the US as well. first i want to say that i was where you are at, looking for a paradise to build a retirement home. i saw some of the corruption in Nic first hand. my camera was stolen and it was clear that the woman who ran the dive i had slept at stole it (i had hidden it under my sheets when i went to dive in the pacific,left the hostel for another place to stay at about 1 and realized when i was in the shower at the home of a wonderful nic family that i had left my camera, i ran back but she had already "cleaned" the room that is she never even changed the sheets) i was told by others that even if the camera was found on her possession, she would have only been locked up for days. clearly there is a different standard for gringos. frankly all this makes me concerned and realize that while paradises that are reasonably priced are in short supply here, it is best to look in the states or some other country where there is a real democracy (like denmark). life is too short and i am too old for revolutions. good luck in your quest.

I was afraid of this

Submitted by fyl on 24 April, 2007 - 11:21.

That is, that the pro-Eric Volz propaganda campaign would make it to NicaLiving.com. Whether of not Volz is guilty--and I have no idea--I know people here that would like some information but don't need more propaganda.

With the number of injustices in the world with millions of victims, I am not willing to single out this one possible injustice as being important to me. But, if it is important to you I can assure you that someone knows what really happened. Nicaragua itself is small and San Juan del Sur is a small town in a small country.

What you are (and are not) hearing reminds me a lot of a recent murder in Estelí. All the press (and the family) seem to be sticking to the story that it was a robbery. Considering the number of people that I know that know all so much evidence that makes this a very different crime I continue to be surprised that it has not become something we see in the press. (Note that in this case, the perpetrators have been caught--it is only the reason for the crime that is "adjusted".)

The only logic I see is that the inforation would be damaging to the family and an agreement has been made to stick with the current robbery story. If I were connected in San Juan del Sur they way I am here (and I am far from "seriously connected" here), I expect I would know what really happened. That's just the way Nicaragua works.

"Propaganda" - now that's rich . . .

Submitted by BillAndJohn on 24 April, 2007 - 12:59.

. . . coming from one who cites Toni Solo as an authority.

I certainly don't have any independent information on the Volz case, and so can't make a judgment about whether justice was done. But it's clear his family is presenting their case effectively in the US media. The Wall Street Journal and one of the morning network shows have covered it. Just last night on CNN, Anderson Cooper aired a piece in which the Volz story was presented -- 10 witnesses saying he was in Managua; the judge excluding (and not merely discounting) the alibi evidence; the prosecutor admitting their were no witnesses to the murder (other than the victim, who obviously couldn't testify); Nelson Danglas fingering Volz and getting full immunity; a still photo of the scratches on Volz's shoulder; and shots of the turba (mob) in the street outside the courthouse with the police firing shots in the air.

From a PR point of view, it was about as bad as it could get for the Nicaraguan justice system. And then to top it off the CNN crew spent 5 hours unsuccessfully trying to get into the prison to interview Volz even though they had a Nicaraguan court order supposedly granting them admittance. Anyone who's dealt with the Nicaragua government -- scratch that, the Nicaraguan system -- would be unsurprised by the notion that a court order might not get speedy results. But to the US TV audience it surely smacked of "cover-up" and lack of transparency.

The US does not have the right to impose its notions of due process on Nicaragua, no matter how justified it may feel those notions are. But if Nicaragua wants to be attractive to foreign investment it will have to take account of foreign, including US, opinion. (Your bank won't lend you mortage money unless you've got clear title and an appraisal.) If the Nicaraguan government is in a position to offer some justification besides the conclusory "it was fair" let's hope it will do so. This case can tarnish Nicaragua's reputation as surely as would a few expropriations (after all, it's expropriation of liberty rather than property).

BTW, OJ is not a relevant counter-example on the US side. OJ was found NOT guilty, unlike Volz, and those who questioned the verdict did so because they believed the jury had "nullified" the verdict (ignored the evidence) because they didn't trust the criminal justice system. A better US comparison to Volz (assuming his view of the trial) would be someone was scapegoated (framed), such as Leo Frank, Saccho and Vanzetti, or perhaps Lynn Stewart. There is a world of difference between being exonerated despite the evidence and being convicted despite the evidence.

Propaganda, exactly

Submitted by fyl on 24 April, 2007 - 13:17.

The "Volz campaign" is not presenting a case. They are going out of their way to make Nicaragua "pay" (in terms of lost investment and tourist dollars) for what they did. While they are free to do that, calling it anything except propaganda is inaccurate.

Or, as you said, "presenting the case in the US media". That's propaganda about a case, not presenting the case. If Volz is innocent, putting your effort into finding the truth in Rivas, Nicaragua would be a bit more in-line with finding truth rather than using international propaganda to try to "force the truth".

Nicaragua, like most places, has legal system flaws. On the other hand, public opinion is more important in Nicaragua than in, for example, the US. Unless Volz has such a record in SJdS that he is on everyone's shit list, I am confident the public would come forward.

With regard to OJ, my point was simply that legal verdicts are not necessarily a function of truth--no matter where you are.

As for Toni Solo, while I don't always agree with him, I would certainly consider him an authority. I have quoted John Negroponte as an authority on various things as well. I am sure that either of them knows a lot more about Nicaragua than, for example, Dan Rather.

Presenting a case

Submitted by carina_cisneros on 24 April, 2007 - 22:16.

Pointing out that evidence was ignored is making a case; pointing out that witness testimony was ignored is making a case; pointing out that an angry mob was there is a factual matter. Facts are relevant. Each and every news story is part of a case being made, namely the case that he was not convicted based on any sort of rational legal decision nor any standard or evidence. Alls the worse for the other guy convicted, apparently based on absoutely nothing. Pointing out errors is part of the appeal process. Gathering information and making it public (often) is good for the appeal process and is making a case. It is almost the definition of making a case. It is no more propaganda than any legal defense or analysis is propaganda. If Nicaragua looks bad under the microscope that is simply because many aspects of Nicaragua really do look bad under the microscope. Propaganda is not what makes it look bad. It looks bad all bys itself.

Making Nicaragua Pay

Submitted by expatyank on 24 April, 2007 - 22:53.

You are right about a very flawed trial. What Nicaragua did was get the microscope focused on themselves because a Gringo was involved. We will never hear about the other cases that have been off the radar. This whole thing sounds like another shakedown for money that went bad and now the whole world is looking. I don't think that his family is near as concerned about "make them pay" as they are about gettin a fair trial. With all this publicity there will probably be a quick and quiet hearing and he will be alowed to scoot out of the country. You will never hear that the justic system made a mistake.

knowledge is power

In June

Submitted by cnlsanders on 24 April, 2007 - 14:05.

Unfortunately you will not be able to read the OUTSIDE MAGAZINE 10,000 word article on this case until June, when it is released.

The author had been down, writing an article of tourism however he encountered this case.

As many had originally believed that Eric Volz may have had some guilt in the case, due to rumor, he had similar doubts of the innocence of Volz. However he spent the past Months, interviewing and tracing EVERY leed possible, and he has come to the conclusion that with out a doubt Eric is Innocent. In fact so much so that he was a bit emotional in an interview on Dateline.

corruption

Submitted by captedgar on 23 April, 2007 - 11:18.

i enjoy this websit most people are so policticly correct..i hope you can forgive my spelling..i went to school in the bronx new york..i was driving a borrowed car in managua,,beastly drunk as usual..when i was pulled over by two nice corrupt police ,,my favorite kind for 10bucks apiece one drove me home and the other drove my borrowed car..my girlfrend put me to bed...in the us i would be in big do-do ...well not really my girlfriend i pay a nice friendly lady to live with me..this is the first expat-website ive read where sex with local ladies is never mentioned a big no no. i enjoy living in 3rd world pest holes where one witha few bucks can indulge in all the fleshy dellghts

as my dear liberal momma would say.....

Submitted by Che Guevara on 23 April, 2007 - 11:35.

it's not right or wrong, just different. well, maybe she would say that was wrong, she is a prude. nevermind.

Read this

Submitted by cnlsanders on 23 April, 2007 - 10:24.

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2007/04/23/sucesos/46935

I don't think Eric or any US Citizen has much of a chance when facing sentencing.

The US Embassy had an employee rip them off for several hundred thousand Cordobas. They presented 16 witnesses and documentary evidence to prove their case. Yet the Jury chose to declare him "Not Guilty" because he claimed that the officials have been opressing his Labor Rights.

The US Embassy being the Losers in this case.

Not as bad as it appears

Submitted by Huehuete Bob on 23 April, 2007 - 08:41.

Stuff like what you are referring to is really not the norm, just highly publicised so that it appears to be the norm. I have not nor do I know anyone who has had any real problems outside of a few traffic tickets that may be out of line. Have had to pay a few bribes to police (maybe $3 to $5) a few times.

Canta no LLores

Not as bad as it appears

Submitted by expatyank on 24 April, 2007 - 19:32.

For every miscarriage of justice in Nicaragua you can probably cite 2 or 3 in the US. True. The population of the US is over 300 million. What is Nicaragua's population? Also there were several Latin Americans freed recently by concerned people re-investigating the evidence this happend in the US by US citizens. How many Nicaraguans are working on the Volyz case? The norme anywhere in Latin America is "if you do not contribute to the corruption it will not happen gringo" knowledge is power

Lets look at HB's

Submitted by cnlsanders on 23 April, 2007 - 10:47.

Lets look at HB's happenings:

The Incident with the Rental house.

http://www.nicaliving.com/node/4589 "Seems like there is a quick way to evict someone after all. All you have to do is get the tennants to do something stupid and illegal......Then pay the cops a few action certificates."

The Incidents with the Truck

http://www.nicaliving.com/node/5475

The Incident with the Boat.

http://www.nicaliving.com/node/7845#comment-53725

...and I recall you writing about a friend in SJDS that had a major legal problem, just can't find it.

Sounds normal

Submitted by fyl on 23 April, 2007 - 11:03.

These "incidents" sound pretty normal as does the comment about the eviction in reference to how it would be different in Oregon. All in all, there is just a lot less government here and a lot less "my lawyer will talk to your lawyer".

Some people see an array of lawyers making a lot of money and a long, drawn-out court battle as "the way it should work". That is generally the US way and it discriminates against those that don't have the time or money for that game. (For a corporate example, try ATT vs. Carterphone, the creator of the telephone answering machine.)

Here, you are much more likely to have something "documented" in the TV news and some "equalizing action" be the result. That action may mean you paying the medical bills of the person who was at fault in an accident or needing to talk to the guy whose neighbor is a friend of the head of the ...

Neither system is perfect but they are very different. If you can accept those differences you will probably make it here. If you think "your system" is better, you will probably find a different place to live and that probably won't be in Latin America.

When in doubt,

Submitted by Alra on 23 April, 2007 - 08:39.

Don't take chances and stay home.

Al

Corruption and corruption

Submitted by fyl on 23 April, 2007 - 06:35.

Using the word government without the word corruption is generally pretty inaccurate. I see two big differences between the US and what you have here:

  1. Corruption is more open/well known
  2. Corruption is more fair--that is, available to regular people rather than rich friends of people in high places

The longer I live here to more I realize that I prefer "participatory corruption" to the kind that exists in the US. The kind where you rationalize that you really do need 1000 new nuclear warheads to protect yourself, you really do need to invade relatively harmless countries on the other side of the world to "protect the American way", ...

thanks

Submitted by docrobin on 23 April, 2007 - 06:54.

thanks for the response but it reeks of anti-american bias. sure our govt is corrupt but on an individual level, one does not have someone put in jail for days and required to pay thousand to resolve a car accident where they were the victim (assuming that blog was accurate). and this situation with eric is way over the top, this does not occur in the US. so honestly i now am rethinking my plan to live there one day. i am just too old to be carted away to jail if someone hit my car.

Stuff like "this" does occur in the US.

Submitted by frankoba on 23 April, 2007 - 10:33.

Stuff like this “does” occur in the US. A man in Miami just came out of jail after 26 years, and yes, you guessed he was innocent. All he got was an “oops, sorry”. His children are grown men and women. He missed their childhood and adolescence. And this is not the only case.

Idealists should stay away

Submitted by fyl on 23 April, 2007 - 07:12.

Read the transit law ( http://www.nicaliving.com/files/ley431.pdf ) and you will find that, like Costa Rica, getting shipped off to jail until fault is determined is codified. Or, worse, yet, if you move your vehicle before told to do so by the police, you are automatically assumed to be at fault.

If you talk to people involved in accidents, you will also find the most common "settlement" is for the people involved to, well, settle. Maybe this sounds too socialistic but it seems that settlements are based more on ability to pay than fault. So, you can be pragmatic, go with tradition and be fine. Or, you can fight to be right and spend some time in the slammer.

Based on that, decide if you want to drive or not. I have elected to drive. Many others here take the bus, have a "friendly cab driver" or hire a driver. Your choice. The alternatives are economical.

It is interesting that suggesting that the corruption level in the US is high is anti-American. That, to me, is part of the problem. People in the US really like to deny there is a problem. The end result is that the problem grows and grows. Of course, the victims are more apt to be people in other countries or people that joined the Army because they didn't have a better employment option than someone from a family with enough money to turn one (possible) victim into an international show.

As for murder trials, I offer OJ Simpson. Not because it was the only corrupt murder trial but, because of the money involved, it was very visible. Guilty or not, the Volz propaganda machine has turned a local trial--corrupt or not--into world politics.

corruption and the american way

Submitted by docrobin on 23 April, 2007 - 08:56.

hey you're talking to someone who protested the v nam war when she was 13, whose relatives probably died in concentration camps. i am no lover of the american govt but at least here one has some semblance of law. sure in the name of democracy the us govt has done atrocities but on an individual level there are some rights. i am a forensic psychologist so i know full well about the problems with the law and the poor here. ok i am an idealist and do want to spend my remaining yrs hopefully in a community that is environmentally conscious and committed to doing the right thing. it seems like nicaragua is light yrs away from that mentality.

forensic psychologist......

Submitted by Che Guevara on 23 April, 2007 - 10:07.

you can psychoanalyze me anytime! i am an idealist too. but, i will attempt to minimize my exposure in nica as i do here in usa. (hopefully hire a caretaker that can drive, live in a gated community, etc.)

OK i understand now

Submitted by docrobin on 23 April, 2007 - 10:24.

gee I am in my 50's and it has taken me this long to wise up to the ways of the world, maybe cause deep inside I am still waiting for hippies to take over the world, fat chance. I now realize that nic is a country populated by dirty old american men who want to get laid by a beautiful, but desperate, nicaraguan woman (sorry I am sure there are women there who are stong and independant), calitalist from all over the world who want to exploit a fairly virgin area, do gooders with their trust funds in the states who can be oh so self righteous, and dreamer like me who sometimes learn the hard way. the world is full of evil and greed, all the things moses warned us against in the 10 commandments. at least in the states i know what i am dealing with, the capitalism and greed is considered a virtue. well i think i will look to the pacific northwest where people are forming their own communities based on values I commit my life to. No i am not self righteous, i spent saturday planting trees, have signed my forest up for a conservation easement, well i don't need to go on. but i will admit inpart my desire to own in nic was based on greed, as well as a love of the people there and the almost other worldly qualities of the land, but i see now that comes with a large price to pay. robin

fat old men

Submitted by captedgar on 23 April, 2007 - 12:49.

i knew we would get to the real nitty gritty..whats wrong with old american men having a pretty young girl friend ,,,im a fat american man and i like pretty young women...in the states there are four cures for an old man still interested in women...frustration, masturbation..or the favorite of women castration,,,or a ticket to a 3rd world toilet..where old men are appriciated.for their money...in the US mr. smith had a pretty young girl anne nicole but then he had millions...why cant he spend his money on a young women rather than leave to his ungratful brood...or tree loving librels...if you seen one redwood you seen them all...

limb licking bunny huggers

Submitted by expatyank on 24 April, 2007 - 19:43.

Like the current US administration says. "Strip mining prevents forest fires". Let our grandkids find out how to keep the planet from starving. Lets burn a few more thousand acres of trees for pastureland. Make my steak medium rare please. Or do we need to take just a little resposibility for generations to come?

knowledge is power

I´ve been here 9 months

Submitted by Billy Bob on 23 April, 2007 - 09:50.

biggest problem is biyciclists on the wrong side ot the street and snotty clerks at Super Las Segovias. I know that this could all change in a heartbeat, but so far, so good.

And corruption? My mother was a jurer on the Snoop Doggy murder trial, and watched a murderer get off free because of 5 corrupt jurers and 3 weak ones.

"When you cross that river, Boy, you in a whole differnt country!" paraphrase from Carl Franz

Hey B.B

Submitted by Pinolero2 on 23 April, 2007 - 11:41.

I have been trying my best to stay away from this issue, since I don't want folks to look at my opinion as biased but....

Stuff like this happens almost every day in our good ole U.S.A, yet we don't make fuss about it, but boy o boy when it happens outside of our homeland we are horrified???

Having said that I think that before we criticize another's country, we must first look at our own back yards.

Don't get me wrong I love the U.S.A, fore, it has shaped me to who I am today,but life here is not perfect either, far from it, at best.

That is why it is a great idea to do One's homework before moving in, this way You get an idea of what you are getting in to.

Often times,folks move right in,without finding out about the culture/goverment, then when $hit hits the fan,they want to blame the Country it's people/goverment when really it is Themselves to blame,for not knowing any better.

There are so many things,One can do to stay out of trouble,and live without any one getting into your business,but folks ignore that.

FAP

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