Trial of the Century

Find Eric and Rebekah

2006-06-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say. Something's wrong, and we're not getting the truth from the FBI.

Davis and I are ending this blog, and starting a new site instead:

Find Eric and Rebekah

Surveillance Photos

2006-06-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, big news.

These surveillance photos were released by the bank on the corner of Main Street and First South, in Salt Lake City. (Oddly enough, that was the bank that Eric once robbed, but that's probably coincidence...)

The first photo (below) shows two people facing each other. The one on the right could very possibly be Eric. He was meeting with the State Department earlier in the day, and then on his way to Rebekah's concert -- it would make sense that he'd be wearing a suit, and that looks like a suit he owns.

The second photo shows Eric in almost the same position, although the other person is gone. There's a shadow on the sidewalk that could be either the other person walking away, or a third unknown person. (The shadow isn't there in any of the other photos, so it must be a person.)

The third photo shows a third person, wearing a suit. I would assume that he's FBI?

The fourth shows Eric and the FBI guy (possibly, of course) running east. In this shot we can see the FBI guy is wearing a trenchcoat, and since it's the 23rd of June and 90 degrees outside, it makes more sense that he's FBI.

UPDATE: The FBI has just seized the photos and are asking the media not to publish them. Too bad they're all across the internet by now.

It doesn't add up

2006-06-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange weekend.

As Baxter posted, I went to Rebekah's concert on Friday. Everything appeared to be normal, and at 7:30pm the lights went down. We waited for several minutes and then there was an announcement that the program had been changed: Rebekah would not be playing, and the orchestra would be playing something else instead. (I don't remember what the replacement was -- something else by Saint-Saens, I think.)

I left the theater to find out what was happening, and counted no less than fifteen law enforcement officers in the lobby. Special Agent Harrop (the agent assigned specifically to Eric) was there, and I tried to talk to him, but was shooed away. I talked to a few police officers, but they all told the same story: Rebekah was gone, and they didn't know where she was -- but there was no reason to think that anything bad had happened. (How they came to that conclusion, considering they didn't know anything, I'll never know.)

After fifteen minutes, I was finally able to talk to Agent Harrop. He asked me a thousand questions: Did I go to Salt Lake with Rebekah and Eric? Had I talked to them that day at all? Had they mentioned anything about going somewhere? I wasn't able to get a word in, and he didn't answer any questions.

Now here's the weird thing. As you may have seen in the news already (it's been all over every major network since this morning), the FBI released a statement that Eric and Rebekah are now in the Witness Protection Program.

It raises a few questions:

If the FBI had taken him into custody, wouldn't Agent Harrop had known that?

Wouldn't there have had to be some kind of incident to force their hand?

What about Rebekah's mother and sister? They are involved in the trial, too. What about Baxter and I? We testify in both Isabella and Arbogast's trials.

Something happened, I think, and the FBI isn't telling us.

Concerning...

2006-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

So this is weird.

Rebekah had a concert today, like Eric talked about on Wednesday. It was in Salt Lake at Abravanel Hall, and Rebekah was really excited about it.

Eric was planning to hang out with her in Salt Lake and then attend the concert, but that was shot out of the water when he found out he had to meet with the State Department for yet another interview. Still, he was supposed to be done in time for the concert.

Well, Davis has tickets to the concert, and he just called me. Apparently, the schedule changed. I don't know why yet, but Rebekah was taken off the program -- but nothing was put in her place. And he said there were several police officers in the lobby at intermission.

I can't get either Eric or Rebekah on their cell phones...

I'll keep you updated.

Upcoming Events

2006-06-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

It all starts next week. We've been waiting for this trial for six months, and it's finally here. Well, almost here... The waiting is the worst part.

Arbogast's trial will be easier, I think. With Isabella, I just don't know who she is. Arbogast is a criminal and a fraud and a terrorist. Isabella is an enigma.

We're filling time as best we can. Only Rebekah signed up for any classes this summer. Davis is working. Baxter's got a short internship. I'm just trying to get through this stupid trial -- I have no idea how Rebekah is going to stay on top of her classwork.

Speaking of which, this Friday she's going to be playing Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall. You should all buy tickets and come see her.

Her performance is going to be great -- I know it because I saw her perform the same piece last night at the HFAC. It was tremendous.

The BYU Music Department has learned that Rebekah's accidental celebrity status will always draw crowds to concerts, and has been booking recitals quite a bit in the last few months. Half the audience is media, I think, but no one minds as long as they buy a ticket!)

My Father

2006-06-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

by Rebekah Hughes

I'm finally back. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, with the performances back east and the interview schedule. I try myself to be patient with the media. After all, it was the power of the media that really saved Eric and I from Arbogast and, ultimately, Felix and his NOS goons. Still, the schedule is rough and they ask questions that I don't want to answer.

Well, I've decided to finally answer the big one: What is the story with my father?

Answer: I don't know, really. Here's what I know for sure:

Back in December, I was planning on visiting my father in England for Christmas. As everyone knows, I got kidnapped by the NOS, and never made my flight. Eric, while trying to help me, talked to my father on the phone, and told him I was in trouble.

A short time later, Isabella Hakopian showed up. She eventually told us that she was my father's personal assistant, and that she had been sent to help us, on his request.

Later, at the airport, my father saved my life, as well as Eric's. He and Felix talked, and while I don't understand much of what was said, it was evident that they knew each other. How and in what capacity, I don't know.

And that's it. That's all there is to the story. I don't know why he is in hiding right now, and I don't know why Isabella won't talk to the police.

Here's what I do know: there is no evidence, in my mind, that my father is a terrorist. There is absolutely no evidence that he is working with Felix. They hate each other; that much was certain.

And I know this: he's my father, and I'm not going to hang him out to dry based on hearsay and speculation. I never knew him much growing up, because he was always away on business, but that doesn't mean I didn't--don't--love him.

Halls of Justice

2006-06-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

You'll have to pardon our absence. The pre-trial meetings have stepped up, and even Davis and I have had to go to court once or twice.

Isabella Hakopian's trial will be first, and it starts in just a couple of weeks. As our incredibly astute, anonymous commenter pointed out last Friday, Isabella claimed to be personal assistant of Edward Hughes, Rebekah's dad. (The FBI asks that I use conditional language like "claimed to be" when I talk about this stuff. What actually happened was that she told Eric and Rebekah that she was his personal assistant, and they have no reason to doubt her.)

Her trial is scheduled to get underway on the 28th of June. The weird thing about Isabella is this: despite only trying to help Eric and Rebekah, she hasn't said a single word in the six months she's been in jail. The news reports she won't even talk to her defense lawyer. Weird.

The other big trial coming up is Paul Arbogast, a former FBI agent who was working for the Novus Ordo Seclorum (allegedly). On more than one occasion, he tried to get Eric to turn himself over into Arbogast's custody. And when they finally were in his custody, he tried to deliver them to Felix Hazard. (Again, allegedly.) (But it's true.)

His trial will start sometime this fall. They're still working on his case, because they're trying to figure out how far back his corruption goes, and if anyone else in the FBI was involved. So far, he hasn't named any names, but I think he will before the end.

Arbogast is the only NOS member who has been captured alive, and they're going to make an example of him, I think.

Hughes: "I don't know the truth"

2006-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent raid on an NOS warehouse, Eric and Rebekah are back in the spotlight. Last night they were interviewed via satellite on Larry King Live, and for the first time Rebekah talked about her father. (It wasn’t much, but it was more than she usually says – and she gets asked all the time.)

Here’s an excerpt from the show. (Forgive any errors – I copied it down as quickly as I could…)

Larry King: So Miss Hughes, you had been trapped in a warehouse similar to this one?

Rebekah Hughes: Well, similar in that it was a warehouse. I haven’t seen a lot of pictures of this one.

LK: This was shortly before the incident at the airport?

RH: Yes.

Eric Hopkins: That was earlier in the evening, yeah.

LK: Now, Miss Hughes, can I ask you a question? There has been a lot of speculation about your father, Edward Hughes, and his participation in these events. We know – well, I mean, we think we know – that Isabella Hakopian was Edward Hughes’ personal assistant.

RH: Yes.

LK: And in interviews, you’ve been very reluctant to speak of this. Presumably more on the subject will come out in the trial. What’s the reason for your silence?

RH: Yes… Well, the thing is, he’s my father. It’s different when I talk about Felix or Isabella. My father’s my father.

LK: But you put him in the same category with Felix Hazard?

RH: I don’t put any of them in the same category. I don’t put them in categories at all. There’s just the truth, and it can’t be cut up into little pieces that can be categorized. And that’s the main reason why I’ve stayed silent about my father. I don’t know the truth about him, and I’m not going to jump to any conclusions. He’s my father.

Finally...

2006-06-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Big news today. The Secret Service finally made the first big bust in the Novus Ordo Seclorum counterfeiting ring.

Philadelphia, PA (AP) - Following a tip from a nearby business owner, police raided a warehouse in western Philadelphia late Monday night. Although no NOS members were captured during the raid, police found printing equipment and over $1.4 million in counterfeit bills. This is the first major raid since the NOS surfaced in December.

“We saw them coming and going at all hours of the night,” said Ian Roshek, night manager of a restaurant across the street from the warehouse. “They’d come in at three or four in the morning with a couple of pickup trucks and load up. Honestly, I thought they were drug dealers. I had no idea.”

When it became evident what police had found, they contacted the FBI, who notified the Secret Service. Despite the scale of the find, many say it will do little to sway critics of law enforcement’s handing of the counterfeiting.

“You have to put it in perspective,” said Congresswoman Alisa Kent (R-Pennsylvania). “1.4 million is a lot of money, but when you realize that there has already been 350 million dollars—fake dollars—spread into the economy since December, 1.4 doesn’t seem like that much.”

Some experts put the amount much higher. $356 million is the official figure released in a report from the Treasury Department last week, but estimates from the Tremont Institute, a New York-based think tank, put the numbers closer to $500 million.

Lapidary Grandeur

2006-06-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Eric today. It seems that, while Rebekah was in the performance of a lifetime at the Kennedy Center, Eric got held up in a late meeting at the State Department. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy.

In other news, by all accounts Rebekah's performance went very well. She played part of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1. I know next to nothing about music, so you'll have to excuse my literacy on the subject, but here's what I've gleaned from Wikipedia:

Some guy named Oistrakh referred to the violin part as a "pithy Shakespearian role'. I don't know if that's good or bad.

The first movement is characterized as "a suppresion of feelings". The second is "demoniac". (Go Rebekah!)

A guy named Boris Schwarz commented "on the passacaglia's lapidary grandeur, and the burlesque's devil-may-care abandonment." I would have to totally agree.

On a note of annoyance: some nutcase talk-radio host is complaining about the choice of music. Shostakovich was apparently tied closely to the Soviet government, and says that having Rebekah play this particular piece at the Kennedy Center is a slap in the face (since Felix is a communist and previously worked for the KGB).

What a bunch of baloney. It's just a song.

Live From Kennedy Center

2006-05-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

by Davis Bradshaw

Eric and Rebekah have left town, which I think I'm allowed to say because they've been on just about every single news program in the last week.

Rebekah's part of a concert at the Kennedy Center this weekend. One benefit of all this press is that she's getting a lot more opportunities to perform. I mean, it's not like she's the star of the show (yet) but she's certainly getting more attention.

As part of that, this week Eric's pretty much tagging along for the ride. Every interview they give is focusing on Rebekah, but by far my favorite was their appearance on Steph! this morning. For those of you who aren't familiar with Steph! (the male readers, no doubt), it's a mix of Oprah and The View, with a little TLC makeover nonesense thrown in for good measure.

I think over the entire hour, Eric said about six words. He looked mighty uncomfortable.

This is my favorite: "Terrorism: A Woman's View". Classic.

On a more serious note, I have to wonder what effect all this is having on Eric and Rebekah's relationship. During the next few weeks they won't be together much at all -- she's on the talk show circuit, and his court schedule is stepping up. (And all this media scrutiny probably isn't helping.)

Restricted

2006-05-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

by Eric Hopkins

Well, not surprisingly the FBI has asked me to shut up for awhile on the blog, at least on the terrorist topic. So, for the next little while, I'll leave all the politics and current events to Davis and Baxter, while Rebekah and I will talk about American Idol and X-Men and other such things. Yes, it kind of ruins the point of the blog, but not much seems to be going according to plan lately.

So, in light of that, Rebekah and I were both pleased that Taylor won American Idol. Baxter was disappointed, because Katharine is good-looking, and I think he expected her to look at the phone voting records, realize that he's her biggest fan, and marry him. (This is actually less pathetic than Davis, who is still rooting for Becky O'Donohue.

In other news, Baxter, Davis, and I got together for some awesome board game action the other day. This is because we're nerds, and we can't have social lives that aren't approved by federal committee, filed in triplicate, and notorized.

So, instead of going out and spending time with girls and fresh air, we spent it at the kitchen table playing Axis and Allies: D-Day. Baxter was the British, I was the Americans, and Davis was the vile Nazis. Much like it happened in real-life, my troops got trapped on the beach for an awfully long time. Baxter's got a strong foothold, and marched toward Caen. But, much like it didn't happen in real-life, the Germans pulled out the ultimate victory.

However, just because Davis was so smug about his win, I'd like to display the following picture. He may have won Axis and Allies, but Elizabeth totally creamed him at Girl Talk.

Ha! Take that, you Nazi!

An Open Letter to Felix Hazard and the Novus Ordo Seclorum.

2006-05-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

by Eric Hopkins

Dear Felix,

From what the FBI tells me, you're reading this blog all the time. Every time we post anything, be it our vacation itinerary or our American Idol picks, you're out there, somewhere on the Information Superhighway, reading.

If that's the case (to be honest, I think you probably have better things to be doing), then read this:

Leave us alone. Seriously. We got involved with you entirely because of mistaken identity. I found the jewelry by unfortunate chance -- you left it in your apartment when you moved, for crying out loud. I found it, and gave the necklace to Rebekah. If you had shown up, asked really nicely (or even mugged us and taken it), then there wouldn't have been a problem. But instead you kidnapped us.

And there was more to it than that. We tried to run away -- we were getting on a plane to leave the country, if you remember, and you wouldn't leave us alone. Instead, you shot up the airport.

My point? Leave us alone. There is nothing right now that we can do to you. There is nothing that we did to you that wasn't your own fault. The only reason that we figured anything out about the ring and necklace was because you kept trying to kill us. Had you just taken it, and left us alone, your whole plan would have worked. Good job.

Felix, I'm getting really sick of this. I'd like to get back to normal life, and thanks to you that may be years away, if it happens at all.

I'm calling a truce. Rebekah and I won't do anything to you if you don't do anything to us. It should be particularly easy on our end, since we've never tried to do anything to do. Just leave us alone and let us live our lives.

Eric Hopkins

Laying Down the Law

2006-05-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's the deal. The FBI has handed us a few guidelines. And as much as I'm annoyed by it, I understand that they are doing it for our own good. I guess.

First, we can no longer post any information that would indicate where we will be, unless it's something that is already public knowledge (such as Rebekah's concerts, or something at the courthouse).

Second, we're not allowed to discuss specifics of the trial, or conversations we've had with law enforcement officials that are not part of the public record. Technically, I think the FBI is not allowed to lay down this rule. I have a friend in law school who's looking it up for me.

Third, Eric and Rebekah once again have federal guardian angels to watch over everything they do. (Davis and I don't, though, so I guess we're not important enough to be targeted by the terrorists.) :)

The thing is, I completely realize that the situation is serious. Two nights before Christmas, Felix and Oliver showed up at my house and shot up the place. I'm not trying to downplay the threat. But I am getting a little sick of it all. When do we get back to normal life?

Rocky Mountain High? Not anymore.

2006-05-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

by Joseph Baxter

Well, I'm posting this late today because of several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we've spent the weekend in long, heart-to-heart discussions with the FBI.

Here are some photos of our recent camping trip. First, sitting around the campfire:

Second, a pair of deer watch us from the forest's edge:

Third, hiking the scenic grandeur of Bryce Canyon:

In case you hadn't noticed, our camping trip was canceled. Our hot dogs and s'mores were replaced with Subway sandwiches, our campsite replaced with a park, and our solitude replaced with FBI chaperones. It's kinda lame.

The problem is this: we have a blog that anyone can read. And we told the world that we were going camping. We said when we were doing it, where we were going, and which campground we had reserved. An hour before it was time to go we were stopped by the feds and told that we had to change our plans -- perhaps the N.O.S. would follow us and murder us in our sleep. (This is a particularly silly argument, since it's no secret where we live, and there's no FBI agent parked in front of our houses.) (Rebekah's family excepted, of course, though that's different.)

Anyway, enjoy these photos of some awesome Frisbee playing.

Hittin' the Road

2006-05-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

by Joseph Baxter

Well, after much discussion, we finally decided we're headed to Bryce Canyon National Park. Rebekah has never been there -- we found out a few months ago that she's never really been anywhere in Utah.

So, last night we pulled out the tents and sleeping bags and cleaned them thoroughly. From all the sand inside it looks like they haven't been used since Eric went to the west desert last summer. In the photo here you can see his wrist still in a bandage -- he should be getting it off soon.

And the whole time we were cleaning the camping equipment, Davis was gabbing with Elizabeth. Not that I was really surprised.

Anyway, Rebekah has a class this afternoon, after which we're leaving. I reserved a couple campsites at Sunset. The next time you see us we'll all be sunburned and filthy.

N.O.S. Update

2006-05-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, last night after American Idol, the news had more stuff about the economy. The sad news is that, even though we were able to stop Novus Ordo Seclorum from attacking internet commerce, they're still pouring counterfeits into the economy, and the dollar is plummeting. The N.O.S. spent twenty years building up an enormous reserve of fake money, just waiting to spring it on the public. Their hope was that several-hundred-million-dollars worth of fake money would shake America’s faith in the dollar. And when no one believed in their money anymore, the money wouldn't be worth anything. Crazy, yes, but no one had accused Felix of sanity.

So far, his attack seems to be working. Stores offer discounts for using checks or credit cards. Even coins are preferred to bills, as no one had ever found a good, cost-effective way to counterfeit a quarter. 20/20 devoted an entire episode to coins, talking about how teenagers used the jingling money in their backpacks as a status symbol at school. They interviewed a high school junior from a poorer neighborhood of Chicago, who put two bags of washers in his pants pocket, and was suddenly accepted by the in-crowd.

The government is responding to the threat in the way that the government responds to things: congress is asking for more funding for the intelligence community. Some of that money also is going to public service announcements, in which big-name celebrities encourage the public to have faith in their money. Dustin Hoffman has a spot eating at a diner and leaving a twenty-dollar bill on the table; Julia Roberts pays five bucks for a bag of Doritos at a gas station.

And yet the dollar is dipping steadily. As far as we can see, Felix’s plot for complete economic equality via countrywide bankruptcy is beginning to work.

Rocky Mountain High

2006-05-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

School is out for everyone, except the nerds who decided to take classes over the summer. (Rebekah, I'm looking in your direction.) And since I know that Eric has absolutely nothing to do with his time, and Baxter just spends all day goofing around on his computer all day, I hereby propose that we go camping this weekend. Of course, this means that we'll have to miss out on Dollar Night at the Varsity, as well as the Utah Prehistory and Heritage Celebration (which I'm sure will be awesome).

Given the current weather report, which looks pretty good, we could probably go most anywhere. I think there's still snow in the high mountains, but we could probably go up a local canyon.

Or, of course, we could just head south. Any ideas?

"You get stronger all the time"

2006-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

(This is a syndicated article I wrote for Hansen Media Group.)

by Davis Bradshaw

Rebekah Hughes sits quietly by the piano, studying the pages of Camille Saint Saens’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor. Her violin rests beside her, tuned but silent as she reads the worn sheet music. Her eyes flash across the paper. She’s engrossed in the notes and lines, almost as though she were reading a bestselling novel. After several minutes, she lifts her instrument, nestles it under her chin, and begins to play.

At first glance, Rebekah seems little different from any college student: she attends the basketball games; stays up late watching movies; her backpack can barely contain its load of textbooks and notepads. But something is revealed as she draws her bow across the strings of the violin. You can see it in her eyes. Fierce determination. Intense resolve.

It’s what kept her alive.

Five and a half months ago, Rebekah was kidnapped. When Novus Ordo Seclorum surfaced in the final weeks of December, they offered her no signs that they were economic terrorists. Instead, they appeared merely as kidnappers, muggers, and thugs.

Rebekah spent three days with them, sometimes in the filthy basement of a run-down home, and sometimes in the freezing cold of an unheated warehouse. More than once she expected to be killed, and more than once the kidnappers tried. But through it all, Rebekah told herself that she would overcome. And when rescuers came for her, they were too late – she’d freed herself.

"I told myself that I just wasn’t going to let it happen," Rebekah says. "Sure I was scared, but that’s no reason to give up, to let them win. I mean, I don’t want to sound cliché here – I’m not trying to say that it’s as easy as just saying ‘I’m not going to die.’ It’s about faith. I knew… I knew that I could make it out of there."

So she did what she could. As she sat I the dark, she sang to herself to remain calm. She’d explored her tiny prison, watching for weaknesses. She talked to her captors, sometimes with mixed results.

"I liked to talk to Oliver," Rebekah explains, referring to one of the terrorists. "He was nervous, and that showed me he was still feeling something. The others, well, they were different. But Oliver would talk to me. He got in trouble for it."

Then, on her third night with the N.O.S., she was able to undo the ropes that held her feet, and flee into the darkness. She wouldn’t be safe for several more days, but she’d survived the first harrowing ordeal.

And now, months later, as she focuses on her music and lets the notes flow from her violin, that strength and passion are still visible.

"You get stronger all the time, you know?" Rebekah says, setting her instrument back into its case. "That’s how faith works."

The meetings never end

2006-05-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

by Eric Hopkins

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on the subject of law. Not only have I taken American Government and Politics at BYU, in an auditorium with 146 other freshman, but I’ve studied the subject extensively and independently of school: I’ve read three John Grisham books, which is probably just as good as going to law school, but more importantly, I’ve watched almost every single episode of Law & Order. I know the whole story about Lenny’s daughter. I know which lawyer got written off the show by getting in a car accident, and I know which cop got written off by punching a defendant. I know that whenever the grumpy judge with the stubbly white beard was on the show, things weren’t going to go well for the DA’s office. I even saw the episode when Anne of Green Gables murdered her kid.

What I didn’t know is that Law & Order doesn’t show you the painfully boring aspects of law, which account for about ninety-seven percent of it. Two percent accounts for business lunches—usually at crummy downtown restaurants—and the remaining one percent is the trial.

I haven’t gotten anywhere near that last part. Rebekah and I are stuck in the ninety-sevens somewhere, wishing we were in the twos, because even lunch at the Golden Wok was better than getting interviewed for the fifteenth time.
In Law & Order, the criminal investigation takes twenty minutes. The trial takes another twenty minutes. All these awful meetings must happen during the commercial breaks.

Anyway, we were in court again today. Paul Arbogast’s trial is first, and I wish that I was allowed to talk more about it. It has been recommended to Rebekah and I (and Davis and Baxter for their parts) that publicly we keep our opinions about the defendants to ourselves. I’ll just repeat here what I’ve said other places: it’s already a matter of public record and I can’t take it back (so I might as well say it again): Paul Arbogast tried to kill us, and his punishment can’t be harsh enough.

I can say, though, that Rebekah is handling things beautifully. I get frustrated easily, and more than once I've walked out of an interview. Rebekah is much more patient than me. However, with no end in sight, I wonder how long that will last.

Eric was released from the hospital

2006-05-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

by Rebekah Hughes

Ugh… I don’t know how I got the privilege of the first blog entry. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t format this correctly; I’m new to the blogging world.

Anyway, this morning Eric got released from the hospital. According to the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Barton, this should be Eric’s last wrist surgery. It was his third, and, the doctor says, relatively minor. They were just removing some scar tissue in an effort to increase Eric’s range of motion. The good news is that the doctors are pleased, and they’re optimistic that this procedure will be the last.

Here are a couple of pictures Elizabeth (my sister) took as we were leaving the hospital. (If you’ll notice, neither Baxter or Davis showed up for the event.) :)

In this second picture (below) you can see part of the scar from his initial surgery (on the outside of his forearm, curving down toward his elbow). It was by far the worst of the three, and had him laid up for quite a while. It’s still healing, though that hasn’t stopped him from playing basketball a couple of times in the last few weeks, against doctors’ orders.

(I just realized that I probably ought to explain his injury, in case there are some of you out there who have missed the story on the news. Eric received the injury on the night I was kidnapped, back in December. As a matter of fact, he broke his wrist trying to save me – who said chivalry was dead? He ended up falling about fifteen feet, head first, into a parking lot – he put out his hand to break the fall and shattered his wrist. The real problem, though, was that he wasn’t able to go to a doctor for several days after the accident, and it was re-injured several times.)

What is this blog?

2006-05-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

by Joseph Baxter

A few days ago, we were sitting around the apartment watching the news. (It seems like, with Davis studying journalism and Eric constantly being interviewed, we're always watching the news.) On this particular occasion, four commentators were sitting together, discussing the failing economy. Of course, the subject of Eric and Rebekah came up, and the commentators (particularly one smug reporter from Slate) kept getting the facts wrong. Here it is, four full months after the story was first told, and reporters, who do this kind of thing for a living, don't even know the story.

Shortly after that news program, the four of us (Eric, Rebekah, Davis, and I) decided to begin a collaborative blog. Eric and Rebekah are still deeply entrenched in the trial -- they probably will be for months, if not years -- and we figured we might as well give a factual insider’s look at what's going on.

Now, as a disclaimer: they're key witnesses, and as such there are certain things that they've been asked not to discuss with the media -- and they won't discuss them here, either. This blog is not designed to give a detailed account of everything that happened back in December. Instead, we merely intend to discuss the current events, from our unique point of view, and to correct any errors that come up in the news.

The world changed in the final weeks of December. The United States was shown, once again, to be susceptible to terrorism -- an entirely different kind than we've witnessed before. But more than that, this terrorism is home grown. It wasn't born from some foreign ideaology, but came from the heartland of America, and spread like a virus through all parts of society. The leaders are still on the loose -- and very little is known about their organization. The world isn't safe. We hope that, in some small way, this blog can bring a little hope to Americans -- the more we know, the better we can fight.