I don't doubt that you are serious. I wouldn't respond if I thought that you were posting for kicks.
What I think you are missing when you call Elian's father a coward is the lack of perspective. Th father, resident of Cuba, is not free to come and go as you infer. In order for him to come to the U.S. from Cuba, he needs not only money, but permission from both the U.S. and Cuban authorities. From the NY Times story you will learn that there was no money, and further, the Elian situation was (and still to some extent) a political storm caused by the anitcastro Cubans in Miami. I don't agree that 4 months is a very short time for him to arrange to come to the U.S. to pick-up his son.
As to whether he should have gone to Miami to confront thousands of anti-castro protestors who vowed to never let Elian go...no matter what the price, I simply don't agree with you. The extended family enlisted the Miami anticastro population to create a very dangrous situation which was handled by the DOJ very professionally with a show of force and no violence (except for the throwing of chairs by frustrated anti-castoites).
As to the fammous photograph touted by many to prove that DOJ caused a lasting scar to Elian ask yourself: how was a professional photographer present to take that shot, had it not been the family planning it? It was nothing more than a publicity stunt.
If there is any lasting lesson to be learned, it is this: do not use very small children as a political football. The political respose, I believe produced a lasting detriment to the anticastro movement. It shows that the anticastro momement will do anything to get its way, even kidnap small children and prevent their return to their rightful families for the purpose of politics. I say it stinks.
The father is not a coward. The anticastro faction of Miami caused the ruckus by opposing the rulings and frustrating any peaceful plan to reunite Elian with his father, planting photographers to record the expected response.
Maybe we could disuss the upcomming Vieques invasion, if you wish. |
