Hi Michael,
Well, perhaps some of it is arguable, but it's unfair to say that the entire article is a "bunch of bunk". He's expressing what a great many people believe. I listen to Mark Davis' show occasionally, and like him. He's a pretty reasonable guy. Perhaps posting just those two paragraphs did him a disservice as he wrote a lot about how much more he would have preferred Elian to remain with his father here. Here is the link to the whole article:
<a href="http://www.startelegram.com/columnist/mdavis2.htm" target="_blank">http://www.startelegram.com/columnist/mdavis2.htm</a>
I'm not sure that it WAS out government that prevented some sort of rapprochement between the relatives and Juan. Until the final hour, these people were attempting to take Juan's son from him permanently. I doubt he felt too warmly toward them. After all, they prevented him from having his son when they were ordered to, and had the gall to try to set down "rules" for his seeing his own son.
Perhaps not putting all this bitterness aside and permitting Elian to see the relatives will be permanently damaging for Elian (I don't have a PhD in CHild Psych either, so I don't know and am not willing to say that I do). What hasn't been damaging in the past six months? But I would also question the ability of the rather (!) unstable Marisleysis and the very angry, demanding relatives (who have been under the control of others with a pretty obvious political agenda) to handle the situation in a way that would allow healthy loving closure for Elian. As a matter of fact, given M's prior behavior, psychologists may have decided NOT seeing the relatives was the best alternative for Elian.
I agree with you that in the best of all worlds, everyone would have shaken hands, hugged, acted like adults who were able to put aside their own agendas, hurts, anger, for the sake of a child, but heck, it sure hasn't happened thus far, why would we think it would happen now? I think the blame can be spread thickly in all directions, and I'm unwilling to lay it all at the feet of our government. |
