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Politics : About that Cuban boy, Elian -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: average joe who wrote (5449)	5/16/2000 1:44:00 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 9127

Well I wouldn't put it quite that way. I had a friend who went to Afghanistan to do a story- several years ago- when the country was still "in play". As soon as she returned she was hustled off by debriefers who wanted to know what she had learned, who interviewed her exhaustively (and not very nicely) and who searched all her effects and vetted all her film. Now I suspect Castor has nothing so "evil" in mind for Elian. I suspect what he really has is a place for Elian to readjust to Cuba again with his little school friends. Castro doesn't want to be cruel- (of course not because he is "nice" but because this little boy will mean a lot to him symbolically). I would bet you dollars to donuts that little Elian will be treated like a prince and eased back into his old life in Cuba. Does that bother me? Well, yes- it bothers me that ALL governments feel the need to "decontaminate" the ideas of other governments not aligned philosophically- usually by propaganda, but also by other means (and believe me there is plenty of propaganda in the good old US of A). But do I find this PARTICULAR instance to be horrible, shocking- or do I expect it to be dangerous or harmful to Elian? No.

To: average joe who wrote (5449)	5/16/2000 1:45:00 PM
From: jhild	Respond to of 9127

You think that the circus that he was living in there in Little Havana was a healthy environment? That life is toys and trips to DisneyWorld? Well, it's not. Most people in Cuba do not have such access or expectations. Reconditioning his expectations is not all that out of line. That Castro is doing it and not his father is not something I would choose to see, but neither is it grounds to take the son from his father.

To: average joe who wrote (5449)	5/16/2000 7:20:00 PM
From: The Barracuda™	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9127

Court Embargoes Elian Psych Report as Drug Doc Bolts for Havana News/Current Events News Keywords: ELIAN DOCTOR DRUGGED Source: newsmax Published: May 16, 2000 Author: Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff Posted on 05/16/2000 13:38:50 PDT by MsLady Flanked by Cuban officials at Washington, DC's Reagan International Airport, Dr. Caridad Ponce de Leon told reporters on Monday that her patient, six-year-old Elian Gonzalez, is doing "very well," then the Cuban pediatrician hastily boarded a plane to return to her native Cuba. Despite the Dr. Ponce de Leon's reassuring words, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has refused a request from The Miami Herald to release a report from two American mental health experts on the child's condition. The report's authors, Dr. Paulina Kernberg and social worker Susan Ley, were appointed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to monitor Elian's progress. The two experts declined last week to recommend extending the visa of Dr. Ponce de Leon, who was caught carrying tranquilizers on her way to visit Elian at the Wye River plantation last month. The sedatives Miltown, Valium and phenobarbitol were confiscated after U.S. Customs inspectors searched the Cuban doctor's medical bag. Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, and Mr. Gonzalez's lawyer Greg Craig argued that Dr. Ponce de Leon's presence was a great benefit to Elian. Craig told a radio interviewer last week that the six-year-old found his pediatrician "comforting." It is not known why Dr. Kernberg and Ms. Ley disagreed. But after a two hour visit with Elian on April 25th, Dr. Kernberg noted that Elian seemed to tire easily, though she said he was adjusting well otherwise after his traumatic gunpoint abduction from the home of his Miami relatives three days earlier. "Kernberg noted that the boy seems to fatigue too easily," The Miami Herald reported at the time. In a formal report on Elian's condition to the court, the government appointed psychiatrist wrote: "During our visit, Elian seemed cheerful and at times elated, alternating with states of being quiet. I had the impression that he tired easily." Medical texts say that Miltown (one of the drugs confiscated from Dr. Ponce de Leon) can cause an "a false sense of well-being" and "drowsiness." Though Elian's pediatrician didn't arrive in the U.S. until two days after Kernberg saw the boy, Cuban officials bringing what they described as "supplies" were permitted extensive visits with Elian and his father after the boy was taken from his Miami home. After the court sealed Kernberg's second report on Elian last Wednesday, U.S. immigration officials decided not to renew Dr. Ponce de Leon's visa. But on Monday the agency changed its mind and said the pediatrician could stay. The court's refusal to release Kernberg's second report on Elian's progress remains a mystery. INS spokeswoman Maria Cardona told the Herald Thursday that, "Overall, (the report) is very glowing." But when asked if Kernberg and Ley noted any troubles or concerns, Cardona said, "There are details in there I can't talk about." Likewise, Cardona was at a loss to explain Dr. Ponce de Leon's sudden decision to bolt the country on Monday. "We're trying to figure out why she left. We made it clear we were leaning towards extending (her visa)," the INS spokesman told the Herald on Monday.