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

To: Lane3 who wrote (6438)	5/27/2000 11:50:00 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9127

Wow- what a case. I did not know they practiced female genital mutilation in Mali.

To: Lane3 who wrote (6438)	5/27/2000 12:09:00 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9127

Yes, you're absolutely right Karen. People who see this issue as a simple "fatherly rights case" are living in a black and white world unwilling, or unable to grasp the complexities involved. Is it worse to be put through genital mutilation or have your mind brainwashed by communist fascists under the direct control of Fidel Castro? So so true, black and white answers are not what is needed. Leadership is. Leadership aligned with the moral principles upon which America is based. Leadership encompassing the attributes of trust, courage, vision and consensus building. Does anyone believe Janet Reno or Bill Clinton attempted an honest dialogue in order to build consensus with the American relatives living in Cuba in order to find a win-win outcome all parties would find acceptable? Of course not, they demogoged American citizens as "Those Miami Cubans" as if they belonged to a subclass of Americans. Further, they used their formidable political skills to manipulate the media, in order to build a case that abduction with automatic rifles was necessary. What would have happened if someone got killed in that early morning raid? Would they have blamed themselves or the "Miami Cubans"? We all know the answer to that, don't we? Building consensus to resolve difficult issues takes a person who is trustworthy. One of the leadership traits most missing from our current administration. This issue could have been handled in a hundred other ways. Putting people in a corner, and using the heavy hand of automatic rifles was certainly not the right one. The child was in no immediate danger until a hundred agents surrounded the home and started lobbing tear gas. Yet, we see over and over here on SI people unwilling to take a critical look at the process upon which our government acted. I am saddened to see so many people viewing this action as aligned with the values of our nation. We are supposed to value citizens seeking political freedom. It's part of our rich history of welcoming every culture of the world and making them a part of our own. Does that mean we always agree with their desires? No, but it does mean we should treat them with a certain level of dignity and respect. Something this administration fails to grasp. They work for us, not the other way around. They are paid to perform a job aligned with our values as a nation. Planning, authorizing and then executing a raid without a court order to grab a small child from law abiding citizens home was wrong and ruthless. Something here-to-for only done by other countries. Not the United States of America. We settle custody disputes in the calm of a courtroom, not behind the gun of automatic weapons. And that's the way it should be, unless a child is under immediate danger. Such was not the case with Elian. The relatives in Miami were treated like scum for their belief and desire to see a young boy live in freedom. Our government is now working for Castro. He wants that boy! So he can manipulate his mind into a good communist soldier and walk arm-in-arm with him around Cuba to convince others of his right to power. It's disgusting to see our leaders acting so out of alignment with our principles. Does all this mean the boy shouldn't be with his father? Absolutely not. He should be with his father and they should both be given every chance to defect and live in freedom in America. Unfortunately, we have an administration which as made a deal with Castro. And the boy and his fathers freedom are not a part of that deal. Michael

To: Lane3 who wrote (6438)	5/27/2000 1:47:00 PM
From: chalu2	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9127

If the people of Mali are unhappy about this practice, they can rise up and overthrow those who enforce it. Many may lose their lives. Many Americans lost their lives fighting for freedom in 1776, 1861-5, 1914-18, 1941-45, etc. If the people of Mali are too cowardly to rise up & overthrow their oppressors, why should we hard-working taxpayers pay to harbor them? Ditto for Cubans--if it's so bad, let them revolt. We fought for our freedom with blood. Why give these cowards a free ride? Ps. Would you grant asylum to a male Israeli child because of the practice in Israel of male genital mutilation? Same practice occurs in all Muslim countries, by the way. Let them all in to as "circumcision refugees."????