There are a couple of questions that I think should be answered before any definite conclusions can be drawn.
What are the boy’s feelings about all this? To my knowledge, he has never been asked.
If the father wants to be with his son so badly, why doesn’t he want to come here? Here are the possibilities that I can think of:
a. He is such a strong supporter of Castro that he doesn’t want to leave Cuba, even if it may be the only chance of being with his son. (last time I checked, legislation making the boy a US citizen was being debated)
b. He wants to be with his son in America, but is unable to express this desire because Castro is using this incident to gain support for himself, and his flunkies are keeping the father under thumb.
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
Ok so, do you think that even if the boy expressed a clear, unpressured desire to return to Cuba and his father that the US would then say “Ok kid, off you go, sorry for the big mix-up.” I’m not sure. I do agree it would be informative to find out what the boy’s preference would be, but I have to doubt that it would bring us any closer to a resolution.
Either way he could answer would result in the opposing camp hollering that he is too young to know his own mind or what is best for himself, as well as that he was under undue influence.
I kinda think it is best not to ask the kid to choose; just as often in a child custody case arising from divorce a kid won’t be asked to choose between her parents. It can be informative to know the kids preference, but the pressure of being asked to make a choice like that can be very damaging.
And the whole point here is “What’s best for the child” right? And not geo-politics. Or so they say.
Even if the father were permitted to come to the US–which is most emphatically not neutral ground–it’s far from certain the father would want to stay, though that’s the comfortable political myth.
Keep in mind that the father has an extended family in Cuba. Also, the vocal Cuban-American lobby is not exactly cheerleading for life here in the ol’US. There is a common sense of being forced exiles from Castro, but Cuba being home to even those generations born in the US. That is, Castro forced them away from their real home; the US is just a stopping place.
Elian is being used in the most cynical, ugly way possible as a political football in an election arena. Castro is a total twit, nearly as bad as the corruption he rebelled against. But he’s also a thoroughly neutralized twit, and our policy on Cuba (IMO) is insane.
Hell, establish trade relations ASAP. Castro would immediatly find himself in Gorby’s Dilemna: being a “little bit” free market is like being a “little bit” pregnant.
Give him exactly what he’s asked for, which would include a truly insidious load of worries, hassles, headaches and panic.
Of course he has the blame for creating a government that so many Cubans are willing to risk their lives to get away from. But so do the Haitian leaders, past and present, who created even worse living conditions in their country. How come we don’t give their boat people the same privilege we give Cubans?
It’s because Cuba installed missles to attack the US under Castro, almost causing WWIII, and we therefore vowed to topple him. One of the ways is to show how bereft his nation is in anyway we can. This Nation has taken to the seas to rescue these people, Cuba HAS NOT.
Hati poses no treat the the hemisphere, Cuba does. Plus, Cuba has better baseball players.
The truth is generally seen, rarely heard. Gracian.
Ignoring for a moment the stupid ravings of anti-Castroism (please, get a grip, the guy’s gonna die sooner or later).
Take this case and remove it from the political waters in which it is cast. Mom and dad have boy while living in New York City. Mom and Dad divorce (I can’t tell yet from the newspapers who had legal custody of Elian, perhaps it was shared). Mom decides to move to Wyoming where there is open space and a living wage is available, shucking the bonds of city living where she is poor and miserable. She takes the son with her, without asking the father’s permission. On the way, at the Wyoming border, she is run over by a semi-tractor and killed, leaving the son to be found by passing strangers who manage to take the boy to his paternal grand-uncle in Wyoming. Now, Dad asks Wyoming to send the son back to him in NYC.
Pretty simple, isn’t it?
The Cuba case is no different, despite polemicism. Indeed, it is clear that were ANY other country involved, there wouldn’t BE an issue. Further, you will note that the only people really aggressively trying to keep the boy here are: 1) Cubans living in Florida who hate Castro, 2) Republican politicians who sense a political bonus in bashing Castro, and 3)One of the Democratic candidates for President, who seems to lack enough spine to punt the votes of south Florida Cuban voters come the fall.
Disgusting, really. America, land of truth and justice (yeah, right).
Oh, and I will note again in this thread as I did the last thread on this case:
The desires of a six-year old boy, while interesting, are not relevant to the legal issues. Courts rarely if ever sever parental rights based on the wishes of a 6-year old.
John John, you’ve pretty much demonstrated my point. Our immigration policies are based upon our feelings about the leader(s) of a country rather than upon the lives of the people actually living there. And AFAIK no government has ever been brought down because a neighbor was willing to let its people in, so the policy is really no more than a thumbed nose to the government we dislike. It serves no practical political purpose and makes us look like hypocrites to the rest of the world.
Even if the father were permitted to come to the US–which is most emphatically not neutral ground–it’s far from certain the father would want to stay, though that’s the comfortable political myth.
True, it is very possible that the father would really rather live in Cuba. However, bringing him here would allow him to express his true desire without fear of reprecussion. If he wants to live here, he’d have no reason not to say so. If he still wanted to live in Cuba after coming here, we’d know for sure that he really meant it.
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
It is now no longer about the kid but a news fest and media orgy. There are kids that are not well off in this country, that go to bed hungry, so let’s hear about and fix that.
I am now sick of hearing about this child.
The truth is generally seen, rarely heard. Gracian.