Elian Gonzales. We've heard his name and his story daily for almost 4 months now. And we all seem to have an opinion about him, and what should be done.
His story is a romantically tragic one. His mother, in a bid for freedom, set sail from Cuba to Miami, and died in the attempt. Yet Elian survived. He was discovered on Thanksgiving Day, perhaps a sign that he was meant to make it to our democratic nation.
It seems simple, doesn't it? His mother obviously wanted him to live in America, and enjoy the freedom our nation has to offer. Relatives in Florida came forth to care for the child. It seemed just a matter of formality that he be allowed to stay in the U.S. What a happy ending to such tragedy!
Except. There was the small matter of a father in Cuba. It seemed he wasn't happy at this wonderful opportunity for Elian to live in America. He actually wanted his son back! This couldn't be, could it? What father wouldn't want his child to live hundreds of miles away, in the land of milk and honey called America? It must be the communists that want the child back. After all, the loss of this one small child could wreak havoc on the standing of the Communist party in Cuba.
Yet the fact remains that Juan Gonzales wants his son back. And Elian's relatives in Florida don't want to give him back.
Ok, I'm confused now. A parent dies. The other parent, seemingly a fit parent, wants custody of the child who is now left motherless. Distant relatives decide that isn't acceptable, so they opt to keep the child. Maybe I'm crazy, but isn't that kidnapping in the United States?
Why is this even an issue? If the family in this story were American, it wouldn't be, would it? If it were the father who took Elian on that boat trip to freedom and died, and a mother was crying for her child to be returned, we would feel differently, wouldn't we?
There would be no politics, no media circus, no relatives ignoring parental rights. The boy would have been treated to a trip to Disney, and bundled off to his rightful guardian.
But wait! Why shouldn't these well-meaning relatives have the right to keep the child here? After all, no one in their right mind wants to live in Cuba. It's a harsh, poor, communist country. This is AMERICA! Everyone would rather live here, wouldn't they?
Well, sure, lots of folks would, but not everyone. It's hard for many Americans to understand. We're often a bit pompous, chanting "We're number one!". Ok, so I think we are too. BUT.
But that doesn't mean that everyone would rather give up all they have ever known to live here. I personally would not want to live in Cuba. But that's because THIS is my home. These are my people, my heritage is within the borders of my country. I speak the language, I know the rules, I am comfortable within my surroundings.
If that stands true of me and my country, isn't it possible it stands true of Elian and Cuba? Why is it wrong or evil that his father wishes to raise his son among their heritage, their relatives, those things that are comfortable and known to them?
The justice department seems to agree with me. INS seems to agree with me. I know lots of Americans agree with me. Yet somehow we have allowed a small group of people in Florida to dictate foreign policy, immigration law and ethics to us.
They make speeches about Elian's right to "Due Process". He doesn't have any, his father does. And his father doesn't want that right. His father wants Elian placed in his custody so they can go home.
They make speeches about his horrible future if returned to Cuba, that he will be tortured and beaten. I can't say that these things will never happen to him. The Cuban government isn't exactly known for its fairness. But I greatly doubt they are going to beat and torture a small child. I don't think Elian has had any great political secret divulged to him during his stay here worth beating him over.
And of course the United States is the safest place in the world for a child to be. We don't have violent crimes, police brutality, starvation, poverty and homelessness, do we?
So now we wait for the drama to play itself out. Will the relatives hand Elian over to his father? Will the government have to forcibly remove the child from the loving arms of his cousin and uncle? Will the protesters camped outside the door in little Havana react violently?
I don't know. I'll wait just like everyone else for the news coverage. But I hope everyone remembers one small thing during all the insanity. Elian Gonzales.