The Elian crisis was a travesty but terrible as it was, some good actually came out of it. It made many of us in Miami finally realize that we were basically alone in our fight against castro. It also brought to the surface the strong feelings many of our anglo and black neighbors in Miami harbored against our exile community; feelings which needed to be addressed for our city to improve. Elian likely cost Gore the election and got Bush in the White House. Elian's legacy will contribute to fidel's downfall!

Viva Cuba Libre!

When Elian first arrived in this country all the viejitas said that it was a miracle and that it must mean something. After all he was saved from circling sharks by dolphins. When he was sent back the thought was that Elian's destiny could not be fulfilled. That this miracle was rejected and nothing good could from it.

I disagree. You see I think Elian did fulfill his destiny. George W. Bush can thank that little boy for his election in 2000. I don't believe it was a coincidence that the election came down to less than 600 votes in Florida.

It's hard to argue that the Democratic party wasn't making inroads into the Cuban voting bloq. I firmly believe that if Bill Clinton had not sent the boy back, there would have been 300+ Cuban voters pulling the lever for Gore. Elian galvinized Cuban voters and Elian elected Bush.

Let's see if Bush uses his power in his second term (he hasn't done anything too dramatic to date in my opinion) to help bring liberty to Cuba.

Someday we'll be able to hear from a free Elian.

PS: One thing that always pissed me off was how poorly Elian's situation was reported in the media. Most people assume that Elian's uncle in Miami was from his mom's side. That's not the case. Elian's family in Miami is Juan Miguel's family.

Although Castro is the bad guy here we can't touch Castro because we are here in the USA and he is in Cuba. In the meantime we can battle those in the USA who had a hand in sending Elian back. That is why I think it is of the upmost importance to hinder and defeat the presidential aspirations of Hillary Clinton. Clinton had a big hand in the whole affair and it was evident his adminstration was working close with Castro's dicatorship. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole affair was an engineered ruse to hasten the destruction of the embargo.

Another entity that we can't afford to get out of jail free is the National Council of Churches. If you don't know the dangerous and Marxist nature of the NCC I encourage you to read the following article:
http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue07/apostasy.htm

It's a very long article but it is worth reading because it will scare the living day lights out of you and you will understand a little bit more of the Cuba thing.

During Elian there were MANY organizations - well organized and well funded organizations at that that were working 24/7 to send the kid back.

Marisleysis is a family friend (She came out on a calender looking all hot. I think promoting her salon), and I felt severely bad for the Family.. You forgot to mention Donato Darimple, the dude turned against us when Elian was taken back. I renmeber him vaguely saying 'When I saw them together, I said to myself, how could I ever take a son from his father' Dumbass traitor.

Also, since Castro is all into Santeria (If you think he's atheist, then you're ignorant) he looked at Elian as a symbol of hope, an Eleggua type of thing (Hence the Black & Red). He was also told by a brujo that an event like this would happen, that he would have to draw blood from the children of havana and sacrifice this to his "God" in order for his salvation. No wonder noone can kill him.

Well.. It's over. I'm just gonna try to hook up with Marisleysis now, and hopefully have children.
Peace.

Thanks George. I can't say that I've totally gotten over it, but one of the few good things that came out of it was a galvanization and strengthening of Cuban-American resolve to spread the word against castro.

I can't "move on" either: the nausea and disgust that I felt that Easter morning return every time I think about it. My husband was one of a very few brave souls who marched at the Atlanta courthouse to show support for keeping Elian here. (I linked this post on my own blog.)

I'm upset by the language in today's Miami Herald. An article looks at what has happened to the people still in Miami. But, the reporter uses language such as "returned to his father." The paper takes the Clinton Administration spin - that the entire matter was simply a child custody matter. Of course, if it had been a custody matter, the authorities would have awaited a hearing before the Juvenile Court, which would have considered not what was best for Clinton and fidel, but what was in the best interest of the child.

The Herald should be ashamed - but it probably isn't.

Juan,

The herald has always taken the Clinton Admin's spin. I have it on good albeit anonymous authority that the Miami Herald's handling of the Elian debacle was the reason for much tension and ultimately the resignation of quite a few people from the staff.

I lived many years in a town with a Knight-Ridder newspaper - would I be wrong if I came away with the impression that they're all a bunch of commies? Oops.

I have already told my first hand experience with the Elian incident so I am going to skip that VERY sad part of the USA’s media in this travesty of justice.
The Elian case WAS a miracle, but why are we assuming the miracle has been fulfilled?
Why couldn’t this be a miracle in the making?
Has Elian’s destiny been fulfilled? Jesus destiny was not until he was 32 years old!
Who knows what this 20 century miracle portend, who will Elian be in 10, 15, 50 years ?

As enraged as I was with the whole incident the ONE thing that I kept repeating to myself was “WE WITNESSED A MIRACLE, a CUBAN CHIILD WAS CHOSEN ” and the child IS alive !

Yes his return was a propaganda triumph for the BEAST and a political, social & moral disgrace for the USA government and a great part of the non-Cuban USA population. But..Why have we lost the faith? why would we NOT think that bigger things are in place for Elian? Remember, here’s a child touched by the hand of god. How he is raised, is actually inconsequential to the miracle we witnessed.
In fact KNOWING as we do that the SUMO HIJO DE PUTA is a devout Santero… I am amazed he asked for Elian back !

Let’s all think that Elian’s TRUE providence could not be fulfilled from the USA and it would be only WITHIN Cuba that his final destiny will come to pass.

who know's, probably Elian will be Cuba's leader one day. Democratic....I doubt.

This is repulsive - Castro is using the child for propaganda speeches and to attack 'the Miami Mafia' now. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7606310/

im going to take my chances at some ugly responses but...no matter how many toys he had or mcdonalds french fries, im sure elian missed his father. a child belongs with his parents. everyone of you has jumped the political bandwagon and forgotten the humanitarian aspect of this case. it seems to me that those of you that wanted elian to stay here wanted to use him for your own political reasons to "get back at fidel". you wanted to "use" this 5 year old child just as much as as fidel for your own fight. we should all walk in that little boys shoes fo just one day.

Ekaterina: Cuba is right to the south of Miami, less than a day's boating away. Why don't YOU "walk in that little boy's shoes" and go there? Bring your children, too (if you have any) so that they can be raised with all of the 'advantages' that Elian will have, being reunited with his "father" (whom his mother saw off long before she tried to escape to America).

Stay as long as you like. Just as long as you don't leave before Elian does.

Ekaterina,

I respect your opinion but I think it's an uniformed one. I believe you are coming from a point of that believes that Juan Miguel (the boy's father) could not conceive of the idea of not living with little boy. Of letting his boy be raised by HIS family in a free USA.

The fact is we didn't know then and will never know what was in his heart and in his mind. Remember, once Fidel decided to make this into an international incident, Juan Miguel didn't have a lot of choices. He and his wife were living in Cuba along with his parents.

Just so you unsterstand what I mean let me share an anecdote. My mother in-law was sent to US to live with her aunt and uncle when she was a teen-ager. As was the case with many kids that came over in the same Pedro Pan operation, her parents preferred for her to live in freedom (without them) than is slavery with them.

Bill Clinton had a chance to bring Juan Miguel together with his Miami relatives at Camp David or some other site without inteference from Cuban offficials. But Clinton didn't give a crap about this boy.

I don't know if you're aware of mothers throwing their babies over the Berlin wall. When you live in a communist country the last thing you want is for your kids to live the same nightmare.

So save your talk of a "humanitarian" aspect of this case. That was completely ignored so that a tyrant could have his victory over the evil imperialists.

Ekaterina,

I respect your opinion but I think it's an uninformed one. I believe you are coming from a point of view that believes that Juan Miguel (the boy's father) could not conceive of the idea of not living with little boy. Of letting his boy be raised by HIS family in a free USA.

The fact is we didn't know then and will never know what was in his heart and in his mind. Remember, once Fidel decided to make this into an international incident, Juan Miguel didn't have a lot of choices. He and his wife were living in Cuba along with his parents.

Just so you understand what I mean let me share an anecdote. My mother in-law was sent to US to live with her aunt and uncle when she was a teen-ager. As was the case with many kids that came over in the same Pedro Pan operation, her parents preferred for her to live in freedom (without them) than in slavery with them.

Bill Clinton had a chance to bring Juan Miguel together with his Miami relatives at Camp David or some other site without inteference from Cuban offficials. But Clinton didn't give a crap about this boy.

I don't know if you're aware of mothers throwing their babies over the Berlin wall. When you live in a communist country the last thing you want is for your kids to live the same nightmare.

So save your talk of a "humanitarian" aspect of this case. That was completely ignored so that a tyrant could have his victory over the evil imperialists.

Ekaterina:
With all due respect (and we ALL know what comes right after you say THAT ;) )
Elian was NOT deprived of his father's company at any time. His dad was given a USA VISA 2 (TWO!) days after Elian was in the USA. Now, ask yourself why wasn’t Elian's father allowed to travel to the USA on the third day and was instead held back in Cuba for 4 weeks?
What had to be discussed with the Castro government for 4 weeks? His choice of wardrobe and table ethics?
Let’s face it , he was being DULY indoctrinated in what HIS behavior was going to be.
Do you have any idea what the reach of an assassin like Castro has ?
I will give you a possible scenario that MAY account for a 4 week delay in granting Elian’s father a permit to exit Cuba.

“His life, his whole family’s life, Elian’s life and the rest of every descendant he could EVER have will be dead if he as much as winks in the wrong direction”
Yes Elian’s father was left alone with USA authorities for an hour or so BUT…

This may sound way too James Bond 007, but it is a factual account of communist behavior during peak of the cold war.
A Russian spy (spying in England) turned to the brit side and explained how he would be given shots of a particular enzyme that if not treated within a certain amount of time with an anti-agent would turn his liver into Jell-O
The death would look TOTALLY natural as if the guy had had cirrhosis for 20 years.
5 years after his turn , he was found dead of a heart attack in a Hyde Park.
No indication of foul play until someone noticed a microscopic puncture on his calf. Somehow how he had been injected with a tiny capsule of “something that caused the heart attack.
If something like that happened in to 50s, what can NOT be done when Elian was in the USA?

Now, can YOU (or anyone) assure us inflexible Cubans that Elian’s father was FREE to make a decision as to where to live with his son? Or can you explain why it would take Castro 4 weeks to allow the father to see his son ?
Until those question are answered any debates about the right of a father to be with his son….etc are moot.
So it was NEVER about Elian and his father, it was ALWAYS a political game for Castro that as always he won with malice, despotism and disregard for human rights which we will only know the day Elian’s father is free to speak his mind.

Davep, Fishfan and Kill castro thank u for ur input.Davep, first off thanks for the geography lesson, i was brought to this country legally w/ my mom and brother, 5 & 6 years old from cuba. my bother and i were deeply traumatized by that move.even though our father was here waiting for us w/ countless tios and tias, cousins etc.I (now 40 ) decided to go back finally to see the family i left behind in april of 2003 (so please dont tell me to go there w/o knowing my story first), i am still not settled,when i arrived in cuba i was 5 yrs. old again. i was once again traumatized. i cannot imagine what elian went through knowing his mom was dead and an "unfamiliar"family" sourrounding him in this strange land.Notice i didnt mention anything about politics, Clinon, camp david, Janet etc.. I will stand by what i said before, U ARE JUST AS GUILTY AS CASTRO FOR USING THIS LITTLE BOY FOR YOUR OWN POLITICAL AGENDA. I am well informed about all the political nonsense that we can mostly speculate on anyway because non of us was there.Dont answer me w/ political bull, that wasnt my point.

Let me get this.. YOU have an opinion that can not be expressed without calling others opinion BULL?????
How terribly democratic AND articulate of you! As far as having a point let’s quote you, shall we? :

no matter how many toys he had or mcdonalds french fries, im sure elian missed his father" - and you know this how? Female intuition?
Walter Mercado ?

How are you SURE of this ? What do you know about the relationship of Elian and his father? So, in reality you just NEVER had a point did you?

As far as POLITICS, the Elian' case can NOT be discussed at ANY level without it being political. Like saying "Let’s talk about Jesus Christ but not bring religion into it" or "abortion but let's leave the fetus part out"
Now isn't THAT just SILLY?

To say or even THINK otherwise is just plain naive and the FACT that you prefaced your post with:
im going to take my chances at some ugly responses but.. clearly indicates you were not naive at all about your comments and KNEW it would cause an emotional reaction which YOU chose to call political.
Did someone addressed your view as "BULL" or even gave you an UGLY response? Because I missed that part. !

I tell you what I think happened, (again THIS IS MY OPINION) you just got frustrated ‘cause you really didn’t have a POINT, you had an EMOTIONAL REACTION TO AN INCIDENT based on NOTHING tangible which was refuted in ways you couldn’t intelligently debate so, you became frustrated.
Frustration breeds aggression (Blame Fraud for that bit of wisdom) and you clearly became aggressive and petulantly declared any opinion (besides yours) was BULL
At THAT point you loose any possible sincerity leverage you could’ve had since clearly YOURS is the RIGHT and ONLY way of thinking.
And, so this whole thing is not just wasted verbiage I will give you one of the definitions of POLITICS:

Politics: The often internally conflicting interrelationships among people in a society.

See the connection?

Ekaterina: The boy missed his father WHEN HE WAS LIVING IN CUBA - pre-voyage! The man was not at all involved in the boy's life. He had dumped Elian's mother (whom he had never married until after the boy was born and even then it did not last) and ran off with another woman. He had children by that other woman. He was all set. But that father's plans never included little Elian who only had his mother there to love him. She died and Juan recrudesced all of a sudden to emerge as a propaganda symbol that would make fidel very very happy. Not a day before. He only cared about the kid when he realized he could make lots of brownie points with fidel by doing it. Please drop your Janet-Reno-idealized ideas about 'a boy and his father' until you know the facts of the case. Juan never cared about that kid until fidel decided to use him for propaganda purposes. After that, he cashed in. Some father.

killcastro, i am not aggresive nor frustrated though u are. i knew i would stand out on a limb not because i am naive, but because i dont have your opinion. your reaction to the elian case is emotional, frustrated and agressive. you have an opinion and so do i. i accept our differences, you want everyone to think like you. thank you for enlightening me. mora y leon, we can only speculate...

Ah! the famous Pee-Wee Herman school of debate.
"No I am NOT !.... YOU are !.
How very 6th grade.
Funny though. !

Ekaterina,

Look, you said that the this was a clear cut humanitarian case. A simple custody case. And it just isn't. The father that's claiming his son lives in a totalitarian country and we don't know what his real motivations are. I mentioned the president because he injected himself into the situation. He had an agenda which was to make the whole thing go away. He had no interest in really ascertaining what the situation was with the boy, his father, and his father's Miami relatives. You say we use Elian as a propaganda tool but if he were living in Miami today, he'd be relatively anonimous. He wouldn't be making speeches to the entire country. He wouldn't be indocrinated into the fidelista ideology.

I don't care what your background is. You just don't get it.

Ekaterina: If Cuba is good enough for you to doom Elian to live in, it's good enough for you to live in right beside him. If Cuba is a good enough place to raise Elian in, than it's a good enough place for you to raise your children in.
And if it's a good enough place to sentence him to captivity in, than it's a good enough place for you to share with him.
You spout off about how horrible it was to go back to Cuba-how you felt so out of place- but YOU could LEAVE, and you DID after only a brief while. He can't.

Put your money where your mouth is.
Go back and stay.