One of the strongest arguments put forward to justify returning Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba was that he would not be able to live a normal life in the United States. The little boy, who survived by clinging to an inner tube when his mother drowned trying to flee from Castro's Cuba in a flimsy, overcrowded boat, became a symbol of freedom to anti-Castro Cuban exiles. Then, he became the center of an international custody battle. But Elian's life in Castro's Cuba has been far from normal.
In Miami, the little boy was doted upon by the family that took him in and was celebrated as "a miracle child" by Miami's Cuban-American community. He was showered with toys and smothered in loving attention. In Cuba, he is used as a symbol of Cuban Communism and is exhibited like a trophy. The message Castro wants to send is that the return of Elian, who gave every indication that he wanted to stay with his relatives in Miami, was a victory over the United States.
This interpretation of events overlooks the fact that the Clinton administration, with Attorney General Janet Reno in command of operations, seized the little boy from his adoptive home at gunpoint. (On Tuesday, Elian's Miami relatives filed a lawsuit seeking damages against six federal agents, alleging that the officers broke down the front door unannounced, sprayed tear gas, held people at gunpoint and shouted obscenities at unarmed relatives, supporters and news media in the pre-dawn raid in April 2000.)
Elian's 10th birthday last week was used by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to deliver a speech in which he raged at the U.S. government, describing it as "monstrous" and its officials as "idiots" and "bandits." But he said he didn't put the American people in that same category. "No one can blame them for the system they live in."
During the birthday party, celebrated at the school Elian attends in Cardenas, 85 miles east of Havana, Castro helped Elian blow out the candles on a huge birthday cake.
It is only possible to speculate about how Elian feels about the decisions that have been made for him that have changed his life. Apart from the official media, which are totally controlled by the government, no journalist has been allowed to interview Elian.
Certainly, none of the reporters at the birthday celebration were allowed to get near enough to the little boy to speak to him. It would be interesting to know what he thought of the two-and-a-half hour speech by Castro that he was forced to sit through. Hardly a little boy's idea of birthday fun. One thing is certain, 10-year-old Elian, once a symbol of freedom, has been turned into a dictator's trophy.
Did Ann Frank belong with her family in a concentration camp or would it have been permisible to save her?
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