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I Still Think of Elian
Jewish World Review ^ | April 29, 2003 | Nat Hentoff

Posted on 04/29/2003 9:44:16 AM PDT by William Wallace

As soon as Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, I saw on television the firing squad execution of an array of political prisoners, which he ordered. He then began filling his brutal prisons with Cubans whose sole crime was a desire to breathe freedom after the Batista dictatorship -- only to find themselves in another totalitarian quicksand.

At one point, interviewing the already legendary Che Guevara -- an international Cuban revolutionary icon -- at the Cuban mission to the United Nations, I asked him if he could foresee, anytime in the future, free elections in Cuba. Crisply dressed in his military outfit, Guevara burst out laughing at my callow naivete.

Having interviewed Cubans who survived Castro's gulags, I have never understood or respected the parade of American entertainers, politicians and intellectuals who travel to Cuba to be entranced by this ruthless dictator who, for me, has all the charisma of a preening thug, akin to any killer on "The Sopranos."

These Castro-philes are among those who discredit liberalism because they're unable to recognize and be repelled by unbridled evil. Consider Steven Spielberg, who has developed impressive resources through his Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation to keep alive the horrifying presence of the Holocaust. Yet, as quoted in the April 11 Wall Street Journal, Spielberg described his audience with Castro last November as "the eight most important hours of my life."

Was Spielberg's life that barren until those gloriously transcendent hours with the chief warden of Cuba's prisons?

From time to time, I still think of Elian Gonzalez, so vivid a free spirit here until condemned by Janet Reno and Bill Clinton to a land where schoolteachers must keep a record of any signs of their charges' lessening fealty to the relentless light of their lives. I wish the American press would pay more attention to the ongoing lawsuit alleging that Doris Meissner -- head of Clinton's Immigration and Naturalization Service -- ordered the destruction of evidence that would have contradicted the Clinton administration's forcible removal of Elian to Castro's continuation of Stalinism. Judicial Watch in Washington has the information on that lawsuit.

In any case, the next batch of fawning celebrities and members of Congress who party with Castro, will try to evade the recent show trials of independent journalists, human rights advocates, poets and other dreamers of democracy who have been sentenced by Castro's kangaroo courts to punishments of up to 27 years. Britain's Economist magazine notes that "since many of the dissidents are aged between 50 and 60, in practical terms they are being put away for life."

One prisoner of conscience packed into the gulag is the internationally respected independent journalist Raul Rivero, director of Cuba Press agency, and a board member of the Inter American Press Association. In the Castro courtroom -- from which foreign journalists and diplomats were barred -- Rivero, suffering from phlebitis and other ailments, was sentenced to 20 years for being an independent journalist.

"This is so arbitrary for a man whose only crime is to write what he thinks," his wife, Blanca Reyes, said in an April 8 New York Times article. "What they found on him was a tape recorder, not a grenade."

The Clinton administration -- which has so much to answer to history for -- promoted "people-to-people" trips to Cuba, which have continued. The American tourists and the participants in educational and cultural exchanges will not be able to engage in person-to-person visits with Raul Rivero, and other Cubans whom the Castro "justice system" has turned into non-people. Not even such an eminence as Spielberg will be free to show Rivero videos of Holocaust survivors.

Spielberg, immersed in pre-production of his next film, was not available for comment on Castro's latest eradication of dissenters. But his representative, Andy Spahn of Dreamworks, told The Wall Street Journal that Castro had been "provoked" to order the crackdown, because the head of the American mission in Havana, James Cason, had been meeting -- can you imagine? -- with Cuban dissenters in their homes last February.

And if an American official had, however discreetly, been meeting with Jews in Berlin who still hoped that the world would come to their rescue -- if it only knew of the design for the Final Solution -- would that diplomat have exceeded his responsibilities to humankind by "provoking" Hitler?

HBO has wisely cancelled the May showing of Oliver Stone's Castro-admiring "Commandante." During production, says the Journal, Fidel was "given the power to stop filming at will."

The show would have been a fitting complement to HBO's "The Sopranos."


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To: AbsoluteJustice
Are you done lying yet?
441 posted on 05/06/2003 5:22:03 AM PDT by Luis Gonzalez (Most goldminers used to blame stuff on the ass.)
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To: Sherri
No Sherri you are correct it is easier to attack ones enemies by castigating them personally than it is to debate them in a logical manner. See it turned in this direction when I refused to be labeled a rascist. It is easy just to label someone a rascist this way you censor them. Jesse Jackson has made this a business and people pay millions to relinquish this generalazation or label. But you see Sherri there are those that are true to this back school yard elementary game ans will not allow it to fly without challenge....Let them degrade me and my military service that is fine and well, I could care one iota. The intellect in such comments shines through and through. This is one jarhead that doesn't sweat the small things in life and is not going to allow childish name calling bother him. As you can see the whining to Jim Robinson about my supposed Rascism got them absolutely nowhere so now they have to turn to personal attacks. Not surprising Sherri and nothing new.
442 posted on 05/06/2003 11:00:54 AM PDT by AbsoluteJustice (Pounding the world like a battering ram. Forging the furnace for the final grand slam!!)
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To: AbsoluteJustice
You lied about the a non-existent "dramatic increase in Cubna migration" being responsible for the rise in TB in FL these past ten years. When faced with FACTS and FIGURES that proved you completely wrong, you dismissed them by attacking MY credibility, not the substance of findings by respected, renown medical associations, by saying that since I was Cuban, I was not interested in the "truth" getting oout.

Not only are you a racist, bigoted, liar, but you are also the biggest whiner I've encountered in this forum in quite sometime.

443 posted on 05/06/2003 2:21:27 PM PDT by Luis Gonzalez (Most goldminers used to blame stuff on the ass.)
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To: Luis Gonzalez
***Sniff**** Sniff***

Please read and yes they will not name CUBANS or any other race by name as this a more seeeeeeensitive culture these reports name the countries by stating they come from Carribean nations. Well Luis knowing that 65% or more of Miami is now Cuban even you can put 2 and 2 together. So instead of continually trying to barrage me call me names or whatever fit you are trying to throw please read just a little bit. Your last sentence in this post I will take the higher road on and not even address it as it isn't even worth my time. ***YAWN**** I grow quite bored of this debate (counter tyrade) with you so therefore this will be my last post on this thread. Enjoy the read as I know you will not remove your bias from the argument. Then again what is new? I hear you are huge activist in Florida and organize rallies. Doesn't surprise me if this is true and would make sense that anyone that counters anything against you or your cause is labeled a rascist. :) Not surprising at all, typical smear tactics by those that do not wish ANY truth to come out. Last post for me I am wasting my time with you.....

http://www.thebody.com/cdc/news_updates_archive/2003/mar24_03/florida_tb.html

namely Haiti and Caribbean nations.

http://www.iceinstitute.com/online/OR223.html

Paragraph 2. Doesn't name countries specifically but all countries
that have the epidemic can be counted for.


http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol2no1/musser.htm

Serogroup B ET-5 Complex Organisms section
444 posted on 05/06/2003 9:29:16 PM PDT by AbsoluteJustice (Pounding the world like a battering ram. Forging the furnace for the final grand slam!!)
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To: Luis Gonzalez
bttt
445 posted on 05/11/2003 1:03:34 PM PDT by f.Christian (( Knowledge (( philosophy )) // Technology (( science // creation )) ... evolution is bunk ! ! ))
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To: William Wallace
Can't remember why, but I was thinking about Elian today.

**bump**
446 posted on 01/28/2004 8:00:37 PM PST by nicollo
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To: AbsoluteJustice
Most of the hijackers on 9/11 were here legally, that was probably a bit on the costly side. So are you advocating that all immigrants should just sneak in? How about a worldwide lottery to get in? Thailand requires foreigners
to deposit at least 10,000 dollars in a Thai bank before you are granted permission to stay longer than six months
or you must have a wealthy Thai sponsor you!
447 posted on 01/28/2004 9:17:41 PM PST by claptrap
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To: nicollo; afraidfortherepublic; ALOHA RONNIE; austinTparty; b4its2late; Billie; bjs1779; ...
Can't remember why, but I was thinking about Elian today.

Thanks for the reminder, my FRiend.

NEVER FORGET!

448 posted on 01/29/2004 7:23:48 AM PST by William Wallace (Darkdrake Lives!)
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To: William Wallace
havent'. and won't. : )
449 posted on 01/29/2004 7:24:44 AM PST by xsmommy
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To: bmwcyle
I wish some of the Freepers understood the stupidity of their support to send Elian back. Their "send the boy to his father" held no water.

Some of us consistently support parents' rights.

450 posted on 01/29/2004 7:27:05 AM PST by Sloth (Why fight foreign enemies if we are surrendering to the domestic ones?)
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To: Sloth
And how many times do you need to be told that due to their Consitution, Castro is the legal father. Handing children over to a monster is stupid. I see you are too blind to see it.
451 posted on 01/29/2004 7:32:21 AM PST by bmwcyle (<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com" target="_blank">miserable failure)
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To: bmwcyle
Do you support invading Cuba and imposing a republican form of government?
452 posted on 01/29/2004 7:37:20 AM PST by Sloth (Why fight foreign enemies if we are surrendering to the domestic ones?)
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To: Sloth
I support your stop asking stupid questions and pulling your head out of your A$$. The world would be a better place.
453 posted on 01/29/2004 7:39:50 AM PST by bmwcyle (<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com" target="_blank">miserable failure)
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To: claptrap
Huh?
You must have me mistaken for someone else.

What are you talking about?
454 posted on 01/29/2004 7:41:41 AM PST by AbsoluteJustice (By the time you read this 100 other Freepers will have posted what I have said here!)
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To: bmwcyle
It was a simple enough question. Have I insulted you? Or do you simply have nothing to draw on but hostility?
455 posted on 01/29/2004 7:43:00 AM PST by Sloth (Why fight foreign enemies if we are surrendering to the domestic ones?)
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To: William Wallace
.

NEVER FORGET



...T'was on the Day of his Return:


'ELIAN's -Cold Dead Eyes- in Cuba'

http://www.Freerepublic.com/forum/a395a99a7020f.htm



NEVER FORGET
456 posted on 01/29/2004 9:16:55 AM PST by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 www.LZXRAY.com.N)
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To: William Wallace; nicollo
For Elian...bump. Y

Hello, William Wallace. It is good to know you're still out there.

457 posted on 01/29/2004 9:44:49 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The chapter of Iraq's history - Saddam Hussein's reign of terror - is now closed." Lt. Gen. Sanchez)
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To: William Wallace
Thanks for the ping, WW. I think about him often, especially when I see a picture of a small boy who resembles him.

Never could I forget the heartbreak of his violent removal from his Miami family and the cold, dead look in his eyes as he left the U.S.

458 posted on 01/29/2004 10:06:17 AM PST by Mare
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To: William Wallace
Thank you so much for the ping my friend. I have never forgotten Elian and I never will.

I still spend a lot of time on FR reading and occasionally posting, but I have not seen another story that moved me as much as Elian's.

Thanks to you, Luis, and many others I learned a lot about the Cuban-American community and developed a huge respect for them and their plight.

I also won't forget Elian and THAT day, the first and only time that I felt ashamed to be an American. It is a feeling that I will never forget.

I pray that Elian will one day be free to return, and that Castro will burn forever in the flames of Hell. May that day be soon.

459 posted on 01/29/2004 11:40:30 AM PST by DeSoto
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To: Mare
Good morning Mare!!

It is great to see your moniker once again. I hope that the winter hasn't been too bad for you. I heard that it has been very nasty where you are. Hope that you are managing to cope.

Post more often, it is great to see you again.

460 posted on 01/29/2004 11:46:50 AM PST by DeSoto
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