Posted on 08/01/2004 2:57:57 PM PDT by Libloather
4 years after return to Cuba, Elian a normal schoolboy
BY MAKI BECKER
New York Daily News
Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004
NEW YORK - (KRT) - Elian Gonzalez, now 10, hits the books in Cardenas, Cuba, where he lives with his father.
Four years after little Elian Gonzalez was plucked from the seas off Florida's coast and sparked an international custody battle, the young boy is leading a sheltered and almost normal life back in Cuba.
Elian lives with his father in their hometown of Cardenas and he still sports the same impish grin that captivated the world back in 2000.
In an interview with NBC's "Dateline" to air Sunday, Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, says he has generally kept Elian out of the limelight, even moving to a secret location in town to avoid the press.
"The media (in Miami) intimidated him, pressured him most of all," Gonzalez said in his first interview in three years. "It totally overwhelmed him."
As Elian's American relatives fought to keep him in the U.S. and his father sought to take him back to Cuba, hundreds of reporters camped out outside their Miami home, recording every movement of the photogenic little boy.
The custody clash even led to a war of words between Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and the boy's fiercely anti-Castro American relatives.
The stalemate ended dramatically as heavily armed federal officers stormed the house in the middle of the night, snatched the terrified boy and took him into protective custody.
Elian still grieves for his mother who drowned when their boat capsized on its way to Florida, Gonzalez said, but he has adjusted to life well.
"I can truly say that since his return, my son has never had to see a psychologist, or anyone else," Gonzalez told "Dateline NBC."
Elian is learning karate and has two girlfriends, Gonzalez reports.
>>a good start would be suggesting that they rent either "Bitter Sugar" (Azucar Amarga) or "Before Night Falls."
I've never lived under such a regime, nor would I ever wish that on my worst enemy. My ex-girlfriend is from Romania and some of the stories she told me ... chilling.
I'll have to add these to my list of future rentals.
They knew, but they didn't want to believe it. The Liberal propaganda machine made sure people wouldn't believe Cuba was that bad, and Elian's father and Fidel were just a couple of good guys who wanted the best for the child.
My mistake. You apparently even aware of them.
Who's to say it wasn't all about getting Elien here so they could claim him for Welfare payments?
Not saying that's the case, just trying to make a point by using an outragous example. I don't think any of us know all the truth in this situation. I guess the only thing that could have made us all happy is if his father had decided to stay here in America with Elian. But since he didn't, I say he's got the right to raise his son.
There might be some confusion. She didn't make the statement you quoted, I did. Concerning Elian's father.
How do you know the father even wanted him back in Cuba?
1. Do you agree we all have inalienable rights?
2. Does anyone have the authority to bargain away the rights of another?
Because he said so and he came after him. So I assume that's the truth.
I'm certainly more sure of that than I am that he was being coerced. I don't make outragous statements based on nothing but assumptions. But that doesn't keep people like those I'm debating with from doing so.
One question for the flamer...
1) Do tactics like that lead to more or less interesting discussions?
Shaking head in disbelief...
You are correct. I thought I had copied her statement into my clipboard but apparently had not, then didn't check to see that I had pasted the statement when I was replying to you. We all make mistakes which is why I was trying to encourgae her.
1) Do tactics like that lead to more or less interesting discussions?
When the person to whom they are addressed has the courage to debate, yes.
Well, isn't that special. And yes, he's living in the gulag of the Caribbean. Sometime soon Castro will assume room temperature and the island of Cuba will be free.
You should be. By siding with the removal of Elian to Cuba, where he has no right to liberty, you take the position that a parent can bargain a child into slavery. Even a parent in slavery or any other condition has no authority to bargain away the rights of their child.
My hope for Elian is that he will be treated relatively well given the world media spotlight.
Did anyone in the Clinton administration praise or even recognize Elian's mother's heroic sacrifice? God bless her.
Who's to say it wasn't all about getting Elien here so they could claim him for Welfare payments?
I don't think any of us know all the truth in this situation.
I guess the only thing that could have made us all happy is if his father had decided to stay here in America with Elian. But since he didn't, I say he's got the right to raise his son.
Q: What does Fidel's Cuba have in common with jails and concentration camps?
A: The people in charge shoot you when you try to leave.
Q: What happens to people who express an idea that does not fall in line with Castro's ideas?
A: Ask the seventy-five independent journalists and dissidents Castro threw in jail for speaking out against his policies in 2003?
Here's what we do know beyond the shadow of a doubt:
In the absence of an absolute certainty that we know what Juan Miguel truly wanted, and faced with the undeniable fact that parental rights are voided by the Cuban Constitution, then Justice must concern itself with the rights of Elian Gonzalez.
And Elian Gonzalez as a human being, has a right to be free.
I can't answer #255, I'm still laughing too hard.
The people who you insult with that ridiculous post, had their home invaded by Federal agents brandishing weapons, their lives disrupted, their belongings broken, and in spite of all that, Marisleysis Gonzalez had the strength of resolve to look into television cameras belonging to every major news outlet in the world, and say that Bill Clinton had "dishonored his family in Washington. He dishonored the White House. Now he has dishonored my family and he has dishonored America."
That's a whole lot to do for less than a hundred bucks a month in child welfare payments, and a whole lot more courage than most people would display under similar circumstances.
Mister Blond: Ever thought to ask yourself: HOW many Marielitos and Balseros are in Iraq right now? How many first wave Cubans went to Vietnam? I don't have the exact figures so I'll just say "Muchos".
The only assumption I made is that if he thought otherwise, he wouldn't have been allowed to say so. So, we can't make an accurate assessment either way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.