Elian Gonzalez should go back to Cuba. He should be with his father.
This is a high-profile, tragic case. Elian, his mother, stepfather and others fled from Cuba to come to the United States. Unfortunately, their boat sunk and the poor boy's mother and stepfather perished. Miraculously, the then five-year old was rescued as he clung to an inner tube at sea.
Relatives in Miami took him in and began a cause celebre to keep the now six-year old in the land of the free and the home of the brave. What a way for this little one to celebrate a birthday.
There's no doubt in my mind that the boy will have a better life in the U.S. than in Cuba and little doubt that his relatives would love and care for him well.
But our moral standards must go beyond mere political and economic considerations. Can any boy be better off away from his father?
Before you answer that, let's make some assumptions, which may be right or not. His father is a completely decent, loving, and competent parent and is totally sincere in his desire to have Elian. I add the last assumption because some believe that Fidel Castro, the bane of U.S. foreign policy for the past 40 years, is orchestrating this sad symphony and that the father may really hope his kid stays here.
My assumptions give the edge to the father -- all the way. I'm not giving Castro a bye. I believe him as much as I can throw him. And even if I could throw him, I couldn't, because he's in Cuba and I'm not.
There's a larger issue beyond the obvious one about parents and children. It has to do with how we think.
It's not clear who's protesting his return. Media accounts would indicate that it's largely the Miami Cuban exile community. If so, that's explainable, to a degree, because of their enmity towards the man, Fidel Castro, who ruined their lives, fortunes, and livelihoods when he came to power. Painful memories aren't easily forgiven or forgotten, are they?
While life is mostly dealing with shades of gray, there are simple tests to help make difficult decisions. With this case, the test is whether it's more important for a boy to be raised away from his father in another country with better opportunities and freedoms or raised by his dad in a country that many abhor.
Keep the boy with his father.
What I fear most is that the protestors don't realize that their chanting and ranting about the superiority of the American society and system -- all of which is true, I believe -- is saying, perhaps unintentionally, that the American system, our "-ism," is more important than family.
Is that a big deal? You bet. Think about the many gripes we had with communism. One dealt with how void was that "-ism" of morality and humanity. You will recall how religions were outlawed, family life was directed by the state, etc.
People who say Elian should stay here because our country is better are guilty of the same (but in reverse) bankrupted morality in promoting our "-ism" that we earlier used against Castro and other communist regimes.
If these folks want to admit their hypocritical and self-interested reasoning for the betterment of one little boy, fine. So be it. It still won't change the facts.
Elian Gonzalez should go back to Cuba. He should be with his father.
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M. Ed.
Approximately 580 words.
(c) 2000