Remember Elian Gonzalez?
10 years ago the 6-year-old Cuban boy was found floating on an inner tube off the coast of Florida, after his mother drowned trying to reach America. The Cuban immigrant community in Florida embraced young Elian as a symbol of the struggle of ordinary Cubans to flee the oppression of Fidel Castro’s communist regime, and rallied behind the boy’s extended family in Miami, which sought custody of young Elian. But U.S. immigration officials insisted that the boy be returned to his father in Havana and conducted an armed raid on Elian’s adoptive Miami home, removing him from the premises and returning him to the arms of his Cuban father, and a gloating Fidel Castro.
Hard to believe 10 years have passed since Elian Gonzalez captured the hearts of America. Now 16-years-old, Elian is nearly all grown up and has seemingly grown into a good young man. Here he is today:
handsome young man
Co-sgn with Anon. But I'd also like to add:Two things always struck me about the “Little Elian Gonzalez Saga in America.”First: The ANGLO-Cuban community in Florida (including his “extended family”) _aided shamelessly by the American MEDIA_did their damndest to present little Elian as “a symbol of the struggle of ordinary Cubans to flee the oppression of Fidel Castro's communist regime.”But the truth is: What the ANGLO-Cuban community in Florida (AND GOP politicians in their pockets) put THAT CHILD and his father through was “a sin and a shame before God”! That poor child was USED in the most cynical of ways to serve the ANGLO-Cuban community’s OWN SELF-serving agenda. Cuban families who enjoyed wealth and “Privilege” BEFORE Castro took over had beat a HASTY retreat for Florida shores at his rise to power. But many of them NEVER stopped dreaming of getting “their” country_AND WEALTH_back. The unfortunate plight of little Elian was twisted into a Made-for-TV script to garner sympathy AND support from the American viewing public for “all oppressed Cubans”_SMH. For the GOP it was pure political opportunism. End of story. Two: Had little Elian been a BLACK-Cuban, he would have enjoyed NO SUCH outpouring of “support” from the Florida Cuban “Community” _OR GOP politicians. In fact, he would have been sent BACK to his father immediately.Of THAT I am sure!