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Elian On 60 Minutes
Yesterday's Elian Gonzalez story on 60 Minutes was as I expected it to be - unsympathetic and strongly-tilted against Elian's Miami family and Cuban-Americans in general. Elian being elevated to deity status by the Cuban-American community? C'mon, give me a break!
I won't belabor on the details surrounding the saga: his brave mother's (her name was Elizabeth Brotons, by the way) decision to risk all to provide a better life for her family; his father's knowledge and acceptance of her decision, and his real desire to join him in Miami; his grandparents' ridiculous attempt to take Elian away during their brief visit to Miami; his father's reluctance to do what any real father would've done by going to Miami personally and seeing his son without needing permission from "Big Daddy" or "Big Momma".
None of that. While I think it's fair to criticize some in the Cuban-American community for grandstanding and making a huge spectacle of Elian's stay here, the bottom line is that most, if not all, of them truly wanted the best for Elian. You may fault their methods, but you certainly can't fault their intent and purpose. All of the warnings given about Elian being manipulated by the regime once he got back? The 60 Minutes story speaks for itself, even CBS couldn't hide that.
I also won't belabor on the interview itself and the details surrounding it. I won't get into details about the short, insecure answers of an 11-year-old; his unusually good memory about things that happened when he was 5 (traumatic events I can understand, but not complex emotions about complex issues); whether he was fed the questions beforehand; whether the government had control over the interview; and the obviously disturbing reference to fidel as "his father".
None of this really matters.
What does matter is that Elian is not free today because of the actions of our government back in 2000. What does matter is that Elian's mother risked, and ultimately lost her life so that her son would be free. So that he wouldn't face the possibility of being imprisoned for speaking his mind.
That's all us crazy, extreme, screaming Cuban-Americans wanted. For Elian to be free, and for his father to have the freedom to decide what was best for him and his family.
Excellent analysis and commentary on the interview and the saga as a whole can be found here and here.
I won't belabor on the details surrounding the saga: his brave mother's (her name was Elizabeth Brotons, by the way) decision to risk all to provide a better life for her family; his father's knowledge and acceptance of her decision, and his real desire to join him in Miami; his grandparents' ridiculous attempt to take Elian away during their brief visit to Miami; his father's reluctance to do what any real father would've done by going to Miami personally and seeing his son without needing permission from "Big Daddy" or "Big Momma".
None of that. While I think it's fair to criticize some in the Cuban-American community for grandstanding and making a huge spectacle of Elian's stay here, the bottom line is that most, if not all, of them truly wanted the best for Elian. You may fault their methods, but you certainly can't fault their intent and purpose. All of the warnings given about Elian being manipulated by the regime once he got back? The 60 Minutes story speaks for itself, even CBS couldn't hide that.
I also won't belabor on the interview itself and the details surrounding it. I won't get into details about the short, insecure answers of an 11-year-old; his unusually good memory about things that happened when he was 5 (traumatic events I can understand, but not complex emotions about complex issues); whether he was fed the questions beforehand; whether the government had control over the interview; and the obviously disturbing reference to fidel as "his father".
None of this really matters.
What does matter is that Elian is not free today because of the actions of our government back in 2000. What does matter is that Elian's mother risked, and ultimately lost her life so that her son would be free. So that he wouldn't face the possibility of being imprisoned for speaking his mind.
That's all us crazy, extreme, screaming Cuban-Americans wanted. For Elian to be free, and for his father to have the freedom to decide what was best for him and his family.
Excellent analysis and commentary on the interview and the saga as a whole can be found here and here.
posted by Robert at 2:16 PM
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