Has anyone else here seen the photograph of the Elian raid where the guy in fatigues has the machinegun pointed right in the face of the family member? Oh, it's okay, they said. His finger wasn't on the trigger, they said. He was INS, not the Armed Forces, they said. I've been on the wrong end of a large-caliber handgun. When you can see the bullet pointing at you and mouthing the words "I'm gonna git you, suckah!" the last thing you're worried about is what sort of uniform the gunman is wearing, or what agency he works for. Anyway, how the hell is a 6 year old kid supposed to know this? Can anyone else here picture Janet Reno as an Avon Sales Lady?
I don't understand why this happened. The kid appeared quite happy where he was, he wasn't being ill-treated, so why the urgency to remove him? And the Miami family and supporters had not indicated any desire or intent for violence, so why the heavy duty weapons? Did they really intend to shoot the family if they resisted. So what is the image that this kid will take back to Cuba - American authorities break into people's homes with machine guns and threaten to kill my family. Sounds like communism and Castro aren't so bad after all. Sheer stupidity. [This message has been edited by Cris (edited April 24, 2000).]
I have to agree that the degree of force was a little overwhelming, however I do think the act of removing the child and returning him to the father was necessary. The father after all does have custody, and in any case where a child is stolen or removed from the birth parent, he/she should be returned.
Sprout, He wasn't stolen. The family was given custody after he was recoved. They seem to leave oout two little details in media's coverage. First the father lost custody for a reason, but so far no one has why. Secound after blasting the family for not following rules and regulations they over look thier own misdealings. Which was the fact they chose not to process the political asilym (SP?) forms.
That whole thing was a mess from the get-go. I think that had the media kept a low profile the local people, the people that are supposed to handle these situations would have taken care of it. Most of the people in the country would not have even heard of it. It is sickening when you see the goverment stick their noses where they do not belong. It was bad enough when Clinton opened his mouth about it. You just had to know that something bad was going to happen when Janet Reno went to Miami. There are as many trouble-makers in goverment as there are walking the streets of this country. Any of you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly ? Janet Reno is her real daddy. HA HA SHE CRIED, SHOOK HER WOODEN LEG AND DIED
ozarky-LOL!!!!! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I was listening to a child psychologist on the radio this morning. Apparently he's some kind of expert on custody cases. He said that Elian's father had joint-custody. Funny this was never mentioned before. In fact, it wasn't even an omission. The press stated boldly that the father had lost custody. The spin docs are working overtime on this one... Something else about the broadcast bothered me more deeply. This psych compared the taking of Elian Gonzales to the Waco incident. Now, whether or not you agreed with the taking of the Koresh Compound, the fact remains that there was a heavy cache of firearms on the grounds of a religious cult. He applauded Reno for handling this situation so smoothly and calmly. Pardon me, but if they can't distinguish between armed cultists and a private family, there's something wrong. ------------------ I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will fight, kill, and die for your right to say it. [This message has been edited by Oxygen (edited April 26, 2000).]
From an article in this morning's paper by Jack Anderson and Douglas Cohn (two that I don't always agree with) are calling for Janet Reno to step down. After Ruby Ridge, Waco and now Miami, I have to agree. The orders came from Clinton but Reno makes a good scape goat. In another article by one Thomas Sowell, he said that Little Elian will be reunited with his father, for publicity purposes. He will remain in Havana in his own little re-education camp. Good old communist brain-washing. Elian, will no doubt, grow up to hate America and it's citizens. I'll bet that the photographer that took THE PICTURE will end up with about every award that a news photographer can receive. It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot. "DON'T CARE IF I DO DIE DO DIE, JUST WANT TO SEE THE JUICE FLY JUICE FLY"
