Bernadette Malone Connolly .The Union Leader. New Hampshire. Editorials - February 8, 2000
Regardless of whether biting a little boy's tongue and unzipping his pants are cultural norms in Cuba (and word is, they're not, the odd behavior of Elian Gonzalez' grandmothers during their visit with him in Miami ought to be read as a signal that something strange is going on in Elian's
family in Cuba.
One theory is that Elian's grandmothers purposely behaved inappropriately with him and then talked about it on Cuban television as an under-the-radar message to incite Americans to protect the little boy's interests by keeping him away from such inappropriate touching in Cuba. If the
grandmothers quietly harbor anti-Castro emotions, they certainly couldn't have revealed them outwardly to American witnesses, for fear of their family's safety.
The most notable result of the grandmothers' meeting with Elian was the reaction of Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin - president of Barry University - who hosted the meeting in Miami. Prior to the meeting, O'Laughlin favored returning Elian to Cuba.
Afterward, she penned a letter to the New York Times that ran as an op-ed piece on Feb. 1 titled, "Why I Changed My Mind About Elian." The bond Elian has formed with his Miami family is impressively strong, O'Laughlin observed.
Sen. Bob Smith has been commendably diligent in pursuing the facts about Elian's father's situation and petitioning Attorney General Janet Reno to visit with Elian's Miami family. We hope Reno will take Elian's case as seriously as Smith and O'Laughlin do.
Bernadette Malone Connolly |