What do you think? Should he stay in Miami with his relatives? Should he go back to Cuba and be with his dad? Should he just be bound and gagged and taken off of your TV?

-- Meghan (meghan@blurredlines.com), April 22, 2000

Answers

I am with you on this whole thing,Meg.It seems to me the family is liking the limelite a bit much.Don't they ever work?Whats with those people hanging outside the house 24-7?Don't they have a life?You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth...on one hand saying you want to leave Cuba because America has all these great laws and a democracy but when it's time to abide by some of these laws,pick and choose which you choose to obey.They are refusing to give Elian back to his Dad.They want all these conditions met.Who the hell are thay to hold him hostage? I can't imagine my son being held by my sister while my husband tried to get him back!Elian is not their son!He is their nephew!How dare they say his own father can't have him.He needs to be removed from that house and those people are giving no choice but to have him taken by force.And they say they are protecting him.....please!

-- (stacyrick@addresses.com), April 22, 2000.

*warning this might be kinda' long*

I think it's a joke that Elian Gonzalez stayed in this country so long. Yeah I know most people say 'well he can have so much here" but keep in mind all the things he can have hear there is one thing that he can never have....his father's love. It's pretty damn funny how we won't trade with Cuba so Cuba a country living in poverty about 120 miles from the u.s has to suffer. And yet we trade with China who violates every civil and human rights law in the book. Even better we give them um...uh...i don't remember the exact term but basically the u.s has "standards" for trading like human rights stuff but we decided to give China preferential treatment b/c so many American companies rely on the forced labor camps to make their clothing. I'm going to stop now b/c i know i can do longer but i won't.

-- kelly mcg! (jacksfan30@aol.com), April 24, 2000.

Send his little Cuban ass back to Cuba where he friggin' belongs!! I mean he has his dad and thats what should count. Not some damn cousin, uncle twice removed. I mean who the hell are these people, anyway??!!!??? You would think they are royalty or something. Flying relative here and there...and now Elian's playmates and families are flying over here! What the fuck gives with this??!! I mean, hell, if this were me or you...who the hell cares??? And all of 'em down in little Havana``Miami...are blatantly breaking the laws...I mean what gives with this?? This crap makes me livid I tell you. Take the whole bunch of 'em...ship 'em on a plane back to Cuba. I mean really!!! You think they are going to hurt him or something down there. Do you know how many Americans actually go to Cuba for vacations and stuff???!!! They freaking love us and our money down there. But this kid...quit parading him around like a freaking trophy...and let him be a kid again. I have more to say on this but I need to calm down and collect myself.

-- Amber Starcat (amber_star_cat@hotmail.com), April 27, 2000.

I'll go with the latter two: Send back to Cuba (after all, he is technically an illegal immigrant, no matter what they say on diary- l), and get him the hell off my TV! And those Miami relatives are real lucky they're not in jail right now for all those laws they've broken and orders they've ignored. And what's up with half the Florida Marlins and others around baseball taking a day off? They think they're protesting? No, they're just proving they're lemmings, that's all!

(Kelly: I think the term you're looking for re: China is the status of "most favored nation". According to dictionary.com: "Of or relating to the status or terms embodied in a commercial treaty by which each signatory agrees to accord the other the same treatment that is or will be accorded to any other nation." Yeah, what they said. Whatever.)

-- Tim (mediabrat@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.

Hot damn, I've got smart folk postin' in my forum! I feel so loved.

And Tim said "lemming". That makes me really happy.

-- Meghan (faeriebaby@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000.