It was 7 years ago today...

Originally, I had gone on my computer with the intention to write about America and the happenings in Virginia of recent. That will have to wait as in my research, I stumbled onto, after a long wikipedia binge, the following.

It was 7 years ago today, in the early hours of the morning, that a small suburban home in Miami, Florida was infiltrated by la migra (the INS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, commonly confused for the International Neuropsychological Society). Eight men, fully equipped with SWAT gear, broke their way through protesters and made their way through the home to find a young Elian Gonzalez, hididing in the closet with his new found fisherman buddy, Donato Dalrmple. The moment was captured by photographer Alan Diez, talk about being at the right place at the right time.
In fact, Diez was so much at the right place at the right time, that he actually won a Pulitzer Prize for the picture. Lucky bastard. That poor kid though. What could be more traumatizing then having some white guy pull you out of a closet with a MP5 submachine gun? So do you remember all of this. I remember, I think I was in 10th grade at the time. I had been up late, playing video games. All of a sudden there was a live report from outside the home. It was ridiculous. Where were you when JFK was shot? Where were you when man landed on the moon? Where were you when Elian thought he was playing a fun game of hide and go seek? So why did that happen? Well, lets take out the lesson plan.

After Cuba turned red with the Cuban Revolution lasting through the 1950's led by, among others, Fidel Castro. Following the fall of the Batista government, Castro took control of the country. With the events of the Bay of Pigs and the ongoing Cold War, current president, John F. Kennedy signed the embargo, ending all Cuban-American relations. Through the years, the so-called "wet-feet/ dry-feet" policy has evolved. The idea is that, a Cuban refugee found on water entransit to the United States will be sent back to Cuba, whereas one who is able to set foot on United States soil, is given the opportunity to seek amnesty. I'm not sure if it requires two feet. Maybe just one. It's just crazy how it is a zero-sum game. Sounds like it has all the right ingredients for a good video game. I can see it now.

THE WEATHERMAN SAYS A HURRICANE IS ON THE HORIZON. YOUR BOAT ONLY HAS ENOUGH FUEL FOR HALF OF THE JOURNEY. THREE WOMEN BY YOUR SIDE, AND THE BOAT JUST BROKE DOWN. THE COAST GUARD CAN'T BE FAR OFF. IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG SWIM. BUT CROSSING THE STRAIGHTS OF FLORIDA IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! THINK YOU CAN MAKE IT? WELL TRY ARGUING YOUR WAY THROUGH AMNESTY. ONLY THEN CAN YOUR RISE TO THE TOP OF THE CUBAN MAFIA BEGIN.

But I digress. So anyway, young Elian left on an aluminum boat with his mother and her new found boyfriend. Daddy was still in Cuba. The boat ran into trouble and his mother died. Elian was found with a few others in an inner tube by a fisherman, Donato Dalrmple. Then the political debates began. In steps then Attorney General, Janet Reno (known for both being tall and somewhat masculine). Here you can see her as portrayed by Will Ferrell. Reno said that Elian deserved to be back with his father while others argued that he needed to be with his relatives who lived in Miami. During the ongoing debate and protest, Elian took a fun little visit to Disneyworld. That would have been a sight to see. Poor fucking kid is nothing but followed by the press, so everybody in America thinks he needs a fun day, instead, this foreign place all of a sudden sends him to an even stranger place where he is welcomed by giant rodents. Elian was quoted as saying, "Cual la cogida es incorrecta con ese raton?" Well, Reno, seen here, (I'm not sure which this is) ordered the federal government to brake down the doors after the temporary custody of Elian by his relatives was revoked. The kid meets up with his pop in Washington D. C. But it isn't over yet. Pictures show a happy Elian reunited, his relatives claim though that the pictures are fake, it is actually a look-a-like Elian smiling. Reno again, seen here, (I'm not sure which is which) pushes the kid out, and he is sent back to Cuba. Today, Elian is in high school. There is actually a museum built for him in his hometown. It is called the Museo de la Batalla de Ideas (if you can't figure it out, that is the Museum of the Battle of Ideas). In it there is a life-size bronze statue holding up his hand in a fist. This blogger was unable to find a picture of it online, however, here is a great blog about the museum , and here is a picture of Eminem doing his impression of the statue.
Castro always attends Elian's birthday party, who Elian recently told NBC, he considers "not only as a friend but as a father." Raul, Fidel's brother attended last year.

And so, it has been 7 years. It was 7 years ago that America was torn, between the idea of America as refuge those who seek to flee the Cuban Communist Regime, and those who have a strong sense of family values. All the while, Elian had been quoted for saying that he wanted to go back to Cuba, while the family argued they knew what was best for him. It was certainly a grey area. But like all of American obsessions, it passed. Maybe Elian was just a way to distract America from the obvious lack of Apocalypse that occurred following what we all remembered as "Y2K." Now why couldn't they have given that kid a reality TV show?