I'd like to say that I agree with all the commentators who wrote on the editorial pages of The Sunday Citizen concerning the subject of Elian Gonzalez. The Elian Gonzalez story is nothing short of tragic in my view. As all the commentators pointed out, there was no justification whatsoever for the raid that resulted in the, in my view, illegal seizure of Elian Gonzalez from his relatives home in Miami. The seizure of little Elian was little more than a homegrown act of terrorism, as far as I am concerned, and I was outraged as a citizen that such a thing could happen in America.

It is my view that Elian Gonzalez has as much right to political asylum as anyone else fleeing oppression, especially those who come here from Fidel Castro's Cuba. It seems Janet Reno and Bill Clinton feel differently. That Clinton, a communist sympathizer himself and a past flag burner, sides with Fidel Castro is not surprising but it is disturbing. What's even worse is the self-serving way Reno and Clinton used the law to justify their illegal action in raiding and seizing Elian Gonzalez from his home.

It seem likely now that Elian will be returned to Cuba to an uncertain fate. This again is tragic in my view. Why is the U.S. helping Castro bring an innocent child back to Cuba? Was a dirty deal struck between Bill Clinton and Castro? No doubt.

The Elian Gonzalez case — along with the conflagration at Waco, Texas seven years ago — constitutes one the saddest moments in modern American history. It should not have turned out the way it did. Elian Gonzalez deserved a better fate.

Dennis Sams

Fairburn

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