ELIAN A VICTIM OF CONSPIRACY
            
            
             On April 18, 1961 President John F. Kennedy wrote back to Premier Nikita Khruschev in response to his accusation that the Cuban exiles that had invaded Cuba were trained in the United States, and that the United States owned the planes that bombed Cuba. President Kennedy wrote that, "as resistance within Cuba grows, refugees have been using whatever means available to return and support their countrymen in the continuing struggle for freedom. Where people are denied the right of choice, recourse to such struggle is only the means of achieving their liberties" (Weiner 5).
            
             Whether you think Elian should stay or go, the Cuban-Americans in Miami are putting their bodies on the line as a means of achieving Elian's liberties. Nevertheless, unbelievable outrage is pouring out against these Cuban-Americans from the media. They are being labeled as having a "fanatical hatred" of Castro. Did anyone ever accuse the Jews of having a "fanatical hatred " of Hitler?
            
             The political left is mounting a strong demand that Elian be sent back to Cuba. They state that the Cuban-American's are "blinded" by their "hatred" of Castro and dismiss Elian's taped statement as exploitation. This cry by the political left would be applauded if one believed their position on " the importance of family" would still be advocated after Elian's plight is resolved.
             The truth is that the leaderships on each side in this case are battling less about Elian staying in the United States or returning to Cuba than they are about U.S. policy on Cuba. You can predict, with nearly perfect accuracy, what side a person is on in Elian's case by whether they support or oppose the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba. (Nuccio 7)
             The question is not whether Elian should be sent back to his father. The question is whether he should be sent ...