ELIAN: A SPECIAL CHILD, AN EVENT, AND THE OUTCOME
OF THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Enrique J. Cantón, MD, FAAP
Ecanton@Dr.com
April 22, 2001 will mark the first anniversary of the raid that was
carried on by INS agents on Elián González' home in Miami.
Whether you agree or not with the whole issue, one thing is certain:
The child was rescued on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1999. He was
protected by dolphins (mammals) from shark-infested waters. The child
told of a vision of a lady at sea, and identified her a few days later
when a statue of our Lady of Fátima was taken to his house. After
someone asked Elián if he prayed to somebody while at sea, the Cuban boy
said, yes, to his Guardian Angel, and went on to recite the prayer of
the Guardian Angel in Spanish that his mother had taught him:
ANGEL DE LA GUARDA
DULCE COMPAÑÍA
NO ME DESAMPARES
NI DE NOCHE, NI DE DÍA.
In English goes like this:
Guardian Angel
Sweet Company
Do Not Forsake Me
Neither At Nighttime Or At Daytime.
Finally he was taken from his home in a very violent way, on Holy
Saturday, not even respecting one of the most sacred days of the
Christian religion, specially meaningful to the mostly Catholic
Cuban-American community, given that Bill Clinton called for a
moratorium while bombing Iraq at the onset of Ramadan, the Islamic
period of religious fasting.
It is well known by political writers and analysts, that George W. Bush
won the 2000 election thanks to the Cuban-American vote. For many months
before the elections, Florida was recognized as a key state. "Whoever
wins Florida, wins the election," many analysts wrote. In 1996, Bill
Clinton won Miami-Dade County by 117,000 votes. Gore won Miami-Dade
County in 2000, by only 39,000 votes. The difference was "el voto
castigo,"(the penalty vote), as it was known in the Cuban-American
community, because the way the Democratic Administration treated the
Elián issue. Unlike the African-American community which mostly always
vote "in block" over 90% for the Democrats, the Cuban-Americans voted
60% for Republicans and 40% for Democrats, as it was with Clinton in
1996. This time, the vote was 82% for the Republican candidate, and only
18% for Gore. This was definitely the difference, as president Bush won
the elections by less than one thousand votes!
Was it because the previous Administration violated a most Holy
Christian Day?
Or was it because Elián was such a special child?
Whatever the reason, the writing was on the wall, from above, and many
people failed to recognize it. God has many different ways of working.
The Elián saga was never about a father and his son.
Enrique J. Canton M.D., FAAP
725 Anastasia Ave. Coral Gables, Fl. 33134
Tel. 305 - 443-9208
ECanton@Dr.com Email To:
Lillian Martinez, Webmaster
Return To:
A Site For a Free Cuba
Email To:
Lillian Martinez, Webmaster