Founder's letter to the editor published in The Los Angeles Times March 29, 2000

6-year-old Elian Gonzalez survived the perilous escape from Cuba to America at the greatest cost to a child (the loss of his mother) only to be subjected to exploitation by the media, the dictator of his unfortunate country and unconscionable cowardice at our government's highest levels.

Clearly, there is but a single issue to be resolved about Elian's future: Will he be returned to a life of tyranny under communism or granted the freedom of democracy? To choose anything but the latter is unthinkable. Indeed, those who want to send him back ought to be ashamed.

For Elian's sake, and for the meaning of America, we should not suffer yet another humiliation by a totalitarian thug masquerading as the leader of Cuba. And we won't, unless he's forced to return by a self-absorbed legacy-seeker masquerading as the leader of the United States.