The picture of 6-year-old Elián González, mouth open in horror, as federal agents ripped him from the arms of one of the fishermen who rescued him at sea in November, was enough. Enough to make almost anyone grateful that maybe this whole sordid saga has finally run its course. The Elián affair contained all of the elements necessary for a great drama. Elián, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Attorney General Janet Reno and Lazaro González all became as much a part of American television as "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" May this program be forever canceled. And may the cast of characters who permitted this spectacle to unfold on our TV screens and newspapers fade to black. Under the guise of acting in the interests of Elián, his family, particularly uncle Lázaro González, has allowed the boy to serve as a pawn in the battle between the Cuban-American community in Florida and Castro. Lifted onto the shoulders of strangers and shaking hands with adults who should know better, Elián has participated in a five-month, three-ring circus. And unfortunately, nearly everyone was duped by the show. Who knows what lingering psychological damage this may do to Elián? Watching his mother drown in the waters off the coast of Florida, being denied contact with his father and then, finally, being dragged off into the night at gunpoint. Who can honestly expect Elián to simply go off into the sunset with his father and resume any semblance of a normal life? Long after the newsprint has dried and the credits have flashed across the screen, Elián will still be scarred. The sad thing is, no one will care. When the show ends, the audience goes home.
'Making it' takes having good time I remember my taxi ride from Love Field to TCU's campus. In two words - roller coaster. Between the construction, the driver's capabilities and my nervous stomach, I wasn't sure I would survive the ride or college. Four years later, I can now say I not only made it to freshman orientation, I've made it to the end of my senior year. College is a funny thing; funny in that you never think you'll get through something, but, yet, you always do. I doubted my arrival at Sherley Hall that sunny August day for a number of reasons, particularly my arrival in one piece as my cab driver acted as though he had never been behind the wheel of a car before. I felt helpless and unsure, thinking I was the only freshman whose parents didn't drive him or her to school. My parents packed me up and helped me board a plane - alone. My first day at TCU was literally a milestone because the goodness I felt after calling my parents and telling them I had made it set the tone for the next four years. The words "I made it" said it all. Surviving and successfully surviving are dissimilar things. There will always be those who coast in and out of school and never stop to realize exactly what they are trying to speed through so quickly. And luckily, there are those who appreciate the college experience all the way through. When I say appreciate, I do not mean loving each and every class and each and every term paper. I mean stopping to think how wonderful it is to get a higher education and having fun while you're doing it. I mean feeling lucky for the friendships you make and the role models you eventually make your professors out to be. It's a give-and-take relationship: go to class, take notes and then take a few hours off from responsibility. Besides, what else would you do with your time? You can only watch television, make telephone calls, lay out and shop so much. Right? College is many things to many people, but I don't think you really know what it is or what it means until you stand back and watch what you're leaving. I have watched, and my sights have saddened me, but my dreams entice me. I look at college now as one big test or exam: a test of academics, skill, social ability and, most of all, emotional strength. We all see, do and go through a lot. Oftentimes, recapping our days' activities can be utterly exhausting. Eventually, we come to the greatest test of all - placing ourselves in the working world. I have now completed my first set of job interviews, and it really wasn't that bad. My worries and doubts miraculously subsided before the interviews began, not after. I found myself sitting professionally poised in a suit and heels, positioned in front of a potential employer while I desperately tried to plan my future. It was then that I realized this wasn't an interview for a summer job, an internship or even a "in the meantime job." This was it! My interview trip, though busy, proved beneficial, not just because I had gotten interview experience, but because I realized I know more than I thought I knew. Now I'm not saying I could tackle all the world brings with it at this very moment, but I am that much closer to believing my mother's words when she says, "You're ready." You spend most of your time anticipating the next step, wondering if you'll survive high school, then college, while the unknown seems like it will never arrive. But that's just it. The day comes, and the strangest thing about it is that it's not only a new path and a new life, but also just another great time!
Tealy Dippel is a graduating senior broadcast journalism major from New Orleans. She can be reached at (ttdippel@delta.is.tcu.edu).
The controversy surrounding Elián González intensified this week after Immigration and Naturalization Services and border agents removed the boy with force from his Miami relatives' home. I watched as a woman ran from the home with the 6-year-old wrapped in a blanket, and I felt nothing but disappointment. Five months ago, I watched newscasts showing a small boy clinging to an inner tube surviving the devastating boating accident that claimed the lives of 11 people, including his mother. I was happy the youngster could survive such an ordeal. The media portrayed the event as bittersweet: The life of a young child was saved, yet a young boy would now grow up without his mom. When the media began reporting that Elián's Miami relatives sought custody, I, along with many other Americans, was quick to support the notion. We found out later though that he had a family back in Cuba waiting for him, complete with a father, stepmother and baby half brother. Living in a society that has attempted in recent years to restore family values, I was shocked the boy wasn't with his true family back in Cuba within days. Elián's Miami relatives promised him a bright future and immediately began their campaign in Little Havana to keep the boy in the United States. So, as I watched Elián's "bright future" unfold in the arms of federal agents on Saturday, I was disappointed in his family, the American public and the United States' government. The family's intentions seem simple: They want what's "best" for Elián. But has anybody reminded the family that what they may think is "best" for the boy is also illegal. I believe we live in a wonderful country and immigration is good. But there is a right way and a wrong way with every situation in life. Sneaking onto American soil by raft is not the right way. Next, we have the melting pot American public who were quick to jump to Elián's rescue, then decided he should be sent home and then turned against the government when they had to use force to remove the boy. Furthermore, I'm not totally convinced that the Clinton administration is looking out for the best interests of Elián either. Is it possible that the U.S. might be just a little bit afraid of Fidel Castro and communist Cuba? I'd put money on it. Perhaps in a perfect world, Reno and Cuban dictator Castro would assume joint custody of the boy and raise him in Switzerland. But until that time, what will we do with Elián? I guess we'll continue to exploit the young man who should be worried about coloring and nap time instead of being awaken by armed men. We'll show him how easy it is to mess with the laws of the United States. And we'll continue to show him that compromise is not an option. So, welcome to America Elián, and thanks to your family for reminding us of the imperfect world in which we call home.
James Zwilling is a freshmen news-editorial journalism major from Phoenix, Az. He can be reached at (james_zwilling@usa.net).
Drug legalization will increase use, but overall effects not too drastic I read with interest John Araujo's column on the war on drugs in Wednesday's TCU Daily Skiff and applaud him for at least acknowledging that there may be potential benefits associated with legalizing drug use. I especially appreciated his call for "patience, clear-headed thinking and compassion." Clear-headed thinking, in particular, has been lacking in much of the public discourse on drug policy. Mr. Araujo writes of the "almost certain ballooning increase of drug users," the "massive increase of drug addicts" and the "uncountable" number of lives ruined or lost from increased drug usage. While drug usage would almost certainly increase as a result of legalization, the available evidence does not warrant the use of adjectives like ballooning, massive and uncountable. Recent research conducted by Henry Saffer of the National Bureau of Economic Research and Frank Chaloupka of the University of Illinois-Chicago provides estimates of the effects of legalization on drug usage. Saffer's and Chaloupka's results indicate that a 50 percent decrease in price resulting from legalization would increase the number of regular cocaine users by about 260,000 and regular heroin users by about 47,000. The number of occasional users of cocaine and heroin would increase by about 1,400,000 and 615,000. While not denying the societal costs of increased drug usage, these estimates do not seem to justify the fear that society may not be able to function with "so many of its citizens too stoned to perform their duties."
Michael R. Butler |
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