Welcome to the website in defense of the human rights of Elián Gonzalez
The position of the creator of this site is that Elián Gonzalez should not be sentenced to the slavery of totalitarianism in Cuba. Elián's right to his own life is the fundamental issue in this case, and this issue is being covered up by the false alternative of "family values" versus "anti-Castro politics." The goal of this site is to make Americans aware that the moral thing to do is the American thing to do: protect Elián's right to his own life by keeping Elián free in America, since according to Cuban law his life does not belong to him, but to the state.

"I regard the deportation of Elián as a slap in the face of the Founding Fathers and their principles. It is totalitarianism vs. freedom that has to be considered and that is why this is an American issue, not just a Cuban one. This country was founded on the basis of each individual's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." -- Leonard Peikoff

Key Issues in the Elián Gonzalez Case

• Elián's inalienable right to his own life comes first.

• The argument of "family values" against "Cuban politics" is a false alternative designed to cover up the real issue: Elián's human right to life.

• Those who wish to send Elián back to Cuba are guilty of 'playing politics' by ignoring Elián's political right to his own life. 

• Free speech does not exist in Cuba; those who disagree with the Cuban government are beaten or imprisoned.

• Those who want Elián to be reunited with his father in Cuba and not in America are more concerned with sending Elián back to Cuba, rather then reuniting him with his father.  

• Those who wish to send Elián back to Cuba are guilty of sanctioning communism.

Get the Facts!  
Required reading on the Elián Gonzalez Case.

A Sin to Deport Elián by Leonard Peikoff, Ph.D. (January 20, 2000)
In the name not of Cuban nationalism, but of Americanism in its original and deepest philosophical meaning, Elián Gonzalez must be allowed to remain here. Let this poor boy have a chance to live a human life. If "compassion" is one of our politicians' chief values, as they keep telling us, can't they show him any of it?

The Life of Six Year Old Elián Gonzales is in Bill Clinton's hands by Mark Da Cunha (January 13, 2000)
The fundamental issue is not about "Florida's large and politically powerful anti-Castro Cuban community" versus the "bond between parent and child" as one commentator insinuated (USA Today 7 Jan 2000). There is something far more important than the "parental bond" between Elián's father and "the dignity of the Cuban people" as Elián's father referred to his son in a Castro sponsored rally (observe that even Elián's father admits that his son is first and foremost a political tool). That something is Elián's inalienable right to his own life -- in Cuba that inalienable right does not legally exist.

Speech on Elián Gonzalez in Washington, D.C., Part 1 by Edwin A. Locke (May 5, 2000)
On July 4, 1776 America's Founding Fathers identified the fundamental moral principle on which our country was based. This principle was that every individual possessed the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Founding Fathers also identified the proper role of government; it was to protect individual rights -- specifically, to protect individuals from the initiation of force by other people, including the government itself.

Speech on Elián Gonzalez in Washington, D.C., Part 2 by Edwin A. Locke (May 8, 2000)
The difference between Cuba and America is not just a matter of lifestyle, as some have claimed. It is not a difference like that between Republicans and Democrats.

Speech on Elián Gonzalez in Washington, D.C., Part 3 by Edwin A. Locke (May 10, 2000)
Let us address a deeper question: why do Clinton and Reno want Elián back in Cuba?

Elián Gonzalez Has a Right Not to Live in Slavery by Paul Blair (May 4, 2000)
Who could abridge a right so obvious, violate a relationship so sacred, as to separate a boy from his father?

The Real (and Sinister) Meaning of the Elián Raid by Edwin A. Locke (April 30, 2000)
To Undermine His Chances for Political Asylum and Thus Betray the Principles America Stands For

Click here for more essays...


 

National Demonstrations to Keep Elián Free!
The intellectual battle for Elián's rights is not over -- thousands of Americans will be holding demonstrations on Wednesday, May 10th, 2000 outside the Federal Buildings of major American cities.

Protest Update: April 17, 2000
Elián: American Not Cuban Issue
Ayn Rand Institute founder Dr. Leonard Peikoff, along with one of his students Mark Da Cunha, presented Lazaro Gonzalez, Elián Gonzalez's great uncle, a petition last Saturday noon affirming that Elián remain in the United States. The petition contained over 4,000 signatures from Americans across the United States. Peikoff addressed a group of 150 mostly non-Cuban Americans Saturday in front of Elián's home in Little Havana.

A project started by Capitalism Magazine.