Dear Americans to Keep Elián Free:

As hundreds of demonstrators waved American flags, sang the Star-Spangled Banner and cheered philosopher Leonard Peikoff as he denounced the opponents of Elián's liberty, the petition to keep Elián Gonzalez free was presented to the Gonzalez family in Miami, Florida, in front of Elián's home in Little Havana.

With less than 48 hours notice, no sponsoring organization, and precious few dollars and resources, we organized a truly modern, grass-roots demonstration of over 150 Americans from all over Florida and from Alabama, Georgia and as far away as California.

Things got even better. Volunteer Jeff Britting, who works in the entertainment industry and traveled from his home in southern California, acted as an indispensable aide; we along with Amy Peikoff worked at a 24-hour copy shop until the wee hours of the morning making posters, copies and securing a safe marching route for the demonstration, which was scheduled for 10 a.m. the following day.

We assembled at a parking lot at Miami High School in Little Havana. From there, we marched to Lazaro Gonzalez's home, where we joined other demonstrators at the barricades. Neighbors had cheered us along the march route.

As we waved American flags, graciously donated by Mary Snyder, sang patriotic songs and listened to the exiles' horror stories of Castro, communism and their dangerous voyages to freedom, the demonstration's attendance doubled and blossomed into an unforgettable celebration of Americanism.

There was talk between exiles and other Americans of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ayn Rand. Several of our demonstrators brought their families, including young children, and the exiles seemed emboldened by our presence; they've been waving more American flags and calling out slogans of liberty ever since.

Leonard Peikoff's address before the press was breathtaking. Afterwards, he walked over to the barricades, stepped onto a small platform, and, after making his remarks to the gathering, called out: "Libertad para Elián!" ["Liberty for Elian!"] The jubilant demonstrators went wild for the words in a spontaneous act of flag-waving and cheering.

The demonstration was reported by 610 a.m. news radio in Miami, the local ABC and NBC affiliates, and shown briefly on ABC News' Saturday broadcast of "World News Tonight" and Reuters news service reported Dr. Peikoff's remarks, which were published by MSNBC's Web site, Yahoo!, and ABC News' Web site. Several TV stations aired interviews with me about the petition.

I organized the Freedom March on Miami to stand tall for liberty.

I'm proud to say: We did.

If you came to Miami for the demonstration, thank you. If you sent a gift to cover the costs, thank you. I still have not paid the bills for the demonstration (renting a microphone and speakers for Dr. Peikoff, etc.) though I'm delighted that Dr. Peikoff donated his own expenses and that several individuals, including Boca Raton resident Audrey Toll, postponed food, sleep in order to act on behalf of this young individual's life.

One more thing: The cause to keep Elián Gonzalez free is gaining ground. Remember that the doom and gloom types were whining that it was all over and we might as well give up just one week ago? Fat chance. If nothing else, we proved that IDEAS MATTER and that practicing what you preach matters, especially in a moral emergency.

Mind you, this is not over and Elián's life remains in real, grave danger. But, as you probably already know, the 11th Circuit Court ruled that Elián must remain in the United States until his May 11 hearing (they left open the question of whether he can be forced into the custody of his communist Cuban father).

And our petition has received over 1,000 additional signatures since the demonstration, which is closing in on 6,000 signatures.

When the time is right, I may organize another demonstration to keep Elián free (this time with more advance notice!), since the last one was on such short notice, that many people emailed us afterwards that they did not learn about the protest in time to attend.

In the meantime, as Lazaro Gonzalez stands tall and mighty in his Little Havana home, against the Clinton administration, Attorney General Janet Reno, and the majority of the American people, and as thousands of freedom-loving Americans from coast to coast are organizing to keep Elián free, I urge you to join this noble crusade for one individual whose name is Elián.

In closing remember that the key issue in this case is Elián's right to remain free, and that the alternative between the "father's right" and "anti-Castro politics" is a smokescreen by the Clinton-media-Castro coalition to mask the real issue which is entirely an American one: Elián's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In Cuba, he has none of these by right.

Thank you for your participation and your support.

Photo Credits: Cory Baron