Now 16, Elian Gonzalez shown at Cuba youth meeting

[Judi Lynn]

Now 16, Elian Gonzalez shown at Cuba youth meeting
The Associated Press
Monday, April 5, 2010; 4:55 PM

HAVANA -- Cuba has released photos of one-time exile cause celebre Elian Gonzalez wearing an olive-green military school uniform and attending a Young Communist Union congress.

Gonzalez, now 16 with closely cropped black hair, is shown serious-faced with fellow youth delegates during last weekend's congress at a sprawling and drab convention center in western Havana. The images were posted Monday on Cuban government Web sites, then widely picked up by electronic, state-controlled media.

When he was 5, Elian was found floating off the coast of Florida in an inner tube after his mother and others fleeing Cuba drowned trying to reach the U.S. Elian's father, who was separated from his mother, had remained in Cuba.

U.S. immigration officials ruled the boy should return to Cuba over the objections of his Miami relatives and other Cuban exiles, creating a national furor that caused even presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore to weigh in on the matter.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040503594.html

Also posted in LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4333308

[Judi Lynn]

1. Images of Elian Gonzalez, in Miami, and back at home with family.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org.nyud.net:8090/elian/Elizabeth-Brotons-elian.jpg

Elizabeth Brotons, mother and son.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org.nyud.net:8090/elian/elian-ileana.jpg

In the arms of two Cuban "exile" Congresscritters,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Miami

http://www.siporcuba.it.nyud.net:8090/Yadira%20Garcia%20Elian%20Gonzalez%20y%20su%20padre.jpg

With dad, and paternal grandmother in Cuba

http://www.henkelsandmccoy.com.nyud.net:8090/Timeline/PublishingImages/2000Elian-fatherandson.jpg http://image.guardian.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2000/04/24/elian5.jpg http://www.walterlippmann.com.nyud.net:8090/Elian226ThuWyeElianYPapa.jpeg

http://news.bbc.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/olmedia/805000/images/_809605_elian_laugh300.jpg http://image.guardian.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2000/04/24/elian6.jpg http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2000/06/28/image210463g.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com.nyud.net:8090/photoessay/photoessay_4255_images/0616081714_M_061608_elian_gonzalez10.jpg http://www.cubaheadlines.com.nyud.net:8090/files/cubaheadlines.com/imagenes/elian%20y%20otros%20estudiantes.jpg http://www.foxnews.com.nyud.net:8090/images/380800/1_61_061608_elian_gonzalez2.jpg http://u.univision.com.nyud.net:8090/contentroot/locales/art/images/12mia/WLTV/2008/06/elian_gonzalez_3.jpg

http://inplacenews.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2008/06/610x.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com.nyud.net:8090/photoessay/photoessay_4255_images/0616081114_M_061608_elian_gonzalez3.jpg http://www.allhatnocattle.net.nyud.net:8090/elian-gonzales.jpg

http://www.cubadebate.cu.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gala-10-aniversario-de-batalla-de-ideas-elian-02.jpg

[Mika]

2. Made a cause célèbre by the Miami gusanos.

Can feel the schadenfreude? Where the F are the dolphins? :rofl:


He's turned out to be a very good looking young man. And a good commie too? We'll see.


Meanwhile ....


The Elian shrine in 'Little Havana', in Miami, created by Delfin Gonzalez,
great-uncle of Elián González - not the cash cow he thought it would be.




Thanks for posting this, Judi. :hi:

---

[Judi Lynn]

3. Oh, NO! Defin! He looks so lonely, doesn't he? Hope this won't send him back to the bars!

A poster back at the old CNN US/Cuba relations message board, Bev Burns, who used to live in Florida, whose sister-in-law is a Cuban immigrant says there's a Halloween costume for Elian in there. The big problem with that is Elian was never HERE in the States at Halloween, since he arrived after Halloween in 1999 and left well before Halloween the NEXT year!

Cool, right?

I remember Ileana Ros-Lehtinen brought him a small U.S. battleship from Washington. Smooth.

They probably had the little Labrador Retriever Mel Martinez gave him stuffed and mounted, and thrown in there, too.

That's so damned sad!

At some point, Delfin may want to walk outta there and lock the door for the last time. Hope he remembers to count the dime they got from the visitor to the little Elian shrine.

Love that photo. It's the best one I've seen of that place. Thanks. :hi: