After listening to months of emotional appeals and nationalistic chest-pounding, U.

Thursday, June 29, 2000

After listening to months of emotional appeals and nationalistic chest-pounding, U.S. residents can finally stop arguing about the Elian Gonzalez case.

The 6-year-old is going home with his father to Cuba.

The U.S. Supreme Court put an end to the Miami relatives’ hopes of forcing an asylum hearing this week when the justices refused to hear the case.

That means that all appeals are exhausted and the family is free to return home.

There has been much discussion of the different sides of this issue. Should Elian stay here in the U.S. or return home to Cuba? Ask a group and you would probably get a variety of answers.

The central question seems to be with Elian’s father. No matter how the little boy got here – and what his mother’s intentions were – he still has a father who loves him and a family who misses him back home in Cuba.

His home country might not offer the same opportunities the United States does and he might not be able to enjoy the perks he had here – trips to Disney World, a middle income area to live in. But Cuba does offer little Elian something he cannot possibly get here – his family. And for a child as young as he is, there can be nothing more important.

So, while the Elian decision might seem like a defeat for democracy, it might just be the right thing to do for a little boy who is simply too young to make the choice for himself.

There is no question that Elian will not be able to disappear completely. Some day, he will pop up again. Maybe, when he is older, he might even choose to consider citizenship in the U.S. At that point, we can welcome him again.

But, until then, he needs his dad. That is simply the bottom line.