Elian Gonzalez

So, Elian Gonzalez will be returned to his father after a months-long brouhaha during which gallons of ink and hours of video footage were used, thousands of people demonstrated in the streets and dozens of the land’s highest officials pontificated and postured about the “crisis.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, 40% of our nation’s fourth-graders do not read at grade level. Imagine what could happen if all that emotional energy and those financial resources were channeled toward solving this far more pressing problem.

MARGO SORENSON

La Quinta

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I find it ironic that virtually the first time the liberal establishment has united in strong support of “family and fathers’ rights,” the intended result is to return a 6-year-old child to a life under communism.

JOHN BOHLING

Riverside

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For too long Cuban Americans have dictated U.S. policy toward Cuba. Finally the government had the courage to say no to them. It is time now to rethink our privileged Cuban immigration policy. It is also time to seriously work toward normalizing relations with Cuba.

BARBARA MACE OTAKI

Mission Viejo

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“Elian Gonzalez, you’ve just won a trip to Havana, Cuba; what are you going to do now?” “I want to go back to Disney World!”

TIM ELLIOTT

Burbank

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Ellen Goodman’s April 6 column on the Elian saga is right on. Although the main plot of the story is most Americans’ disdain for the Castro regime, there is a subplot as well, which is the one she emphasizes: “our deep and lingering feelings about men as second-class parents.”

Our society speaks about fatherhood from both sides of the mouth. On the one side, we want dads to pay their child support and perhaps also be involved with their children. But when other factors intervene we are quite willing to subjugate fatherhood for other objectives.

We will not solve many of our most pressing social problems until we respect more the essential roles that fathers play in raising their children.

WILLIAM S. COMANOR

Los Angeles

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As a single man raising a child, I so appreciated Goodman’s astute observation regarding “our deep and lingering feelings about men as second-class parents.” The unfolding of the Elian drama has brought many issues into our consciousness, including outright sexism in relation to parenting.

MICHAEL KEARNS

Los Angeles

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If political beliefs are reason for keeping a child from his parent, then perhaps we should detain all children within our borders who are likely to return to a nondemocratic country. If the “well-meaning” Cuban community of Miami is concerned about quality of life for Elian in Cuba, then perhaps they should visit the ghettos of Miami and offer their generosity there.

IRENE BRIGGS

Huntington Beach