Fidel Castro

* Perhaps Fidel Castro will grow accustomed to being on the right side of the issue for a change. After all, he has consistently out-politicized the politicians when he was in the wrong. Now, with the case of Elian Gonzalez, he has mocked the Cuban exiles, who would side with Satan himself if he were to come out against Castro.

Maybe Fidel is ready for more triumphs. If he can get hundreds of thousands of Cubans to “voluntarily” come out and wave flags during his speech (May 2), he could surely win an election! Why not let a political opponent campaign freely? If lies are told, as sometimes happens in our political campaigns, surely Fidel could tell the masses the truth. If the embargo is the problem, then let’s end it. Let food and medicines and information flow to the people. Let the people see and decide for themselves. Do it, Fidel.

VICTOR CABRERA

Burbank

* * Gene Costin (letter, April 30), like Castro and like other Americans, blames the embargo for Cuba’s milk shortage. Does he not realize that other countries have cows, too? Castro had money for half a million flags and Elian T-shirts (not to mention the money for the arena for official Elian rallies). This money could have been spent more wisely if Castro truly cared about the children of Cuba.

Castro is cleverly counting on the gullibility the American public and the greed of American businessmen. James Flanigan’s April 30 column (Business) confirms how humanitarianism is not really what’s at play in the U.S. and President Clinton’s desire to end the embargo. It’s the money to be made.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s my husband and many other preteen and teenage boys were not permitted to leave Cuba when Castro conveniently “lost” their visas. Not until he was rescued from Cuba by his sister 14 years later was my husband reunited with his parents. Castro didn’t care about the sanctity of families when he stole my husband from his.

KATHY YEPEZ

Glendale

* * Re “A City Under Emotional Distress,” April 29: The mayor of Miami directs his city manager to fire the police chief. The city manager refuses and the mayor fires him. Then the police chief resigns. Shades of Tricky Dick.

LARRY BRIGGS

Twentynine Palms

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* Please inform me if the state of Florida is still in the United States. Since the rescuing of that little illegal child, the now-legal illegal Cubans have made a laughingstock of our government, federal and local.

These legal illegals agreed to obey our laws and support our Constitution. Now they want to make a Taiwan out of Florida. If it were up to me, I would send them all back to Cuba, where they should have stayed and fought their battles.

JOEL MARTINEZ

Downey

* * I am shocked at the unkind and uncalled-for remarks against the Miami relatives of Elian (letters, April 26), whose only fault was giving all the love and kindness to a small boy, rescued by fishermen at sea, floating for 45 hours without water and food. I thought that Americans were generally compassionate.

Our ancestors came by land, sea, or airplanes. This little boy was being saved by his mother, who died hoping to give her son a chance to live a better life, like you and me.

CONNIE L. GUERRERO

Los Angeles