Miami Melodrama Reflections on the raft kid and acting out in the Banana Republic Once upon a time, there was a period called the Cold War, and our government did many stupid things to defeat the Evil Empire (aka Soviet Union). We found out later that though they were definitely evil, the Russkies were an unstable empire and didn't present quite the major threat that we were led to believe. But the Pentagon had big plans for some very fast and shiny airplanes, so the Cold War continued. A strange sort of rescue drama was orchestrated after Castro defeated the ultra-corrupt Batista regime and sent thousands of right-wing cronies packing. The spin meisters in Washington saw an opportunity to make Cold War propaganda, so the Batista thugs escaping to Miami became noble freedom fighters fleeing the brutal dictator. Like many a Hollywood B-player, many of these people started believing their own hype and have come to regard themselves as special. No wonder, considering their reception and subsequent treatment. Our government has been an indulgent parent, treating them like spoiled children and showering them with benefits. Cubans have a legal standard much lower than any other national group to achieve refugee status — all that Cubans have to do is arrive on U.S. land and they receive all the extra refugee goodies that mere immigrants do not get. They arrived and took over with a vengeance. They have attempted to rewrite history, claiming Miami was a backwater nothing before they came and “revived” it, even though the city was a major tourist destination as well as a manufacturing and urban center before a single Cuban exile arrived. They renamed streets with names of Latin luminaries and made Spanish the language of the city. Cubans also brought a level of corruption in government that makes Capone-era Chicago seem mild by comparison. Many non-Cuban residents are relieved that now the rest of the world knows the trouble they've seen. See Earth's Weather and Political Climate. ENOUGH ALREADY Miami has become an extremely balkanized city, but the various non-Cuban groups can agree on one thing: they are sick of the shenanigans. Already in bad shape financially (because of poor management and enormous corruption), the city spent a pile of money for security around the Gonzalez home and for policing the riots which followed Elian's removal. On May 17 the Miami Herald reported that Dade County requested more than $4 million in reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for “protective measures” and “debris removal.” Other problems have been festering for years in the city, including the poor record of Cuban businesses in hiring their black neighbors and the difficulty of non-Spanish speakers getting a job. The Cubans run the city and they haven't let anyone forget it. Anyone who disagreed with the ruling Cuban party received the most vicious verbal attacks, such as City Manager Don Warshaw who was called “the most evil man I ever met” by Mayor Carollo. The Manager was forced to resign after cooperating with law enforcement in the retrieval of Elian to his father. And when the Cubans wanted support over the Elian affair, they were all alone. New York Times writer Rick Bragg wrote an article, “Stand Over Elian Highlights a Virtual Secession of Miami,” (3/31/00) which showed the depth of separatism in feeling and in deed. Several Miami Cubans, including public officials, are quoted as saying that U.S. law does not apply to them. In this, they present a view of the future America, balkanized by government decree. This future doesn't work, but no one in Washington appears to notice or care. — by Brenda Walker FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION: Un-American Craziness How the insanity looked from across the pond, from Britain's The Guardian. Betrayals and Obsessions Brief remarks in the New York Times about a complex book, Joan Didion's “Miami.” Written in 1987, it was prescient in recognizing the accumulating anger and power of the Cuban community. Saving Elian Frontline examines the obsessive Miami politics contributing to the Elian controversy. Miami's Cuban Americans May Get The Last Word Peter Dale Scott's article about payback against Gore for Elian shows the community's political muscle is not dead yet.