COLUMN: Remember Elian Gonzalez?
Now it’s official. America has it all. At least it does when it comes to tourist attractions. A family could spend several lifetimes driving from state to state, marveling at the roadside wonders our great nation has to offer.
Consider the options available to those eager to take advantage of the lower gas prices, drop everything and go on a road trip. Here are a few examples:
There’s the National Plastics Museum, formerly known as Comb City. That’s right, Comb City. While you’re there, don’t forget to read about famed chemist Wallace Hume Carothers, the father of neoprene. Then head on down to Flanders, N.Y. to see the big duck, which is, essentially, a building shaped like a duck. After you’ve finished pondering its meaning, don’t forget to visit the Arlington Sewing Machine Museum, the Jesus Wearing Cowboy Boots Grave and Clay Henry, the Beer Drinking Goat – all of which can be found in Texas, the undisputed capitol of pointless roadside oddities.
For those of you who may already have these attractions crossed off your list (and I know you’re out there), I offer the newest and most thought-provoking attraction, the Elian Gonzalez mini-museum.
Unfortunately, this attraction us unlikely to draw the same crowds as a duck-shaped building or an alcoholic goat. Considering the dismal future of a boy who came so close to enjoying real freedom is not nearly as fun as snapping photos of Mom in front of a giant ball of string. And after the initial crowds die down and the human-interest reporters move on, the Elian Gonzalez mini-museum will likely fade from the public’s view forever.
Still, there are plenty of places to visit to witness the embarrassment of human rights violations – Cuba, for example, is a good place to start. Follow that with a jaunt to South America, a good portion of Africa and, of course, Afghanistan to name a few. Unfortunately, these places are not filled with scrapbook photos and old toys, like the shrine to Elian. They’re filled with people who are able to give first-hand accounts of atrocities we could never dream of – that is, if they weren’t so afraid of getting shot.
Now is a time of intense patriotism. It’s a time of national unity and concern for the well being of Americans – and it should be. But the American ideal shouldn’t just concern itself with what’s happening from sea to shining sea. It should be concerned every time a government or regime rises up and revokes the freedom of its people.
And while some will say U.S. foreign policy is what got us into this mess in the first place, let’s not turn our backs on those outside our borders who suffer daily under the rule of bad governments. And maybe some day there won’t be a need for Elian Gonzalez museums – just more giant balls of string.