OK, M.Ted, you started this thread saying you wanted to write a song about the subject. How in the heck can you write anything except to say that the muddy waters of US versus Castro policy and the US media greed for any titillating subject that involves kids (Jon Benet, Columbine, etc., where there is no restraint in dwelling on these subjects in a superficial and exploitative manner) makes this child, Elian, another victim of Adult Insanity.

The politics, on both sides, the media exploitation to get viewers, are all shameless in using this child for their own gain. So, lyrics that point out how crazy this child exploitation is? I'd go for that. Lyrics that polarize people even more in choosing mom versus dad, communist versus non-communist, black or white, either... or... ??? My point is that this is a complicated political issue with a long history that gets children tangled up in the middle. Castro has refused to share political power in Cuba. He will hold on to totalitarian control until his demise. On the other side, the US punishes Cuba and its people economically, so that the "equal" medical care that was referred to means that people equally share a bottle of aspirin, and not much else. The people are equally malnourished. The children suffer the consequences of the Adult Insanity.

alice