ELIAN

[Robert Goodale]

> Re: ELIAN

A few factors to consider before we revert to the topic of pianos...

1.  Reno is the attorney General NOT a federal judge.  Order of seizure is
beyond her legal authority.

2.  No federal court warrant was ever issued by any judge to turn over the
boy.

3.  The protesters were of the "friendly" variety with no history of rioting,
show of weapons, or threats.  Their activities were limited to slowing traffic

     around the airport and chanting disapproval.  Their leaders vowed to
nonviolence demonstrations.

4.  Serious and legitimate legal procedures were already underway to resolve
the situation thus further action was not warranted at the time.

5. Proper legal procedure would have been:
    A. Obtain a court order for a warrant take custody of the boy.  (A judge
had already denied such an order pending a hearing).  Such an order is also
         carried out by a knock at the door, NOT breaking it down.  That type
of action involves a search warrant.
    B. If the boy's relatives had refused to turn over the boy the next step
would have been to issue an arrest warrant, (via a judge), for the boy's
relatives
         for contempt to cooperate with a court order.
    C. The proper and ethical procedure would have been to take custody of the
boy during daylight hours via immigration agents dressed in business attire
         accompanied by law enforcement officials.  On the contrary agents
stormed the home during the night dressed in combat gear toting automatic
         weapons and pepper spray.  The exude was that they feared there
"might have been guns in the house".  This contradicts the report that the FBI
issued
         saying they had found no weapons in the home during two inspections
on Friday.  The press was forcefully restrained from entering and taking
         photographs of the seizure.  The photographs publicly released exist
only because a reporter managed to jump through a window.  This of course
         was the LAST thing the Reno/Clinton administration wanted since it
illustrated the details of the raid.  (How about that for a poster supporting
         the second amendment).
    D, The agent who grabbed the boy was reported as saying, "Don't worry, we
aren't going to take you back to Cuba".  This does not appear to be the
         intention of the Clinton administration, thus the brain washing
process begins.

You may believe that Elian should be deported back to Cuba.  You may believe
he should stay.  Regardless of your opinion the actions taken were not only
improper but also illegal. You may recall similar procedures were used in
Waco.  Reno is still under fire for that matter which is far from closed.  Is
there a pattern here?  These actions were the sole doing of Reno.  No so
called "right wing conspiracy" excuses here.  The American public has a habit
of forgetting events in a very short time and "forgiving" government officials
saying "oh, they just made a mistake, they really are good people most of the
time".  If you believe that I have a piece of ocean front property in Arizona
I'd love to sell you.

Flame me if you must but I have wonder...  is there nothing wrong with what is
happening or do Americans simply not want to believe what is happening?  The
constitution is being chipped away a little bit at a time and few stand back
to see how much of it is now missing. Perhaps on day the constitution will be
declared unconstitutional.


"This has been an editorial of the PTNA (Piano Technicians News Association).
We now return you to the pianos again".


Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV