ELIAN Not on this list!

[Richard Oliver Snelson]

We all have opinions on this. With that said. Why must they be stated
here? This is not the place. Day by day we weaken the value of this fine
technical list by posting "opinions" on this sort of item. If you don't
think folks are getting off the list because of it just ask at the next
chapter meeting you attend. Sure you can hit the delete key and blow
them away. But why are they here in the first place.  Is it because we
work by ourselves and have no one to talk to during the day? Get a life
folks. Get a wife. Get a friend.  Join a chat room.  Do something else
with your spare time. Save this list for piano topics..  IMHO... That's
what I'm going to do now. Darn another opinion posting....   

Robert Goodale wrote:
> 
> > 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