in heaven, for sure, but will not live in hell" he said with conviction. Ivan, a Cuban currently studying at the University of Chicago, argued that the typical American perception on life in Cuba is constructed through the eyes of the radical Cuban community in Miami. "I dont think they give an accurate picture of what happens on the island of Cuba," he said.Mr. Pertez then presented two enlightening what-if situations, presumably in attempt to demonstrate the existence of innate cultural differences between Cuba and America. First, "what if the situation wee reversed?" he asked the audience. If a child were being held in Cuba, would Americans accept him becoming a Cuban citizen? Second, "what if laws of sexual harassment were applied to Cubathen 11 million people would be arrested," he commented. These examples served to support his opinion that Americans should not impose their standards upon another country, and invariably another culture.Elizabeth Scott, a law professor at the University of Virginia, presented three issues relevant to the American family law prospective. Initially, she discussed the authority of the state. A strong tradition exists for the "hands off policy," she said. This dictates the state should not intervene unless circumstances warrant action, she said. This dictates that the state should not intervene unless circumstances warrant action, such as abuse or neglect. The Supreme Court has ruled that the right to rear children is a basic civil right. Ms. Scott noted that this tradition implies that Elians father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, has the right to decide where his son should live; however, the fact cannot be ignored that American law is being applied to a Cuban family.Professor Scott then addressed the second issue, the custody battle is between Elians biological parent and a non-parent, his great uncle. American law typically favors parents in custody disputes. Despite this fact, the final dec...
