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Monday, January 18, 2000 Editorial     THE GUARDIANCOLUMNIST    Elian embodies the American dream   Marianne Lorensen The guardiancolumnist KERNEL COLUMNIST   The United States of America in the 21st century - Land of the free, home of the brave. The Statue of Liberty beckons for the tired, the weak and the huddled masses of the world. Apparently, she is not beckoning for Elian Gonzalez. Six-year-old Cuban boys were not to be included among the chosen few allowed to strive for freedom and opportunity.   The refugees and patriots of 200 years ago live in infamy on the pages of our history books. Their bravery, spirit and fortitude are legendary. Citizens of this nation are taught from an early age to take great pride in those who came before us. If they had not been bold and blazed a trail for us, where would we be?   Maybe we would be living in an oppressive and war-torn country on the other side of the globe. Maybe we would be hunted and even killed because of the color of our skin or our religious beliefs. Maybe we would be adrift on an ocean somewhere. Weak, starving, grief-stricken - praying to find freedom at the end of the struggle. Maybe we would be Elian Gonzalez. Call me a bleeding heart, but I cannot reconcile sending a little boy back to a place that his own mother sacrificed her life to get him out of.   What we have here is a textbook case of the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law. Why do many illegal immigrants cross our borders every day, yet political agendas force us to make a federal case over a small child? Why do so many insist that Elian be returned to Cuba to please his father? What about what his mother wanted? What about what is best for Elian?   Put yourself in this boy's place for a moment. You live with your mother and father in Cuba. It is all you have ever known. Your mother decides that you deserve a better chance in life. She risks everything she has in order to give you what you need. She's your mother. That's what she does. Your father does not to come with you. Perhaps you will never see him again.   You set out on a dangerous voyage to America. Freedom awaits you if you can only touch land. But your mother and nine others drown. You are left alone, adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. It is Thanksgiving. Americans are celebrating their heritage, the sacrifices of the first settlers and the freedom they cherish. You are too young to understand or appreciate the irony.   Fast forward. You're in Florida. You have family there. Reporters follow your every move. Your father has said that he would like to come to Miami with a rifle to get you back. Your mother is dead. She wanted you to be here. No one asks what you want.   How does it feel? Aren't you glad you aren't Elian Gonzalez? Since you aren't, who says you have to care what happens to him? Certainly, it's easier to go on about your life and let other people - Janet Reno, Fidel Castro and Bill Clinton - determine the fate of this little boy. But now is not the time for easy. If we only did what was easy, we wouldn't be here in the first place.   We may not know Elian Gonzalez, but he is us. He is everyone who has ever pursued freedom. He is every mother's child. He is the hope of a future that so much has been sacrificed for. Others sacrificed so we could have our freedom, but that doesn't mean we have the right to ignore the plight of those who still seek theirs. What kind of hypocrites would we be if we did?   Kernel Columnist Marianne Lorensen is a family and consumer sciences education senior. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Kernel.   Current Headlines OnCampus/News

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