A picture is worth a thousand words, or in the Gonzalez case, two pictures said it all. The first, showing the happiness in Elian’s face as he hugs his father, justifies the other rescuing him — no matter how much spin people put on it. Frank D. Slason Somerville

Can you imagine the terror and uncertainty Elian felt? Whether it’s right or wrong for him to stay in this country, nobody can truly say; but handle it in a different way and let the child himself decide who he wants to be with. Carl N. Ripley Stetson

When the attorney general approved of Saturday’s raid, she played into Castro’s hands. Kidnapping may be the norm in Cuba, but not in America. When Elian becomes an adult, and regardless of where he ends up, he will know the death of his mother and her dream of a better life for him were in vain. He will be another young man with an attitude, a young man who will “get even” any way he can, with words, a gun, or a country that follows his beliefs. Unfortunately, his rage will be directed at all of America. Rolla Stenger Nancy Stenger Gouldsboro

We have a Punch and Judy show with a behind-the-scenes Bill and Hillary manipulating the strings, while playing allegiance to Castro; all in the name of legacy fever and the hope that Castro will be generous in his demands for normalizing Cuba-U.S. relations. Now we learn from Havana TV that when Elian returns to Cuba, it will not be to the loving arms of his father, but to a live-in, re-education school with a psychiatrist and other comrades. He will be re-indoctrinated just like the South Vietnamese cadre after the fall of Saigon. Peter G. Higgins Dover-Foxcroft

There must have been a better way to handle this, but now we will never know. Please America, don’t rush to judgment. There were both laws and trusts that were broken in this drama. Let us learn from it and go on to live our lives in the greatest country in the world. Teresa Tompkins Presque Isle