By REP. RON PAUL

There are those who would have us believe the Elian Gonzales affair is all about the rule of law and a father’s right of custody. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Custody cases are properly handled in a family court, with contesting sides present. After hearing the case a judge rules with the loser having the right to appeal. When one sides refuses to show up in court this in itself tells us a lot about the circum stances and can’t be ignored.

If the father lived in California he would be expected to come to Florida and state his case. No one would expect the child to be placed on an airplane and delivered to someone at the other end without a hearing and decision by a judge.

As important as it is that parents have custody of their children, there are times when a distant single parent poses a danger to the child. Family courts exist to examine the circumstances of such controversial custody battles.

But the Elian Gonzales case is not about "custody" and "the rule of law" as Janet Reno professes. The rule of law, and the Constitution have been ignored and a police-state mentality dictated the actions by the Administration.

Family custody fights should be settled in local family courts, not by Justice Dept. storm troopers in the middle of the night. Common decency and morality would require knocking on the door, not breaking in with a battering ram.

This case is about much more than what Janet Reno claims. The administration is not driven to enforce the rule of law. And it’s not a concern for a father’s right to custody. Janet Reno’s expressed concern for Elian is no more believable than her love expressed for the children at Waco.

The administration and the media, except for Fox News Network, have a pas-sionate hatred for the Cuban-American community and a love affair with Fidel Castro. Liberals profess to champion the right of minority groups, except for Cuban-Americans who do not play the role of victim.

Cuban-Americans are conservative, mostly Republican, believe in the work ethic, are patriotic, family oriented, pro-life, and above all, despise Castro’s communism. These beliefs liberals find offensive and therefore the Cuban-American community must be discredited. The Elian Gonzales case provided an opportunity.

Imagine how the left would have responded if this case had involved a Haitian child? Would anyone have considered sending a Jewish child back to Nazi Germany? Would they have been chanted "Rule of Law" and "father’s rights" under those circumstances?

But the overriding issue is the police state mentality and this is not a problem that just started with Clinton, though he delights in using the illegal powers Congress has allowed the Executive Branch to usurp.

Many conservatives promoted legislation that federalizes much of our police powers, especially in their efforts to fight the War on Drugs.

Police powers granted to the executive branch over decades have been used to trample the rights of citizens at Ruby Ridge, Waco, and now Little Havana. Many episodes of ruthless tactics by the DEA, BATF, FBI, IRS and other agencies go unnoticed.

We must develop opposition to nationalizing police power. Most of the laws are well intended but when individuals like Janet Reno and Bill Clinton are in charge, the powers are abused. The founders never intended the federal government to send armed thugs into a private home to settle a custody case. An armed federal police state is what this case is all about. Law enforcement must once again be made a local responsibility.

Americans must answer the Janet Reno’s and the Bill Clinton’s infiltrating our government. Only with a firm belief in the principles of separation of powers and federalism mandated by the Constitution can we reverse the movement toward a police state and preserve the American Republic.