Subject: Re: A Eulogy for Alex Pretti
Pretti died in Defense of Illegal Aliens.

Yes, he did.

You toss that out as an insult. But it is a badge of honor, worn by only a few.

I believe you claim to be part of the Christian faith. I do as well. Yesterday (as I type on a Monday), one of the scripture readings in my church was from Matthew 25. It's the parable about the sheep and goats. Here it is for you:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
...
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Yes some verses were left out. They were left out to emphasize the point of the parable - that treating people with respect is doing the job Jesus calls us to do. When we give dignity to the poor and sick and imprisoned - the least among us - we are paying respect to God.

Isn't the "illegal alien" still a person? Still someone deserving of basic human dignity? Someone worthy of being treated fairly and with compassion? Isn't that illegal alien that stranger heading to prison Jesus is talking about here?

These aren't cattle being rounded up for shipping to a slaughterhouse. These are people. PEOPLE. They deserve to be treated with dignity even if the law calls for them to be deported. They can be deported with dignity and respect. We should not be putting people in fear for their lives.

Yet instilling fear in people is exactly what today's ICE and CBP is doing. They are making not only illegal aliens afraid, but legal citizens as well. That isn't what God calls us to do.

Pretti died protecting people from an oppressive government. He is the hero in this story. I have no idea if he practiced any particular faith, but he certainly embodied the ideal to which Jesus called his followers to strive towards in this parable.

--Peter