I centered my last post around a comment from a friend who said I neglect my Christian values by supporting Trump Administration’s immigration policy: ethics-of-immigration-policy. Many others also believe Christians lack sincere values.
“White Evangelical Christianity is a cancer. These are the worst of our country,” says podcaster and TV personality Jennifer Welch. https://www.facebook.com/UpwardNews/videos/watch-as-prominent-left-wing-podcaster-jennifer-welch-calls-evangelical-christia/2856299974569615/
Why such ugliness? Ms. Welch also pegs these awful White Evangelical Christians as Trump supporters (“triple Trump-ers”, she calls them)–which likely shows the true reason for her complaint. I believe she, like the friend I addressed previously, are lashing out at Christians now because of events in Minnesota.
Still, this is no way to conduct a debate. We can hold differing opinions on contemporary issues without hating each other. We should respect opposing view and try persuasion, not label and condemn. Unfortunately, as Ms. Welch epitomizes, there is little appetite for civil debate today. How does one conduct a debate with someone who calls your religion cancer and says you are among the “worst people in our country”? Was it possible to debate race with the KKK or advocate for the Jews with the Nazis?
Change the label “white” to any other and Ms. Welch will never be heard from again. I marvel Leftists insist they defeated collective hatred but cannot recognize narrow-mindedness in themselves. Few on the Left will call her words ignorant, hateful, prejudiced, or bigoted. Instead, she is hailed for speaking out; she is brave; her condemnation is righteous and enlightened.
I am a Christian, although not Evangelical, but I doubt Ms. Welch meant to exclude me from condemnation. I wonder, why I, the decent people in my parish, and the broader Christian community are among the “worst of our country”? Ms. Welch continues:
“They say: you are a lesbian. You deserve to die.”
“Your parents are Mexican and they brought you here, you should go to jail.”
I have never heard any Christian, clergy or otherwise, hold such sentiments, privately or publicly. My church’s ideology is a stark contrast to Ms. Welch’s facile characterizations of Christian thought:
- The LGBTQ should be welcomed to church, but not by promoting their notions of sexuality. Father Mike Schmitz says: we walk with them on their journey. Fr. Mike Schmitz Tackles the Transgender Question In This Helpful Video | (churchpop.com).
- People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families, but also a country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration. https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/catholic-teaching-on-immigration-and-the-movement-of-peoples.
I hear these charges leveled at Christians only by media figures like Ms. Welch, along with a few neighbors and colleagues influenced by them. I have no fear of being exposed. I am accustomed to such ridiculous charges, but I am bothered by their continual repetition.
Ms. Welch is allowed to say these things–and I am sure she believes she speaks the hard uncomfortable truth, but I don’t take seriously vitriol as far from the truth as a blindfolded toddler’s attempt to pin the tail on the donkey. Her bio says she is an atheist. Criticism from folks of different beliefs who explain my religion to me is always interesting. She obviously thinks she represents “love they neighbor” better than Christians who struggle to uphold this commandment, even while nonchalantly condemning millions she does not know. Ms. Welch also neatly summarizes our Christian faith in this “insightful” clip that makes her and her comrades feel so much superior to us. I hope she got a lot of clicks.
Let’s further examine events in Minnesota to determine if Christians and Trump supporters are indeed creating all the problems.
I too view the deaths of two Minnesota residents as tragic. I also wish for an end to the chaos. However, there are starkly different views on how to bring stability and how to view actions of all involved.
The Latest Minnesota Shooting
Viewpoints should not come only in black and white; however, today we are expected to immediately form definitive views regarding any breaking news event, especially one like the shooting death of Alex Pretti. My honest answer is I do not know whether the shooting was justified or not. The video is inconclusive and raises many questions itself. Before being shot, Mr. Pretti interfered with the apprehension of a woman. Why? What authority does he have for that? Where is that covered in the First Amendment right to protest? Mr. Pretti assessed she was in trouble and needed his help. How did he make this judgment so quickly? Perhaps he was mistaken? Was he the right person to intervene if intervention was even needed? An investigation currently led by the FBI is underway. I will make informed decision later rather than provide a reflexive response now.
However, Hillary Clinton would rather not wait. Writing in the Atlantic: MAGA’s War on Empathy, she definitively states the shooting was not justified. Although Christian herself, she also criticizes other Christians for not following her notion of Christianity.
When I first saw the video of the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, I immediately thought of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Federal agents shot Pretti after he tried to help a woman they had thrown to the ground and pepper-sprayed. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves and help those in need. “Do this and you will live,” he says. Not in Donald Trump’s America.
The Good Samaritan is indeed a wonderful parable, but Mr. Pretti interfered with law enforcement; his action was not a fitting example of its application. Interfering with police or other law enforcement officials while doing their job seems an insane proposition.
Mrs. Clinton also criticizes administration officials who called Mr. Pretti “a domestic terrorist” immediately after the shooting. She is correct on just this one point. Again, wait for the investigation to be completed. The rest she says I cannot agree with.
One can be both a patriot and a Christian. Mrs. Clinton herself claims to be both, but, she says MAGA values have replaced Christian values:
“That compassion is weak and cruelty is strong has become an article of MAGA faith. Trump and his allies believe that the more inhumane the treatment, the more likely it is to spread fear.”
MAGA values do not supplant Christian values for true believers. I do not believe in inhumane treatment to spread fear, nor do I believe this is President Trump’s goal. Mr. Pretti’s death was certainly not planned, so how can it be evidence of the president’s sinister plan?
Op-ed objections of the president’s policy are fine. Peaceful street protests are fine as well. However, Mrs. Clinton does more than criticize policy; she questions President Trump’s motivation–which, I think, she gets wrong–and she doesn’t provide evidence for her insinuations. Mrs. Clinton’s impassioned pleas do not convince me the president is calling on deadly force to quell protest or using any other such tactics.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs’, Tricia McLaughlin (minute 21) better explains the administration’s motivation:
We are targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens . . . Our top priority is gang members, murderers, rapists, child pedophiles. I see the reports every single day . . . What we have seen is just flabbergasting as far as the number of criminals allowed to walk around with impunity in this country. There have been over one-thousand known or suspected terrorists that we’ve arrested in the last year, 3,500 members of Tren de Aragua that we’ve arrested, and there’s plenty more who are out there, and that’s why we have been flooding the zone to get these individuals out of our country.
Does the debate come down to who you believe?
Mrs. Clinton presses on, challenging the motivation of all who in some way have supported President Trump’s immigration policy. She says Christians are not following their principles:
“You’d think good Christians would see the irony of throwing their lot in with a wannabe Roman emperor, but the whole point of a cult of personality is to leave you blind and afraid”
Excuse me. I do not applaud the death of Mr. Pretti or Ms. Good. I am not trapped in a “cult of personality”. I am not wandering “blind and afraid”. This is the kind of nonsensical debate folks like Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Welch engage in. This poorly defined and unsubstantiated thought won’t persuade anyone.
I don’t know what kind of Christian Mrs. Clinton is; however, I know what kind of politician she is. I suspect her argument is more about politics than faith, especially because she thought very differently not long ago, a time when it was more popular to take the other side:
clinton-2008-stance-on-illegal-immigration
“If they committed a crime, deport them. No questions asked. They’re gone.” Hillary Clinton, 2008.
Elevating Protestors
Alex Pretti’s death may indeed have been problematic. However, the Left is now attempting to make him and Rene Good martyrs. Are they truly heroes?
MS NOW changed Mr. Pretti’s appearance when portraying him. The image on the left is the true one. On the right, he has been made more tan, less bald, more muscular, etc. Why make such changes if not to elevate him as a martyr?
Bruce Springsteen wrote a song to honor Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good:
Trumps’ federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead
Their claim was self-defense, sir
Just don’t believe your eyes.
On The View, Anna Navarro praised Mr. Pretti, someone she hadn’t known of until his death a few days earlier:
They killed the wrong guy, because this is like the perfect guy,” she said. “Alex Pretti is the guy you’d want to date your daughter, the guy you want your son to grow up to be, a decent human being who was serving humanity, serving sick veterans.”
I don’t know Mr. Pretti’s character, but we learned after this glowing assessment from Ms. Navarro that he had confronted ICE the week before his death: spitting at officers and smashing the tail light of their vehicle. That’s not the kind of behavior that would recommend he date my daughter.
This incident, demonstrated he was pre-disposed to such confrontations. During the fatal shooting, Mr. Pretti was subdued by Border Patrol agents, apparently in an attempt to arrest him. He was disarmed by one officer. He had the right to carry a firearm, but if I were going to interfere with law enforcement operations, I might think twice about being armed. Ms. Good too was interfering with ICE operations before her tragic death, blocking their path with her car. Why? What gives her the right? Officials attempted to remove her from her vehicle, apparently to arrest her. She refused to get out of the car, apparently resisting arrest.
These actions alone are not cause for either shooting. Perhaps, these situations could have been de-escalated. I don’t know. I wasn’t there. That’s why an investigation is needed. However, both Pretti and Good acted inappropriately and took unnecessary risks. Unfortunately, Clinton, Springsteen, and countless other protestors are not patient enough to wait for investigation results. They know the whole truth already.
By the way, Mr. Springsteen’s lyrics say: “Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law. Or so they say”. He also sees Pretti as a good Samaritan. This is a sticking point of the debate and why the two sides cannot agree. Folks like me, along with Hillary Clinton circa 2008, believe the story is about law enforcement, but protestors don’t.
Out-of-Control Protests
A St. Paul church service was interrupted by ICE protestors in mid-January; protestors believed the pastor was associated with ICE. https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-shows-anti-ice-agitator-berating-christians-minnesota-church-service
Protestors First Amendment privileges end when infringing on First Amendment rights to worship freely.
Protests are fine, but these tactics are not.
Protests have moved to Minnesota Target stores. The First Amendment does allow for interrupting business operations.
“Target parking lots have been a meeting place for ICE agents,” one protester holding an “Abolish ICE” sign said at the retailer’s St. Paul location. “ICE agents are using the toilets at Target, so they’re facilitating this invasion.”
The complaints themselves seem ludicrous: do not allow ICE agents to use the restroom or the parking lot. Protestors issued more complaints:
Target is serving as a “staging ground” for ICE”
“They’re not at all participating in challenging this ethnic cleansing we’re seeing in this country.”
Another protester said she was calling on Target to stand with the community to “protect our tiny children from losing their parents.”
This is another sticking point. The facts do not support the claims. There is no ethnic cleansing. Children are not losing their parents. Whole families are deported together.
Were all protestor complaints valid, I would align with them myself.
Target store protests are expanding as if it were a constitutional right: https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/anti-ice-protesters-to-stage-sit-ins-at-9-twin-cities-target-stores
Citizens have also setup roadblocks in search of ICE agents. This extends far beyond protesting policy.
Who do they think they are?
ICE officers are also being attacked directly. Legitimate protests do not include assaults on other individuals. In the last year:
- car attacks on ICE officers rose 3,200%
- assaults on ICE officers increased 1,347%
- death threats on ICE officers surged 8,000%
A hotel where ICE officers were suspected of staying was vandalized.
They shoved and hurled objects at a Minneapolis Police Department officer and others just inside the hotel’s lobby and attempted to push their way in — forcing those inside to use two large vending machines to physically block the rowdy demonstrators.
The protesters also banged on trash cans, slammed snow shovels, blew whistles, stomped, yelled and shone strobe lights on the hotel’s facade in an attempt to disturb the federal officers who they believed were sleeping inside.
Several turned to vandalism, smashing the windows of the hotel and scrawling “ICE OUT,” “F–K ICE” and “ICE KILLS” across its facade. Debris and trash littered the hotel’s lobby following the madness.
These protestors are freedom fighters saving us from tyranny?
the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a statement on X
“While they collaboratively worked to encircle the group for arrests because the demonstration was not peaceful, federal agents arrived without communication and deployed chemical irritants, clearing the group. The State Patrol and DNR are no longer on the scene.”
One federal agent who was guarding the hotel entrance appeared to be bleeding from his nose or mouth. It wasn’t immediately clear how he became bloodied.
“Over the course of the night, individuals threw snow, ice, and rocks at officers, police vehicles, and other vehicles in the roadway,” police said.
Police say at around 9:45 p.m., the protest returned to the Canopy Hotel and some members of the group attempted to force their way into the hotel through an alleyway entrance.
About 30 minutes later, police declared an unlawful assembly and began issuing dispersal orders. At that point, police began to detain and cite individuals who were causing problems.
In total, police say at least 30 people were cited.
Slashing tires, doxing agents, shooting firecrackers, throwing frozen water bottles and rocks, refusing service at businesses, even breaking in and stealing firearms from law enforcement vehicles are happening as well. Are these actions of good Samaritans?
Even if I did not support Trump policy, I could not support the side with so many non-peaceful protests and questionable tactics.
This protestor nurse’s actions are alarming:
“Sabotage tactic, or at least scare tactic. All the medical providers, grab some syringes with needles on the end,” the nurse said on one clip spreading on social media.
“Have them full of saline or succinylcholine, you know, whatever. Whatever. That will probably be a deterrent. Be safe,” she added, referring to the fast-acting anesthetic that causes temporary paralysis.
Another protestor nurse, a hater of Trump and his policies, wished grave harm on his Press Secretary.
These folks are legion. Are they loving their neighbors? They seem quite dangerous actually.
Is this a protest or a revolution?
Who are the Vicitims?
I do not object if you consider Alex Pretti and Rene Good victims, but still, I ask: who were they and other protestors protecting–and is this an appropriate cause?
Thousands of Americans have died at the hands of illegal immigrants the last few years. We cannot avoid every tragic death in this country, but these could have been avoided had millions not entered willy-nilly without adequate vetting.
Quite simply: lives can be saved by deporting perpetrators. Is this inhumane policy?
To obtain a fuller picture of who has been harmed, please watch this nine-minute video; the last six minutes show many of the thousands of victims who died needlessly.
Megyn Kelly Pays Tribute to the VICTIMS of Illegal Immigrants in America
Yes, Mr. Springsteen this IS about law enforcement. Perhaps ICE tactics can be examined. Perhaps shootings in Minneapolis were problematic. Perhaps agents should be better trained. However:
- denying the problem Trump policy attempts to resolve even exists is unreasonable
- ascribing false motivations to the Trump Administration is blatantly wrong
- condemning Christians en masse is as bigoted as blanket condemnation of any other group.
- many protestor goals are laudable, but their many non-peaceful protests and questionable tactics are problematic.
The ultimate goal should be to protect American citizens. I think that is the Trump administration’s goal.
Finally, let’s end the egregious rhetoric. The number who have raised the spectre of Nazism the last few months is beyond belief.
Well, for me, first, the latest statistics that I’ve seen about ICE, the people that nationwide, nationwide, they have deported about two-thirds of the ones that have criminal — whether a record, or they were actually active in criminal behaviors, about two-thirds. So that’s what I think, America, the vast majority of America wants to deport those folks.
And now for me, I would never ever compare anybody to Nazis or the Gestapo or for those kinds of things. You know, Nazis are just — that’s just not appropriate. And that’s why I refuse to do that or refer to Republicans or parts of ICE. They’re not Nazis. Now, for me, that’s something as a Democrat I refuse to ever engage in. Senator John Fetterman, D-PA, January 27, 2026
Thank God there is one Democrat condemning the awful rhetoric which has led to and exacerbated this crisis.
Dave https://seek-the-truth.com/about/
https://seek-the-truth.com/category/faith/
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