A Question of Morality

When I started this blog back in 2010, I never thought I'd write a post like this, but it's too hard for me to be silent. I don't want to get into politics or debate, but I do want to share my observations on what is going on with Homeland Security in my state, Minnesota.

It had already been chaos in the state, and things hit a tipping point with the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. I've seen a lot if videos of the shooting (they're hard to watch), and the different angles of the videos tell different stories, but the best resource I've found is a multi-video analysis found on  CNN here. Watch the video and make your own conclusions, but however you look at it, I can't see how you can say that the shooting was justified.

Then, before any of the facts came in, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called Good, a, "domestic terrorist." You can read an article about that idea on the Brennan Center for Justice website.

And while the murder of Renee Good was tragic, it's far from the only problem associated with ICE in Minnesota.

People are scared. ICE has been arresting and detaining people based solely on their skin color or their accents. They often will stop people who appear to be Latino or Somali and ask to see their "papers." 

Again, I don't want to get into arguments or be political, but I wanted to make people aware of the real fear that residents of Minnesota are feeling right now. And as a Christian, I want to emphasize a few things. I'll start by sharing a Bible verse: "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt (Exodus 22:21)." If you want to read more versus on this topic, read this pdf from The Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

I also want to emphasize that I don't condone violence or profanity toward ICE agents. God loves ICE agents just as much as he does anyone else. Even throwing snowballs at ICE agents should not be done. However, peaceful protests are more than appropriate.

Despite what you see on the news, there are many peaceful protests happening. Singing, chanting, and marching — all without violence or aggression toward ICE agents. You can read about some of these protests at the Star Tribune article, "Singers, Musicians Come Together to Perform at ICE Sites."

That's it. I've written what I wanted to write, and I'll come back with more lighthearted posts soon.

Thanks for reading.