1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas. It was much merrier and brighter, no doubt, than the Nigerians we bombed on Christmas Day. Or the Venezuelan families who are mourning the deaths of their loved ones we continue to kill in illegal boat strikes. Or the tens of thousands of immigrant families here in the U.S. traumatized by the kidnapping and disappearance of loved ones by the criminal gang known as ICE. As you celebrated the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, did you give any thought at all to the sufferings of Palestinians? Bethlehem is in Palestine, you know. Or when you hear of Joseph taking his family and fleeing from violence into Egypt, did you give a thought to the refugees and migrants our country is currently turning its back on? Does reading the Gospel of Matthew 25: 31-46 ever make you tremble for what we are doing to “the least of these” and thus to Christ himself? I’m assuming at least once during the holiday you’ve heard the beautiful Carol of the Bells. You know it’s a Ukrainian carol, right? Its Ukrainian name is Shchedryk. When you heard it, did you give a single thought to the people of Ukraine and their ongoing struggle to fight the Russian invasion of their homeland? Christmas is not, or should not be, a respite from the troubles of the world. It is a time to make stronger our connections to the poor, the suffering, the homeless, and the afflicted. It should also be a time when we vow to end our part in afflicting so many. Stop our crusade against immigrants. Stop bombing Nigeria and Venezuelan boats. Stop impounding tankers so we can steal other nations’ oil. Stop Israel from butchering Gazans and send actual aid and relief to those poor people. Give Ukraine all the aid we can and stand firmly against Russia. Beef up programs that aid the poor, the elderly, and the homeless in this country. Take a page from Isaiah’s book and declare a year of jubilee in which all existing student loan debt is canceled (then reform the whole program). You can do all of this and so much more in the spirit of Christmas and in the spirit of Christ, whom you claim to love and follow. Do it. Stand up for the downtrodden, the oppressed, and the suffering, rather than the rich, the cruel, and the tyrant. Try doing as Christ commands rather than what Trump, Stephen Miller, and Pete Hegseth demand. Be the Christian you’re always telling us you are.