My good friend, Raoul, just died. He was a neighbor of mine who I slowly got to know over the years. He was an undocumented alien, and was boss of a crew that did road construction work that was so strenuous that the company that hired the crew was never able to employ any American citizen to do that kind of work. The company, of course 1099'd him and his crew so that they would not have to pay benefits. Nevertheless, he and his crew were hard workers, and they all had a dream that they would one day be American citizens. In his spare time Raoul raised parrots, and built custom bird houses for them. And, every weekend, he would barbecue, and he and his crew would celebrate the weekend, before another long work week began. When my wife and I were hospitalized not too long ago, he brought plates of barbecue to us as we were recovering at home, and would give the shirt off his back for anyone who asked. Nobody would have to ask, though, because Raoul was a devout Catholic, and lived his life according to "What would Jesus do". He could teach many who claim to be evangelical Christians a thing or a few dozen.
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One week ago, Raoul went to bed and never woke up. He died in his sleep of a heart attack. He was only 38 years old. His body was carried back to Mexico, where he was buried.
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I miss my good friend, Raoul, who wished for the American dream, but who received the American nightmare instead. My question is why did many here in Texas who profess to be evangelical Christians hate him so much? There is an answer to that question. Those who hated him are not true Christians. It’s all about political power to them. Nothing more, Hatred serves their political purposes. Never forget that Adolf Hitler also claimed to be Christian, and his spirit is alive and well inside today’s Republican Party.