(1)
The Secretary’s angry now
We still don’t get the gist.
Anyone who opposes her
Is a domestic terrorist.
There aren’t Amendments anymore
There’s only turn the screw.
She’s told her troops the Bill of Rights
Was yesterday, “Boo hoo!”
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex Jeff Pretti —
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex is dead, he —
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
(2)
In Minnesota, streets are caked
With soldiers’ ice and dust.
But don’t be caught with cameras there
You’re going to get concussed.
And after they have struck you down
They’ll count your holes for spite.
The Secretary claps her hands —
She’ll put them back to work that night.
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex Jeff Pretti —
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex is dead, he —
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
(3)
It doesn’t matter, black or white
If you help stand up for man
They’ll say you’re hardly Ghandi now
Or a Good Samaritan.
And, anyway, they pick their own
To appoint Martin de Porres.
The Secretary’s angry now —
This no-name’s rocked her corps!
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex Jeff Pretti —
Oh Pretti, Pretti
Oh Alex is dead, he —
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
Patrie des braves?
Patrie des braves!
The bombs burst air —
The bombs burst air!
Photo by Rick Stachura. 31st Street. Astoria, Queens. December 12, 2025.
Lyrics by Rick Stachura. “Oh Pretti (Homage to Peter Gabriel).” January 30, 2026.
Lyrics modeled on “Biko,” in memory of Bantu Stephen Biko (1946-1977), by Peter Gabriel, 1980.
(*) References:
(A) “Pretti” = Alex Jeffrey Pretti (1989-2026), a 37-year old citizen of the United States and Minnesota resident. He lived in Minneapolis and worked as an ICU nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
On January 24, 2026, Pretti was directing neighborhood traffic and filming the activities of ICE agents with his cell phone on Nicollet Avenue near West 26th Street. An agent pushed a woman to the ground and he rushed over to help her up. According to the Minnesota Reformer, his last words were, “Are you okay?” But at least six ICE agents tackled him, uncorked pepper spray, and wrestled him to the ground as well. Once there, Pretti was shot ten times by two agents who drew their guns. He died on the scene.
Afterwards, federal officials said Pretti approached ICE “brandishing a weapon” and called him “an assassin who tried to murder federal agents.” Headlines from sources like the New York Post even characterized him as a “Man Waving Gun at Feds.” However, multiple videos recorded that day proved the accusations wrong. He never drew a gun. He never tried to murder anyone.
(B) “The Secretary” = Kristi Noem, the 8th Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States (2025-Present), a Cabinet level position.
(C) “Troops,” “Soldiers,” and “Corps” = Agents who report to Noem, in either the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) divisions of Homeland Security.
(D) “Domestic terrorist” = In her press conference about Pretti that day, Noem claimed,
This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism.
(E) “Boo hoo” = The same day, the Associated Press reported that
After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and screamed profanities at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and telling them to go home. One officer responded mockingly as he walked away, telling them: “Boo hoo.” Agents elsewhere shoved a yelling protester into a car.
(F) “Patrie des braves” = French, for “home of the brave.” [Pa-tree de brav]. As in “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem.
In Peter Gabriel’s “Biko,” one of his lyrics is “Yihla moja, Yihla moja!” — or “Come sprit, Come spirt!” — a phrase culled from “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika,” the Republic of South Africa’s national anthem.
(G) “The bombs burst air” = As in “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air” from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem.
(H) “Count your holes” = After the incident, a 27-year old doctor who witnessed the shooting gave a sworn statement to the United States District Court of Minnesota. In in, she recalled:
As I approached, I saw that the victim [Pretti] was lying on this side and was surrounded by several ICE agents. I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot. Checking for pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds.
(I) “Hardly Ghandi” = On January 25, 2026, a day after the shooting, the New York Post published an op-ed entitled “Sorry, AOC [referencing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the United States Congresswoman from New York City] — Protest Culture is Un-American.” It was very critical of people like Alex Pretti who go about protesting government policies. In the piece, for example, the paper wrote:
Protesters are almost always insufferable and wrong. Every loudmouth ignoramus with an opinion has a First Amendment right. You’re not special….
Every bully, of course, sees themselves as the embodiment of MLK, Jr., though most of them lack dignity and a worthy cause….
You can be as passionate as you like here in these United States, but our laws governing the border and immigration, and ICE itself, were all democratically instituted.
You’re free to vote in the next election.
Failing to get your preferred legislation passed isn’t repression, and you’re not Ghandi….
Let’s face it…most unhinged activists you see ranting and raving act like children….
But nothing in a free country compels the rest of us to celebrate spoiled adults making a spectacle of themselves — or to treat them as anything but nuisances.