Cole favors what’s legal over what’s moral

Regarding the protest on July 29 in front of the Federal Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, I was there with about 200 other demonstrators to protest the deportation of Pascual Pedro to Guatemala and the detention of Noel Lopez. I noticed Althea Cole of The Gazette was also there, assiduously taking notes and photographs. I thanked her for being there.

Certainly it must be difficult for her to be in the presence of such a large, vocal group of people who disagree with her. Kudos to her for having the courage to be among us. Similarly, she is a strong presence at Pints and Politics where many in the audience also disagree with her, but she explains her positions clearly and well.

That aside, it’s puzzling she doesn’t seem to understand why people are genuinely upset about the deportation of Pascual Pedro. She says she is sad about it, but her sadness doesn’t translate into compassion. She may be right when approaching the issue from a legal angle, but she is very wrong from an ethical, religious, or even practical point of view.

Here is a 20-year-old young man who has graduated from high school, goes to church, obeys the law, pays taxes, and works for his grandfather in a siding business. And one day he is gone. A big void has been created in the community where he once lived.

In Pascual’s own words, “I haven’t done anything bad, and I just pray to God I can go back there.”

Charles R. Crawley

Cedar Rapids