Letters

Mafia Showdown

To the Editors: Americans must destroy the power of crime families [NATION, Sept. 29]. U.S. Attorneys Rudolph Giuliani and Diane Giacalone deserve to be praised for their outstanding work in prosecuting Mafia Boss John Gotti. He and the other bosses are the scum of the earth. Phillip Bryant Snow Fort Lauderdale

Your report was one of the most enlightening articles on law enforcement I have read. Giuliani and his department should be awarded the Medal of Honor for courage in the line of duty; in fact, above and beyond the call of duty. John P. Donoski Bridgeport, Conn.

Beneath the hype and ambition of the prosecutors in the trials of the Mafia families lies the real issue of human frailty. The decimation of these organizations will not thwart the demand for their services. In time, others, perhaps more ruthless and less insular, will fill the vacuum. Paul Riley New York City Parisian Terror

You refer to the latest terrorism in Paris in the past tense, as if the attacks were over [WORLD, Sept. 29]. Unfortunately, the paranoia of Parisians and the street patrols have not ended. Soldiers continue to stand on busy corners, and avenues are choked with cars and taxis carrying people afraid to ride the Metro. I wish I could have felt comfortable reading your story as an after-the-fact commentary. But the security checks and sirens remind us that it is not over yet. Carolyn Grose Paris

I truly feel sorry for the Parisians who are enduring this wave of bombings. But to some New Zealanders, this latest bout of terrorism is ironic. Was it not the French government that committed its own terrorist bombing against the Greenpeace ship in New Zealand last year? France strongly lobbied for the release of two of its terrorists, Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur, just as the Arab extremists are now campaigning for the release of their comrades. Chris Aimer Dunedin, New Zealand Aquino's Road Show

The victory of Corazon Aquino was a historic triumph. Her visit to the U.S. was yet another magical event [WORLD, Sept. 29]. The recognition accorded her is a warning to future politicians and a reproach to past leaders of different virtues. Jesus C. Bacala Scottsburg, Ind.

President Aquino's charm lies in her honesty. Until she came along, I was disillusioned with politicians. She has projected a new image of the profession. We Koreans thirst for a leader like Aquino. Chin-Hyun Kim Soon-Chon City, South Korea

Corazon Aquino may be our finest world leader today. John Hannahs Evanston, Wyo.

After the cheers and applause for President Aquino have died down, I hope Americans will not forget their pledge to support her government. She has challenged the U.S. to join us Filipinos in building a democracy. The U.S. should not refuse the offer. Cheryl V. Echevarria Quezon City, the Philippines View from Iran

Your article on Iran titled "Death to Just About Everything" [WORLD, Sept. 1] gave the wrong interpretation of events in my country. It is true that thousands of Iranians have sacrificed their lives in the Iraqi-imposed war. It is true that billions of dollars have been spent for defense. And yes, it is true that there are many death wishes chanted by the masses: Death to America, to Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Israel, the Soviet Union and all other oppressive regimes. Do you believe that detesting such evils is a negative quality? These death chants hardly include "just about everything," as you suggest.

Further, I do not know of any case in which the authorities promised a place on a waiting list for a TV in exchange for attending prayer sessions and demonstrations. Tens of thousands of Iranians willingly participate in these events. They need no enticements. Khadijah Alavi Tehran Ohio Visions

What made the discoverer of an image on a soybean-oil storage tank near Fostoria, Ohio [AMERICAN SCENE, Sept. 29], think it was Jesus? Or even a man? And what about the child? Jesus had no children. It could be Mary with the Christ child. To me the image resembles my neighbor down the street with his youngest daughter. Otto Ackerman Tempe, Ariz.

If there is a figure on the tank in Fostoria, how do these people know that it is Jesus? Maybe it is Moses or Muhammad or Yul Brynner. Larry A. Gardner, Professor of Religion Capital University Columbus

No one knows what Jesus looked like. Painters and sculptors have tended to give him idealized features. He may have had a big nose or a receding chin. Even when enhanced by an artist, the photograph of the image on a rusty soybean-oil storage tank in Ohio could be taken to represent a hooded hangman, a Ku Klux Klan member or even a Russian woman in a babushka. When things as ridiculous as this make news, we become a silly society. William David Perkins Ann Arbor, Mich.

In a world strangling itself with bureaucracy and overpopulation, rampant with crime, terrorism, drug addiction and nuclear weapons, people are searching for any sign of hope. No wonder so many people saw Christ in a bunch of rust spots and shadows. John D. Helm Sacramento

No better example could be found to prove that most people see and believe what they want to see and believe. Stan Laughridge Sitka, Alaska Embassy Work Force

Your article on the Daniloff-Zakharov negotiations [NATION, Sept. 22] discloses that 225 Soviet citizens work in the American embassy in Moscow. How many U.S. citizens are employed in the Soviet embassy in Washington? John Dranchek Liverpool, N.Y.

The Soviet Union 's Washington embassy does not employ any U.S. citizens. It is Soviet policy to supply its embassies throughout the world with Soviet personnel, from chauffeurs to garbage handlers. Rented Womb

The case of the surrogate mother who reneged on turning over her baby [NATION, Sept. 22] would usually touch a soft spot in this middle-aged mother's heart But all it does is ruffle my feathers. Apparently, Mary Beth Whitehead's original intention when she offered to have the baby was to help a childless couple. Then she betrayed them after the child's birth. If she had misgivings, she should have expressed them sometime during the nine months of pregnancy. Florence Y. Lewis Ann Arbor, Mich.

Your reference to Sarah, Abraham and Hagar is not parallel to surrogate parenting. That was a simple case of polygamy, which was allowed during the early period of Hebrew society. It would seem that the Judeo-Christian standard would recognize any lending of one's sexual features (womb, semen or egg) to another person who was not one's lawful spouse--whether for pleasure or money--as adultery. It matters not whether this act takes place in bed or in a laboratory. As to the legality of surrogate parenting, the law will keep floundering as long as it operates without a moral basis, and family life in our post-Christian society will continue to deteriorate. (The Rev.) Richard C. Tumilty St. Helena, Calif. Space Funerals

I have great admiration for the astronauts. So it is with much disappointment and foreboding that I learned that one of them, Deke Slayton, wants to use the vastness of the universe for his own gain by arranging burials in space [ECONOMY & BUSINESS, Sept. 29]. To have the ashes of dead people floating in the heavens, and to look at the stars and moon through their remains, does not seem right. A public outcry should stop this outrage before it happens. Pamela Sharp Albuquerque Television Trends

It does not matter what the current trend is in TV land [VIDEO, Sept. 29]: Mary Tyler Moore's last sitcom failed because it was populated with detestable characters mouthing dead jokes, not because it concerned a single woman. Valerie, on the other hand, succeeds because of the likable characters and lively dialogue, not because it deals with a nuclear family. To suggest otherwise, as you did, reinforces the belief that concept is more important than good scriptwriting, which just encourages mediocre producers to make more lousy shows. Joan M. Jacobson Lakewood, Colo.