Letters

MIXED MESSAGES

In the item "Birth Control, Self-Control" (NATION, Dec. 22), you reported that the National Academy of Sciences endorsed making contraceptives and abortion available to teenagers through the schools. The academy went on to say teens are not likely to heed advice to remain celibate. It is no wonder, when impressionable youngsters are exposed to advertising that sends not so subtle sexual messages. Before we turn the home economics room into an abortion clinic, I suggest that the media consider the long-range implications of the sexually saturated material that is bombarding teenagers daily.

Gale F. Guyer, Principal Deer Creek Junior High School University Park, Ill.

Iranscam (Cont'd.)

To the Editors: As a World War II veteran, I am outraged that many individuals, including President Reagan and Pat Buchanan, are calling Lieut. Colonel Oliver North a national hero (NATION, Dec. 22). Whether his actions during the Iran-contra scandal merit such acclaim cannot be determined, since he won't furnish an accounting of his ventures. If the facts were known, perhaps I would agree. The continued silence of North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter is not heroic. Many servicemen have given their lives for their country. Is it asking too much for North and Poindexter also to make a sacrifice and risk prosecution? They won't lose their lives in the process. Let them be real heroes!

John R. McBride

Las Vegas

Lieut. Colonel Oliver North is my brother. In your story you said, ''In a voice quavering with suppressed (or feigned) emotion, he took the Fifth Amendment . . .'' As a speech pathologist, I know that judging emotion from a voice is most difficult. Having watched and heard my brother during his testimony, I have no doubt that his emotion was genuine.

Patricia N. Balthazor

San Bernardino, Calif.

You mentioned a defense fund started by Oliver North's Naval Academy classmates. Your readers should be aware that there are Annapolis graduates who are not impressed with his performance and who would not contribute to such a fund. As long as we wear a uniform, we are responsible to the nation for our actions. There may be security reasons for not testifying in open session. There are no reasons for not testifying in closed session. Taking the Fifth Amendment to cover professional actions is against the traditions North learned at Annapolis.

Richard F. Brown U.S. Naval Academy Class of '69

Tampa

I am an American and a former French Foreign Legionnaire; I salute Lieut. Colonel North for his brains and courage. If the press had not blown all the secrets, the hostages would be home.

Yervand Markarian Glendale, Calif.

How could a Marine lieutenant colonel in good conscience help organize a deal that would benefit Iran, the very nation that was responsible for the death of hundreds of his fellow Marines?

Donald Wieta Merritt Island, Fla.

It intrigues me as a Canadian to watch the news media and both houses of Congress tear apart the U.S. Because Oliver North took the Fifth, he is being smeared by the news media and by Congress as almost a traitor. Has it ever occurred to anyone that the opposite may be true? I submit that North is taking the blame to protect not himself but his country. Try giving him the benefit of the doubt until we know better, and let's have some discretion from the news media.

T.P. Howard

Montreal

Apropos of the Irangate scandal, what's all the fuss about? Why do the pundits expect politics to be lily white? When has politics in any country at any time been that way? Are the ethics of Americans so pure that they can criticize the politicians they put in power? It seems to me that the people expect from politicians a standard of ethics they themselves seldom achieve.

Stuart Haley

Greenwich, Australia

Your story has a photograph that shows the ''Stars and Stripes'' being stomped on by an Iranian child. That flag may be red, white and blue, but -- despite your caption -- six-pointed stars and 27 stripes do not a U.S. flag make.

JJ Cowles Las Vegas

Gonzo Journalism

Of course some lazy journalists won't like Geraldo Rivera's show American Vice: The Doping of a Nation (PRESS, Dec. 22). But bravo for Geraldo! His live telecast of drug busts gave us a look at the real world, not the slick, Madison Avenue version of it served up by a senior anchorman sitting in air-conditioned comfort. Rivera investigated the drug mess in the only logical way -- by going out and seeing it. Funny that in wartime the frontline journalist is a courageous, noble hero. In covering the drug war, however, Rivera is depicted by TIME as a gonzo reporter. If you don't like the real world, don't blame the fearless messenger.

John Bartosz West Hartford, Conn.

Your criticism of Geraldo Rivera's recent program was unwarranted. The show only depicted the reality of the drug war in this country. I agree that caution must be used in any police operation, but at the same time the officers you saw on the screen would not have jeopardized their safety just to be on camera. We need more of this kind of gutsy coverage. Then maybe all of us will be more clearly aware of the drug problem. I've been in law enforcement for almost 13 years. My hat is off to Mr. Rivera for a job well done.

Karl S. Gilje Chief of Police Warden, Wash.

Dr. J Is O.K.

Tom Callahan's splendid article on Julius (''Dr. J'') Erving (SPORT, Dec. 22) reminded me how fortunate my fellow Long Islanders and I were to have witnessed this dynamic yet graceful basketball player when he was a member of the New York Nets. Too bad Erving was traded to Philadelphia when the Nets moved to New Jersey. We lost two treasures in the same year.

James A. McNamara New Rochelle, N.Y.

With all the sports articles highlighting death, drugs and corruption, it is encouraging that there are still players with real talent and humility. Dr. J is a man to look up to and one of the few professional sports figures with real class.

Mary Kazmierezak Newtown Square, Pa.

Fairy-Tale Toys

As a parent and an educator, I was surprised at the ''plus ca change . . .'' impression given by your piece on children's toys (LIVING, Dec. 22). Are you assuming that Rambo occupies the same role as Daniel Boone or Superman in children's fantasies and contributes in the same way to their moral and social development? If the historical trend toward more explicitly violent heroes is so benign, why have we seen such a dramatic increase in real violence in our society over the past several decades?

Terrence C. Mason Department of Early Childhood Education University of Georgia Athens, Ga.

Soldiers, guns, tanks and planes -- as a boy I had them all. While my friends were out playing football, I found what troops I could (many imaginary) and jaunted into the nearby woods on search-and-destroy missions. Now, after eleven years as a clergyman, I can say I learned quite a few good lessons from those military adventures, one of which is expressed in the words of the Apostle Paul: ''Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ . . . that you may please Him who hath called you to be a soldier.''

(The Rev.) Paul K. Steffens Syosset, N.Y.

I find it ludicrous to claim that there is something unethical about toy companies creating animated programs in order to sell their toys. For years television shows have licensed toy companies to re-create their characters and objects for children to play with. If a company designs a concept for a toy, as well as a story line to go with it, it is just a natural extension of the licensing concept.

Michael A. Mayer

Wallingford, Pa.

I disagree with the experts who claim that children have ''little room for improvisation'' when playing with toys based on TV shows. My sons, ages 9, 6 and 3, are fans of G.I. Joe, Transformers and Voltron and own some of the toys. They spend hours creating their own versions of stories, using wooden blocks, paper sacks, bedroom furniture and whatever else is not tied down. Certainly children's TV could be improved, but some adults overestimate its negative influence. Liane T. Fenimore Bexley, Ohio