Expletives Explained

Sir / You denounced Nixon by contrasting his 1960 quotation commending the good language used by Eisenhower to Nixon's present language in the transcripts of the Watergate tapes [May 20]. Nixon made this statement 14 years ago; maybe he had no reason to swear then. Today if there is a reason to use foul language, Nixon certainly has it. Just as many people have changed their values concerning the presidency, I think Nixon has the right to change his values regarding the use of X-rated expletives.

JEANETTE WEBB

Fort Collins, Colo.

Sir / It looks like a "swearing-in" at the White House doesn't necessarily mean a new Cabinet member is being appointed.

JENNIE LARSON

Spokane, Wash.

Sir / It's not the profanity that is so disturbing. It's not even the lack of moral indignation. It's the total hypocrisy of the whole affair. This is the man whose platform was "law-and-order." This is the man who criticized the language of Harry Truman. This is the man who vetoed the child-care bill because it would take mothers away from home. This is the man who set himself up as the guardian of home and family, morality and apple pie. He's really no better than the rest of us.

NANCY ALPERT MOWER

Honolulu

Sir / You quote the Rev. Billy Graham as stating, "The Lord has got his tape recorder going from the time you're born until you die." Looking over my own sinful life, I surely hope that he will give me a break by having my tape, or edited transcription, punctuated by hundreds of 18 1/2-minute gaps. On second thought, I hope that he lengthens the gaps to 127 minutes. Some of my transgressions were lengthy.

DON OLIX

Fairport Harbor, Ohio

Sir / I feel that if they threw off the Judiciary Committee all the hypocrites and all those who have used bad language in their daily lives, they could hold their next impeachment hearing in a phone booth.

DICK GOSE

Wichita Falls, Texas

Sir / Impeach Nixon?

Let's wash out his mouth with soap.

DONALD A. WINDSOR

Norwich, N.Y.

The Plague of Terrorism

Sir / The time has long passed when the world can continue its apathy toward the terrorist actions of Arab groups against civilians [May 27]. The uproar after the Olympics quickly waned, along with that after the incidents of Lod Airport and Qiryat Shemona. The guerrillas have gone past killing civilian adults. Now they must show their extreme "bravery" by slaying innocent children. If the murderers of children are to be made heroes by a country, then we must treat that country like the plague, and shun it.

ARNIE HAIKEN

Short Hills, N.J.

Sir / Numerous American officials have expressed their outrage about the Arab terrorism at Ma'alot. But recently the U.S. voted with other U.N. members to censure Israel for defending itself against precisely such vile acts. That vote places the U.S., in my opinion, in a position supporting the Arabs' cowardly attacks on Israeli civilians. My shame as an American is exceeded only by my bitter anger as a Jew.

ELEANOR A. KOPLOVITZ

Harrisburg, Pa.

Sir / I was amazed to hear the American Government characterize the Ma'alot killings as "mindless and irrational."

It is the Israeli retaliatory strikes that were truly mindless since they will further erode sympathy for the Israeli position without contributing anything to the security of the state.

GREG THIELMANN

Princeton, N.J.

Sir / Why must the reader continue to see the Palestinian cause only through the eyes of Zionism?

The question is inevitably asked: Why such horrendous acts on the part of the Palestinians? The answer is best expressed by an Arab representative in New York who said, "The frustration of the Palestinian people." Who are the Palestinian people? Where are the Palestinian people? Why are they using such terroristic acts? Did anyone listen to their verbal pleas for the past twenty-six years?

KATE MILLIGAN

Yakima, Wash.

League of Voters?

Sir / Re your suggestion for the League of People Voters [May 20]: how about just plain old League of Voters? Very few non-people vote.

SALLY M. GALL

New York City

Sir / I have come up with a solution to the name-change problem caused by the inclusion of men in groups previously made up of women. Why not just send forth the word that by Woman we are speaking of generic Woman, which naturally includes men.

What? You say you don't like not having specific mention? It makes you feel left out? It gives you a feeling of non-person-hood? Well now, something ought to be done about that.

F. SARDELIS

St. Petersburg Beach, Fla.

Total Woman

Sir / Your article on Evangelical Minister Bill Gothard [May 20] did not go far enough. The greatest instruction he offers is how to heal broken human relationships. Grudges, resentments, hatreds, envy and jealousy disappear if one follows the steps he sets down. One "Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts" accomplishes more than a couple of years under psychiatric care.

I am an ex-schoolteacher and an ex-women's libber. Now I am a total woman, under the authority of my husband, and "my cup runneth over" with joy.

(MRS.) ROLLY DUNTEMAN

Elmhurst, Ill.

Sir / That Gothard cloaks his dictatorial pecking order within the covers of the Bible is an old trick. That he has gathered such a multitude of sheep brains is frightening. That he is trying to drag blood-won freedom back to the Dark Ages is despicable. His own arrogant presumption as to the nature of God makes the humility he teaches not applicable to himself.

IRENE GRENIER

Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

Sir / According to Gothard, I should, as a woman, thank God for a husband who beats me, a boss who discriminates against me, a Government that lies to me and soldiers who perpetrate a My Lai massacre. I can only thank my God for keeping me safe from Gothard's God.

JANET MCCAFFREY

Minneapolis

Sir / Praise the Lord for William Gothard seminars! His biblical advice works. Try it, you'll like it.

MARILYN MILLER

Racine. Wis.

No Visitors

Sir / In People [May 20] there are words attributed to me which are misleading. I object to the statement that I like "to receive visitors--particularly fellow writers" at my home in Pacific Palisades. Also, Lawrence Durrell did not just "drop in and lounge on my bed." He had planned this visit several months ahead, since he was living in Pasadena as a poet-in-residence at Caltech University. He got in the bed with me as a lark. I hope it's clear--I don't like receiving visitors, and especially not writers. Durrell is an old, dear friend, not just a writer.

HENRY MILLER

Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Violent Pursuit of Grades

Sir / Congratulations on your exposure of the cutthroat and cheating pre-meds [May 20]. Some of the dirty tricks include stealing lab notebooks, forging signatures and filibustering. Worse yet, the student views the professor determining his grade as the antagonist to be won over, bribed if persuasion fails, outsmarted if he cannot be bought, censured or beaten up if all else fails. Recently I learned that an instructor in another department was severely beaten by a student who received a quiz grade of zero.

It frightens one to realize that some of these vicious characters have good enough grades to be able to get into medical school and eventually will have some of our lives in their hands.

ELMER L. OFFENBACHER

Professor of Physics Temple University Philadelphia

Sir / It was just as true when I went to U.C.L.A. 40 years ago. Nothing new seems to have been added; in fact, it doesn't seem to have changed a bit. We learned it the hard way.

It seems they still do.

CHARLES J. READ

Davenport, Iowa

Sir / I have been a pre-med for four years at a small liberal arts college in California. At Claremont pre-meds openly help each other. Test files are open to colleagues and we readily answer friends' questions concerning labs or homework.

Grade pressure is there, but in no greater amount than for the numerous prelaw students here.

DAVID R. ROTH

Claremont, Calif.

Sir / God help the patients of those cheating medical students!

My husband, father-in-law, grandfather and aunt would all be appalled. They practice what is apparently the lost art of quality medicine.

(MRS.) CHRISTINE MEYER

Clarks Summit, Pa.

Garbage for Oil

Sir / The enormity of the world famine problem [May 13] staggers the mind. Even oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Iran are chronic food-shortage areas. It therefore seems timely to elaborate on The Garbage God [July 2], in which Dr. Geoffrey Stanford talks of using wastes to transform wastelands everywhere. The day will come, he confidently predicts, when London will fly its garbage to Saudi Arabia in trade for oil and gas.

ANNE LANCE RITTER

Nashville, Tenn.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.