Shah's Refuge

To the Editors:

High as the price may be, the nation's honor requires that we now repay the Shah's [Dec. 10] long and faithful friendship with a permanent refuge in this country. No pious hypocrisy can wash away this obligation.

Jose Sanchez Indianapolis

I will readily confess that the Shah of Iran was far from a saint, but the people of Iran, by ousting the Shah and welcoming Khomeini, have chosen to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. And now they want to accuse the U.S. of lighting the stove.

Sigmund Oscopy Marquette, Mich.

If the U.S. had taken a vote on whether to admit the Shah, it would have been 220 million against it, and against Carter, Kissinger and other assorted idiots for permitting it.

Paul D. Steponaitis Greeley, Colo.

Were the Shah guilty of all the crimes Khomeini accuses him of, Khomeini wouldn't be alive today to make the accusations.

Micheal Ivanchak Jr. Schwetzingen, West Germany

It has always struck me as incredible that anyone could expect others to suffer and possibly die for him without doing what he could to prevent it, even if it meant exchanging places with them. Former Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi is a case in point.

Lawrence E. Brown Hayward, Calif.

The former Iranian leader left Iran in the face of protest that was threatening a government of which he was in control. If he had stayed and fought, an inevitable civil war would have ensued, leaving great human and material destruction. The Shah's departure saved more than his own neck.

John Gumming Langley, B.C.

Before admitting the Shah to the U.S., President Carter should have asked the question "What is best for my country?" not "What is good for the Shah?"

Welton Bummler Albuquerque

For 30 years Iranians have watched with growing frustration and anger the continued support of the U.S. for the ex-Shah, allowing him to carry out a policy of repression and corruption.

Is it then blackmail that, at last, Iranians have decided to liberate themselves from the shackles of imperialism and hunt down the traitors?

Mahyar Emami Tehran

Kennedy on the Shah

What an ill-advised moment for Senator Kennedy to raise questions about the Shah [Dec. 17]! He just added fodder and fuel to Khomeini's fury and fires.

Kenneth Lagerstedt Buzzards Bay, Mass.

I liked Kennedy better when he was incoherent. Very poor taste.

Pete Petterson Dorena, Ore.

I'm proud of Senator Kennedy for having the guts to denounce the Shah as a tyrant. He has again proved to me that we do have one great leader in the U.S.

David Marks Summit, N.J.

Aiding Nature

Dr. Frank Gerow's remark that it is better for women not to be familiar with penile implants [Dec. 10] is a surprising one. Penile implants are not for self-indulgence, but to aid the male in attaining an erection for intercourse. The other 50% of the intercourse equation is the partner, who must be included if optimum treatment is to be achieved.

Domeena C. Renshaw, M.D., Director Loyola Sexual Dysfunction Clinic Maywood, Ill.

How does a male with equipment akin to parts in a car junkyard and intent on lovemaking conceal such surgery?

Alice Deus Hammond, Ind.

Aiding nature? I hardly think so. Nature had decided that some men at some time should not engage in sexual intercourse, and the artificial introduction of these devices is a deliberate violation of that decision. This issue is merely reflective of a greater problem facing technological man: At what point do our scientific advancements cease aiding nature and begin thwarting it?

Edward N. Peters St. Louis

We rustics on Maui are doing it better. Our device is fitted with a minicomputer; a dial on one's wrist indicates Off, Mild, Medium or Wow! Muzak accompanies our gadget.

Zalman Werblow Kihei, Hawaii

Beeping Toys

Those beeping, thinking toys [Dec. 10]1 How long will it be until the toys are playing with the people?

Van Young New Canaan, Conn.

My integrated circuit nearly malfunctioned over the review of my worth as an electronic toy. My play value is for children and comes not from using my arms and legs "like a true robot," but from the science-fiction fantasy inspired by my electronic audio and visual effects.

Rom, the Space Knight Parker Bros. Beverly, Mass.

The brain of "those beeping, thinking toys" is not just a memory chip. It doesn't just store data, it manipulates them. This chip is correctly called a microprocessor.

Robert Tower Rolla, Mo.

Good Neighborliness?

In your report on South Africa, Prime Minister Botha [Dec. 3] defines apartheid as "good neighborliness," whatever that means. His comments on South Africa's blatantly racist policies sound as petty and fatuous as they really are. That bit that said that acts such as the immorality act had "existed all these years to protect colored and black women from being exploited by ruthless white men" generated cynical laughter.

Clive Antioch Veldhoven, The Netherlands

Botha has a particularly difficult tune of it, since he must somehow obscure the ugly face of racist discrimination. But to translate apartheid as "good neighborliness" is the height of cynicism. One might as well refer to murder as "giving someone a well-deserved rest."

Mike Turner Jr. Austin

No Cholesterol at All

In your article "Flower Power on the Plains" [Nov. 26], you claim that sunflower oil contains less cholesterol than oils made from corn or soybeans. The truth is, there's no cholesterol in any of these oils, naturally. Cholesterol occurs only in foods of animal origin.

Sharon Kennedy East Lansing, Mich.

Man of the Year?

I would like to suggest Bruce Murray, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for Man of the Year.

It is through the work of the J.P.L. that we are now just beginning truly to explore our solar system, and through this exploration we will come to understand the uniqueness of our own earth.

Rosalind Nester Ellis New York City

A lot of people may think I am joking, but I am totally serious with my choice. He is Claude Ryan, the Liberal leader in the province of Quebec. Ryan has had to face the pressure of separatism, which threatened to break up one of the most politically stable countries in the world. If Canada stays together, it can thank Claude Ryan.

Howard Berglas Montreal

Anwar Sadat for sure: a man who has the courage to stand up for human decency and most of all loves his people deeply. He is a true Muslim and Arab.

Immo H. Christoph New Boston, N.H.

This season's winners are Actress Diane Lane and Tenor Luciano Pavarotti. In a year of conflict abroad, these two artists have provided us with peaceful diversions. We have been engulfed by their beauty, inspired by their energy and enriched by their expression.

David M. Sisk Austin

Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark is a dedicated, hardworking, low-profile, ever vigilant champion of human rights whenever and wherever they are threatened.

T. Patrick Duggan New York City

TIME Man of the Year should be Senator Henry Jackson. In these chaotic times he stands always as the last and final insurmountable obstacle preventing a takeover of the asylum by the inmates. Dave Sea brook

Inuvik, Canada

I nominate Frank Perdue. He has given dignity back to the chicken.

Maggie Giglio Old Forge, Pa.

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