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Show Letters to Editor to? Page 62-T- HERALD HE Provo, Utah, Thursda The Shah the West as its staunchest adherent. This is the politically stable, economically strong, militarily powerful country that counterbalanced Arab radicalism and increasingly dominated the entire region, the subject not so lone ago of strategic scenarios in which, rcting as an agent for the West or on its own, it used its might to take physical control of the entire Persian Gulf oil reservoir. This is the country whose ruler was regarded as the Mideast's shrewdest and surest, the potentate whom former Secretary of State Dean Rusk once singled out as the ruler in the world" after the president of the United States. Yet Iran does indeed have a crisis, a bloody, destructive one that has the shrewd shah trying every expedient in a powerholder's bag of tricks to reassert control and has his ed friends, particularly in con- Washington, increasingly cerned about his and his country's future. If the situation is unexpected, so is the nature of shah's opposition an unnatural alliance between students westernized, and ultraconservative religious leaders. The former object to the shah's authoritarianism, his disregard of legal niceties in pursuit of modernization and the corruption of the ruling elite surrounding him. The latter resist his modernization period, the transformation of Iran into a secular modern state in disregard of traditional left-leani- ng Moslem values. What they have in common is determination to overthrow the shah. k 16, 1978 r .,. at Bay The Mideast is certainly the place for crises these days, but Iran is not the place in the Mideast where a crisis was supposed to occur. This is the country that virtually invented the power politics of oil, the producer that pressed earliest and most persistently to maximize the region's return on its resources while at the same time piling up political capital in best-inform- November Sod? Laughable? Draw Your Own Conclusion J His likely immediate Editor Herald replacement, given the Enclosed is a copy of my letter of August 4. to the National Transportation Safety Board I have deleted the name of my client but the letter was addressed exactly in accordance with information given to me by telephone from the National Transportation Safety Board I have now written three letters over the period of a year and have received absolutely no iifornuliuii. The letter reply from the government was a form letter with no date on it, written public inX under a multiple quiries section" with an choice form indicating please return your request supply and the following information location, exact: date exact. The government filled in the words exact. My previous letters told them exactly where the accident was and their accident number. N5956G. was supplied by the board in my telephone call. I didn t make up the un- 1978 likelihood that the two factions could ever agree on a common program, would most probably be anarchy and quite possibly dissolution of the Iranian state. The shah brought much of his trouble upon himself. After a the shaky beginning to his reign Worid War II allies placed him on the throne in 1M1 after removing hs uncooperative father he both acquired ' ?;radually assertivencss, particularly after a 1950s attempt to overthrow him was squelched with the aid of the CIA. As oil wealth rolled in, he launched an ambitious program to make Iran both a modem and a ;reat power. Education was vast-- y expanded current annual expenditure is 4.3 billion and there are 150,000 students on the teeming and rebellvus campuses. Women were encouraged to come out from behind their veils and business expansion was pushed, at the expense of the traditional bazaar economy. But the shah pushed faster than most of his people were capable of moving into the modern world. He did it with a athe and social and titude, coupled economic modernization with political reliance on an ancient tool. His secret police, Savak, gave a new meaning to ruthles-snes- number It is my guess that I will receive another form letter from the Board approximately six months hence asking me if I can identify the name of the person who wrote me and the date of the government's letter. Of course, I will not De able to do either which should put an end to the correspondence By the time I receive the reply the question will be moot for I will have tried the law suit and we will have reached our own determination concerning fault The frustrating aspect of this exchange is that the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of creating programs and devising methods to eliminate airplane accidents such as the tragic occurrence in San Diego last month They will still be investigating that accident when airpianes are passe. Diit'ituii , Los Angeles Times. First, a footnote: Long after the joint appearance had been scheduled, Carter decided to hold a press conference of his own at the same time. Some suggested it was to draw attention away from the expert analysis of what had just transpired. Interestingly, John White, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, chose to listen to the reporters' discussion rather than Carter's. "The Republicans set the agenda tor the campaigns, then the Democrats dominated the dialogue." said the Post's Broder, probably this city's most respected political pundit. "The elections were like sausage the product is more savory than the process by which it was made." Broder continued: "The new Congress will probably be more amenable to tax cutting than the old one ... the left wing of the Democratic Party has certainly been reduced if not decimated And Ted Kennedy represents the loneliness of the long-distan- liberal." The reporters dwelled at length on the stunning defeat of five of the Senate's staunchest Democratic liberals: Dick Clark of Iowa, Wendell Anderson of Minnesota. Thomas Mclntyre of New Hampshire, Floyd Haskell of Colorado, and William Hathaway of Maine. They agreed that their defeat, coupled with other inroads bv conservative Senate winners, almost certainly will make it more difficult for President Carter to win Senate approval of a new strategic arms limitation agreement with the Soviet Union. Such a treaty is scheduled to soon reach Capitol Hill, and is already the target of much criticism there even before its details are known. of However, on the domestic front, defeat A T.Yi Syndicate Were my experience unique or singular the correspondence would be laughable, but it is the exception. The plight rather the rule of our economy is directly related to the incompetence of federal bureaucracy. My guess is the government has spent thousands of dollars investigating this accident. This department can't even locate its file. The results of that effort, therefore, are in vain both from the standpoint of time and money wasted and results obtained. t'n take-it-or-el- se The Diablo Canyon Hulk Respectfully, s. By MARTHA ANGLE and ROBERT WALTERS SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif (NEA) - The massive hulk stands on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a monument to the bad faith, arrogance and incompetence that have become the hallmarks of the controversy-ovethe future of nuclear In the face of riots and of his defiance spreading authority, the shah has turned to military government, of which Iran has had plentiful experience in the past. The strong arm may work, and the shah's promise to reform once order is restored, to eliminate corruption and cruelty and to heed the "revolutionary message" now being heard in the land, may put Iran back on the nationhood. track to But it is also possible that the shah, who has fancied himself something of an irresistible Mideast force in recent years, may have encountered, in the strange coupling of revolutionary students and conservative mullahs, an immovable object. 20th-centu- ry GOP a Big Winner; Liberalism the Loser - l In Washington Election Postscript By LEE RODERICK Herald Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON "The Republican Party is very much like a fungus. It may not seem alive, but you simply can't kill it." That, in the words of political columnist Robert Novak, is one of the big lessons from the recent elections. Two days after the voting, Novak and three other top political reporters got together at the National Press Club to discuss the meaning of the outcome. Their general conclusion the GOP was the big winner, followed, ironically, by President Carter. Liberalism was the big loser. Joining Novak in examining the entrails of the midterm elections were David Broder of the Washington Post, Jack Germond of the Washington Star, and Robert Shogan of the ov big spending Democrats is expected to help Carter achieve such goals as sharply reducing the federal budget deficit. "The move toward the center by both Democrats and Republicans is going to make it easier for Carter to run the kind of government he wants to run." said Germond. Broder added that the defeat of Democratic liberals will also enable Carter "to take"the party where he wants it to be." Shogun of the Los Angeles Times disagreed with his colleagues about the philosophical outcome of the elections. "I'm not persuaded that the great shift to the right happened. For every win on the right. I can piont to a conservative loss." He noted the loss by Republican Gov. Meldrin Thompson of New Hampshire, then conceded that "maybe he lost because he's a crank and not because he's a conservative." Of the many initiatives on ballots around the country, "most of the extreme measures didn't pass, while the moderate ones did," said Shogun. Noting the voter turnout was about 37 per cent slightly higher than the 36 per cent turnout in the 1974 midterm election Shogun said those who stayed away were making a "political statement." y "A lot of people see the system as a social disease." he added. "It s just not relevant to their lives." Opinion was also mixed on what the elections portend for the 1980 presidential race. Broder said the GOP gubernatorial wins in Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin "will make it tougher for Carter in 1980. These states were all crucial to his victory in power Officially, it is known as the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) generating station that houses two nuclear reactors, each capable of producing about 1.100 megawatts of electricity Unofficially. Diablo Canyon located almost exactly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco has become a symbol of everything that can go wrong in the increasingly acrimonious nationwide dispute over the role of atomic energy as a source of commercial power. Because the California coast is laced with subsurface fault lines, the utility company conducted extensive geologic and seismic surveys in 1965 and 1966 to search for underground rock formations that might someday produce an earthquake. No faults were found, but PG&E never conducted any offshore tests even though the plant is located directly on the coast. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) issued construction permits for the two generating units in April 1968 and December 1970. In January 1971, two geologists employed by the Shell Oil Co. to search for offshore petroleum deposits published the results of their work in a scientific journal. Among their findings: the ex - beneath the ocean floor less than five miles from the nuclear power station. Although an earthquake is highly unlikely, the possibility nevertheless exists that a major tremor could severely damage the Diablo Canyon istence of a fault line In plant. the "woist-case- " Novak agreed that winning the statehouse in Texas is a particularly juicy plum for Republicans as they plan for 1980. Germond, however, believes that the Texas Democratic machine is so entrenched that it will not significantly boost GOP chances of winning the presidency. If there was one consensus among the four analysts, it was that the Republican Party has shown significant new life. But they noted the GOP might still end up again with a runoff for the nomination in 1980. If that happens, the pundits seemed to agree, the Republicans will have shot themselves in tho font spain. Ford-Reaga- n unmatched safeguard the public against potential hazards. Yet more than 2'j years after the existence of the fault line was disclosed, federal officials were totally unaware of it. PG&E says it didn't learn of the new evidence until late but even then it conof the 1972. tinued construction plant for almost a year without making any modifications to provide additional protection against an earth- - It'i "au gourmet," the $3.75 hamburger steak will cause you to lay out about $6.25. a month re- the newfound fault line to the AEC all nuclear activities to The AEC was supposed to closely monitor and regulate - quested a federal operating license for both Diablo Cathe nyon generating units company finally mentioned additional That touched off a round of investigations, preparation of supplemental safety reports (eight have been issued to date, a record by any other nuclear power plant in the country) and extensive reconstruction that continues to this day. PG&E originally estimated that the generating station would cost $610 million. The current projection is $1.4 billion and the plant has become a grotesque example of worst-cas- e planning gone berserk. Senator Says Prayers in Schools Won't Harm Children By the Honorable Jesse Helms, United States Senator (R), vehement, and they have quoted certain "spokesmen" ,for organized church groups North Carolina as condemning any attempt to I am never offended when permit children to engage in someone disagrees with me on voluntary prayer in the clasan issue. But I confess a bit of sroom. Why should there be such surprise at the tone of some of the criticism of my efforts to hostility toward prayer in restore the right of voluntary schools9 I have never underprayer to children attending stood the Supreme Court decisions of 1962 and 1963. Who can the schools of our country. y Editors of a few specify even one child who has newspapers around the ever been harmed by prayer country have been especially in the classroom? I respect anybody's right to have a differing opinion, but I big-cit- Berry's World feel very strongly that America's priorities have been severly warped when so r many people lean over backwards to defend the rights" of pornographers, and then turn right around anc contend that the right oi voluntary prayer in schools should be denied our children. In any event, each morning when the Senate convenes, the Senate Chaplain, Dr. Elson, leads us in prayer. Even the Supreme Court opens its sessions with prayer. It is an obvious contradition that while Congress may ask God's guidance, the Supreme Court insists that little schoolchildren cannot. Every February, Congress assembles to listen to a readi-inof George Washington's Farewell Addeess. In his final counsel to the nation, mat Washington sounded this warning "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supp rts. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to "... And it was only a few years ago that said, 'Boss, let's dump this running shoe radials business and get into them. I steel-belte- If 1973 Jackson Howard after PG&E formally scenario, substantial amounts of radioactive material could be released into the atmosphere two-part- 1976." quake In August d g subvert these great pillars of human happiness." Those words are as true today as they were the day George Washington uttered 'American League) Educational Urges New Sales Tax Distribution Setup for State Editor Herald: I'd like to bring to the attention of Utah County residents and legislators some interesting information concerning sales taxa- tion in Utah. Virtually every community in Utah County, except Orem, would stand to gain through an equalization of sales tax distribution. Orem's loss would be just over $100,000. The fact is, many small communities throughout the state are struggling to provide services, while the residents of those towns spend money in larger commercial centers the sales tax revenue is then deposited in the coffers of the prosperous population hubs. Here are some statistics for Utah and Salt Lake Counties, made available by Pleasant View Mayor, Peary B. Barker, to various community leaders throughout the state. Sales Tax Paid At If Distributed By Point of Collection Population Provo $2,179,918 $1,855,791 Orem 1,569,696 1,691,730 Mapleton Alpine Springville Amer. Fork PI. Grove Sajem Salt Lake 16.138 109,090 68,097 409,960 424,781 287,529 61,605 6,597,291 1,064,652 Murray So. Salt Lake 358,600 I believe these figures should point out why 14,532 185,682 389,077 89,404 14.487 11,895,785 2,779,934 1,561,742 strong feelings are growing in the bedroom communities supporting some form of sales tax equalization. As a resident of Provo and the administrator of Mapleton City, I call upon the residents and legislators of our area to support a program which would more fairly distribute sales tax dollars to those bedroom communities where money to provide services is so sorely needed. Sincerely, Jonnie R Wilkinson Administrative Assistant Mapleton City, Utah Trooper's Death Reminder of a Debt of Gratitude Editor Herald: The violent death of Trooper Ray L Pierson emphasize: to all of us the tremendous danger to which law enforcement officers are exposed as they go about their daily service in our behalf. I would call on all residents of our community to commemorate Trooper Pierson and other officers who have lost their lives in our service by a simple expression of gratitude. Just say thanks to the next policeman you meet That's the least we can do for people who are willing to lay their lives on the line for our safety and security. Sincerely, Ted. L. Livingston. Director Human Resources Mountainland Association Of Governments Barbs 'Hi true, too many cooks spoil the broth but the chef at the local beanery needs no help. Before you gloat about having someone under the gun, reflect: you could turn out to be the fellow who Is in the middle. Whenever they have a tax break, how come all the big pieces land on those with the larger incomes? |
