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Show Tuesday. January 8. 1980. THE HERALD. Provo, Utah—Page 17 Opinions: What the Herald thinks, what the columnists say and what our readers think Letters to the Daily Herald The Herald Comments Let's Clarify One Point Editor, Herald go on with the program with just I, as many others, feel that more than enough has been said concerning Sonia Johnson. However. | also believe the residents of this county should be aware of one more incident involving Mrs. Johnson in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was grossly misrepresented On Dec. 19, 1979, in Chicago, Il- Sonia Johnson, which was their perogative. Mrs. Camptell acknowledges this during herinterview, but voices concern over Donahue’s statementindicating the church's unwillingness to discuss the situation. Ms. Hays was then asked for her response to the allegation that Phil Donahue had misrepresented the church. Her reply was as follows: linois, on TVStation WGSN, Phil Donahuetaped a program produced by Darlene Hays, and featuring Sonia Johnson. After a few minutes of dialogue between Ms. Johnson and Mr. Donahue, the following statement was made by Mr Donahueto explain the absenceof a representative from the Mormon Church “If the Mormons could choose a spokesperson it would not be me. and unfortunately the Mormon Church has chosen not to send a representative to our program today. We made an honest effort to engage somebody from Salt Lake or anywhere who would come in and talk to us.”” I have no objections to Sonia Johnson’s views being broadcast nationally, but I do object to misrepresentation. On Dec. 23, 1979, in Detroit, Mich., on Radio Station WXYZ, Kevin Joyce (a talk show host) presented aninterview with Beverly Campbell (a member of the Oakton, Va. Stake, who had been designated by the churchto be its spokesperson on the Phil Donahue Show) and Darlene Hays (producer of that program). Here the real story surfaces. Darlene Hays did contact the church. She called Barbara Smith of the Relief Society and asked her to appear on the program with Sonia. Sister Smith's office informed Ms. Hays that Barbara Smith would not be able to come but that Beverly Campbell had been approved to represent the church. Ms. Johnson had been previously informed that there would be a representative of the church on the program with her and she agreed to this. However, she (Sonia) was not satisfied with the appointment of Mrs. Campbell and she refused to go ontheair with her. This information wasall obtained from the tape of the Kevin Joyce show of Dec. 23, as stated by Darlene Hays. The Phil Donahue Show chose to “My responseto that is that Mrs. Campbell is correct in that Phil did misinform our viewing avdience. I will say it wasn’t intentional. I told him whathappened justas I told you what happened but apparently he didn’t quite understand it and when he got ontheair he did, indeed. say that; and during the commercial break I did ask him to correctit, and he got so carried away with the program that he did not.”” At this time the Phil Donahue Showis considering putting together another program in which the church's point of view will be presented. According to Darlene Hays they will also consider issuing a press release correcting Donahue's statement. We now havethe opportunity to write to them and encourage them to do just that. This particular Donahuewill be broadcast in Utah on Jan. 16, 1980 on Channel 4 (KTVX) at 9:30 a.m. Wealso have the option of writing to the sponsors of the Jan. 16 broadcast andletting them know our feeings. I am not attempting to judge the contents of this particular Donahue program or the views of Sonia Johnson. My only concern is the misinformation given about the church. I feel we all have a moral obligation to stand up for the truth and this is an excellent opportunity to do that by taking a few minutesto write to Donahue and request that he rectifies his mistake. The address is: Darlene Hays c/o The Phil Donahue Show WGSN 2501 Bradley Pl. Chicago,Ill. 60618 Ido havethe tapesof both of these interviews if anyone would be interested in hearing them in full. Also Beverly Campbell will be appearing on Channel 20’s CONTACT. On Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. for those who would like to kncw more. Bonnie Bird 581 E. 500 N. Payson No PaperIs Infallible Editor, Herald: Charles M. Larson of Orem made one good pointin his Jan. letter to the editor. Thepointis that no one in Utah Valley has probably ever met Sonia Johnson and yet manyof us arejudgingfor or against her. None of us has ever met JimmyCarter, or the Shahof Iran or Ted Bundyor the Ayatoilah Khomeini, either. ‘What w2 know aboutthese people is based solely on what we read in the newspaper, magazines or see presented on television. Since our perceptions come through these second-hand sources, we must realize what a grave responsibility our news mediahasin getting to us the undistorted facts. Violence in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., has been sparked by false reports concerning the U.S.in those areas. The peoplein these countries believe the propaganda being fed to them because they are given only one side. Many Americans also are reacting violently to what they have read in the newspaper or seen on TV. ultimately, we are responsible for the judgments we make.So it behooveseachof us to keep an open mind and becbmeas informed as possible on current issues. As for theletters to the editor concerning Sonia Johnson,there are obvious prejudices being displayed on both sides. I, for one, am grateful wehavea local newspaperwilling to print letters from all views. Mr. Larson wasgiven spacefor his viewpoint, and others with opposing views have also expressed themselves. More power to them! Since noneof us knows Mrs. Johnson personally, we can only go on what she has madepublic and whatothers havesaid abouther. She has certainly actively attempted to sway people to her own wayof thinking. Mr. Larson should remember that one man’s fool is another man's hero. Let's continue to express ourselves publicly. But remember that no newspaper(or person, for that matter) is completely infallible. Kathy Sa Payson About Letters: The Daily Herald welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of broad readerinterest. Letters preferably should be type-written, doublespaced and not exceed 400 words (about two typed, double-spaced pages). Without exception, every letter mustbe signed in ink with the writer's full name, home address and phone number (Phone numbers won't be published.) Names can be withheld for good reason but only after personal consultation with the editor. The editor reserves the right to edit any letter to removepotentially libelous Atk material, material in poor taste and to makeletters conform to the length requirements. Length requirements can be waived in unusualcases where excess material provides exceptionally pertinentinformation or insights on a matter of broad community interest. As nearly as possible, all letters which meet the above requirementswill be published in the order they are recieved, although handwritten letters may be delayed for typing, and letters containing questionable statements may be held back to be verified. p Look in Our Home Fields aS automotive fuels is considerable. The United States could learn much from Brazil. This South American country also has little domestic petroleum production, thus makingit dependent on foreign oil. The country also had Sugar cane for a main agricultural product at a time when tie world sugar market was dying. So it began taking the cane which normally would have gone to a sugar refinery and began converting it to alcohol. The pulp left over from the process was used The potential for gas- to fuel the conversion plant ohol, which is gasoline boiler. Currently, Brazilian mixed with 10 to 20 percent alcohol, and pure alcohol motorists have only two The plan announced by Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher to produce 50v million gallons of ‘‘gasohol’’ in the next yearfrom grain previously destined for the Soviet Union is welcome but typically too late and too little. But the effect of the Afghanistan crisis both on the disposition of U.S. grain production and on the world energy picture should makeus rethink our energy programs and work harder at energy selfsufficiency through homegrown fuels. choices at the country’s filling stations — gasohol or pure alcohol. By the end of the new decade, Brazilian officials Predict, Brazilian motorists will be operating almost exclusively on alcohol. To be sure, the U.S. has no predominant, singlecrop counterpart of sugar cane from which to extract alcohol, nor would the technology for extractingit from grain or a variety of cropsbe asefficient as the Brazilian system. But one point shouldn’t ~ be lost on our Congress and federal energyofficials. When Brazil had a problem, it quickly examined a series of options for solving it, chose the best option and ran withit. Now Brazil is well on its wayto being ableto tell the Arab oil sheiks to take a well-deserved long walk off a shortpier. In fairness, it should be pointed out that Brazil is under a totalitarian government which leaves such critical choices up to the government with little debate, but it also is hard to argue with the success Brazil has enjoyed in achieving energy independence. sn’t it time the world’s greatest representative democracy displayed a similar (or let us hope superior) ability to attack its own problems? Herald in Washington » me 5 NowIs Time for Hearings By LEE RODERICK Herald Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Over a month ago, as Rep. George Hansen and I pondered going to Iran, the chief of the Iranian Embassy here, Ali A. Agah, encouraged the trip. ‘I welcomeany dialogue,”’ he told us. “I don’t believe in closed doors.” Three days later our visas had been approved and we were on a flight to Tehran. Withint a week we had met with leaders of the ruling Revolutionary Council and toasted Thanksgiving Day with the three Americansheld captive at the Foreign Ministry. Hansen also met with militant students at the U.S. Embassy and visited many of their hostages. Tran’s doors had indeed been opened to us, But today those doors are shutting tighter than ever — despite the Christmas visit of Fanatical students, who say they would welcome martyrdom, are frustrated at being left with a hand- Novemberto send liberal activist RamseyClark there. More recently, U.N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim has gone to Iran. Butit is unlikely his visit will break the impasse, sinceitis to the United States that the militant students direct their ire and from the United States that they seek a response. ful of worthless bargaining chips. There is a second pressing question: Has President Carter done everything possible to resolve the crisis? No he has not. He has succeeded in bringing world opinion to America’s side and in rallying Americans around the flag. But he hasfailed to save that flag from being desecretated in Tehran. Carter has appealed to the World Court. to the United Nations. and to our allies in Europe and elsewhere. Yet he hasnot takenthe simplestep of appealing face-to-face with government leaders in Tehran — Hansen. the closest thing toa U.S. official to have gotten into fran since the embassy was overrun Nov. 4, succeeded in opening discussions during hisfirst vist. But the Carter administration did everything it could to destroyhis credibility while he wasthere And after Hansen's return to Washington, Carter and State save one abortive attempt earlyin Departmentpolicy planners,clearly embarrassed that an amateur diplomathad succeeded wheretheir professionals hadfailed, refused for weeks to even meet with Hansen to determine if he had learned somethingofvalue in Tehran. Is this the mark of leaders competently engaged in solving a crisis? Whatelse could Washington do? It could begin hearings now on the relationship between the United States aid iran, covering the 37year reign of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, as well as the current revolutionary period. This will not be a popular proposal in the United States. But it is correct nonetheless. Key members of Iran's Revolutionary Council insist that such a move almostcertainly would lead to a peaceful resolution of the “THIS FABRIC HAS American clergymen. whichwas lit- BEEN TREATED WITH tle more than a sop to world opinion. American journalists — including this one — now areroutinely refused visas; some are being kicked outof the country. Militants inside the embassy compound are morerigidly in control than ever and the Revolutionary Council, moderate by comparison, has virtually no influence on them. “Even members of the council can’t get in to see the hostages,” Hansen,just back from his second trip to Iran. told Scripps League Newspapers. ‘‘I think there's a showdown coming soon between government leaders and the students.” Why has the Iranian crisis hardened even more between Thanksgiving and New Year's? One reason. of course, is the continued intransigence of the students and the one person who appearsto have their ear — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khoemini. Another likely reason is the removal of the deposed shah trom the United States lo Panama \ FLAME- RETARDANT. CHEMICALS. ” ——CRAFTY AMERICAN DEVILS! crisis and the safe release of the - American hostages. while establishing a firm foundation for future relations between the two countries. Public hearings on Iran — perhaps conducted by Congress — should be held beginning immediately for at least three reasons: (a) Serious and substantial charges have been madeagainst the shah which inevitably involve U.S. governmentofficials and taxpayer money. As a moralnation, our people deserve to know the truth of these allegations. (2) Militants at the embassy must be given a way to save faceif they are to release the hostages unharmed. Public hearings in the United States could provide that way. (3) Secret documents show the Carter administration's own experts warned of violence months ahead of timeif the shah wasallowedinto the United States. Americans deserve to know why the warningswereignored andthelives of 50 Americans were pui on theline Walters ‘y= Ethics Make Slow Progress By ROBERT WALTERS WASHINGTON (NEA) — Compared with the major congressional scandals of past years. the formal accusation of misconduct filed Tecently against a single West Coast congressman clearlyfalls into the “small potatoes” category. But the decision of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conducttoinitiate a full investigation into certain financial transactions of Rep. Charles H. Wilson, DCalif.. represents a watershed in the evolution of ethical standards on Capitol Hill. Both House and Senate established ethics committees more than a decade ago, butin the ensuring years those panels generally have restricted themselves to perfunctory activities that wouldn't bruise oversized egos or tarnish cherished political reputations. The significance of the Wilson case lies in the fact that it represents the first time either ethics committee has undertaken an investigation of @ legislator on its own initiative and has pursued the mat ter to the point of publicly accusing the target of the probe of serious violations. Over the years. the two ethics committees have received hundreds of complaints against members of Congress. But the investigations into the charges — usually distinguished only for their superficiality and secrecy — too often have produced results legitimately criticized bycritics as whitewashes. Public displays of Congress’ dirty laundry have been confined to cases where outside pressures madefullscale. open investigations an uncom- fortable but unavoidable alternative. Some examples — Journalistic investigations: The first major probe conducted bythe Senate's ethics committee involved charges against then-Sen. Thomas J. Dodd, D-Conn. But the reluctant panel openedits investigations only after monthsof relentless pressure and damaging disclosures from columnist Jack Anderson. ‘The more recent investigations conducted by both ethics committees into allegations of influence peddling by Korean businessman Tongsun Park were a grudging response to allegations in the Washington Post and other news- papers — Justice Departmentaction: To maintain the appearance of propriety, the ethics committees in recent years have opened their own investigations after it became obvious that federal prosecutors were pursuing criminal probes along identical lines. Recent examples included the cases of Democratic Reps. Joshua Eilberg and DanielJ. Flood, both of Pennsylvanis, aid Charles D. Diggs Jr. of Michigan. — Scorned women: This arcane category is unlikely to attain any significant permanent status, yet ‘messy’ divorces involving a pair of lawmakersled directly to the two mostvisible Senate investigations in recent years In cases involving Sens. Edward W. Brooke, R-Mass., and Herman E. Talmadge, D-Ga., the committee acted only after embittered and estranged wives forced the disclosure of information that virtually mandated probes of their husbands’ alleged illegal or unethicalactivities. The Wilson casesis distinguished by the lack of anypublic pressure on the House committee. whoseinitial suspicions reportedly were aroused by informationits owninvestigators developed during the Korea influence peddling probe. Wilson is charged with accepting, “under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his government duties,” $15,500 in gifts during the early 1970s from a man who had “‘a direct interest in legislation before the Congress.”” He also is accused of converting “to his personal use” almost $29.000 worth of campaign funds, then lying about the matter wheninterrogated under oath by the committee last year Virtually all of the alleged violations date back to the 1971-73 period. presenting a problemof timeliness that not long ago would have afforded the committee an excuse to quietly drop the matterafter a cur- sory initial probe To its credit. however, the committee appears to be seriously pur- suing the case. which could prove to be a landmark in the troubled historyof ethical reform on Capitoi Hill |