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feedback? v*K T2 f ® Lewis responds To the Editor: What do you expect? I was well aware Of the consequences I might face In writing to The Spectrum about the Iranian situation. I feared some of my statements might be misconstrued and indeed, in Friday’s issue, a perfect example appeared. The letter from Creatoza Keet does not really deserve a rebuttal per se, but I do have some comments in general. - A careful perusal of my letter would have shown that I in no way support the deposed Shah of Iran. I referred to the Shah as a tyrant, for that is what he was. Really Mr/Msf Keet, I do not recall referring to any \SHAW” as you said in your letter. I certainly have nothing against anyone named Shaw. But this and other portions of the Keet letter I simply dismiss as childish babbling. The. Shah of Iran was a tyrant supported economically, militarily, and diplomatically by the United States. That was unfortunate. The U.S- has a~ remarkable record of supporting some of the baddest apples in the bunch. Of course this is wrong. 'But, can the self-righteous anti-Shah forces rationalize the removal of one tyrant for another? Khomeini is hardly the savior Iran so desperately needs. On the contrary, the Ayatollah may be exactly what will cause the total demise of Iran. f o the Editor: membership of the Rastakhiz Party (the Shah's single party) will ba deported from Irap.\ Now. the question is what kind of freedom is that anybody not accepting a dictatorship, should leave his own homeland. 6. Through his so-called \White-Revolution\, he destroyed Iran's self-sufficient agriculture and brought an industry whose only work was assembling foreign imports to Iran. This letter is written to inform Mr. David Lewis (in answer to his article which appeared in The SpectriAn issue of Nov. 12, 1979) and my other dear American colleagues on the situation in Iran. Let me begin with informing you on Shah's brilliant background of murders and crimes and do-called “human rights”: 1. Since he came on power in 1941 until he was overthrown by his honorable Ayattolah Khomeini; he has ordered killing of more than 360,000 Iranians (in different manners, such as torturing, shooting in the streets, and unjustified executions and many other ways), which turns out to be one person killed per each 48 minutes. It is important to know that these Iranian people were mostly well-educated (up to 92 percent). 2. He, personally!, set fire on the body of a famous Iranian newsreporter, martyr Karimpour Shirazi. 3. He set the plot and killed his own brother, All Reza Pahlavi, because at the time, the Shah an English puppet and his brother, All Reza believed in American domination in lr?n. 7. He was overthrown by the people uprising in 1953, which brought popular government of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh. Through a coup conducted by C.I.A. and financed by the money of American taxpayers. Dr. Mossadegh was overthrown apd Shah was brought back to power. 8. The Shah took billions of dollars of Iranian people's wealth out of the country. I believe this is the largest robbery ever occured on earth. There are many many others, that I would need to publish a book to explain. I am not making anything up. Since my words are justified by reports of International Amnesty, International Lawyers Guild, as well as reports of French Le Monde Journal. Americans have been told that Khomeini is a dictators as the Shah was. Why one does not question that if Khomeini is a dictator, why Iranian people who overthrew a dictator not so long ago, should support another one?! Whether the radical students initially acted independently of Khomeini, he and his government have not only condoned this blatant act of terrorism but have openly supported it. This is an inexcusable, unreconcilable position. The U.S. should not turn the Shah over to Iran in return for the hostages. Not only would that be complying to blackmail, it would cheapen the value of human life... any human life. I must ask Creatoza Keet and Mr. Colucci if they support capital punishment; isn't that precisely tfie aim of the Iranians? If the Shah were put to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Council, what possible purpose would be served? His death would not restore those lives lost during his reign. Indeed, vengence.is a futile and hollow goal. I am hardly an example of the ridiculous collection of cliches which Mr/Ms? Keets submitted. I am simply outraged by the support the U.B. Iranian students have shown for an explicit act of terrorism and violation of international law. Their statement of solidarity smacks of hypocrisy since they are so safely and comfortably residing in the nation they profess to hate. I certainly do not hate the Iranians here or in Iran. Actually, I pity those suffering Khomeinfs religious despotism. And Mr/Ms? Keets, I have also learned from the Iranians. I have learned howto pervert a religion of love and peace to one of repression and intolerance. I ,’havd MkithW\ 4. Let me inform you on innovative methods of torture used by Shah’s famous secret service, SAVAK (trained and equipped by C.I.A.): a. pulling out nails. . b. whipping by special wires. (. raping the gurrlllas girl prisoners in front of their parents to destroy their spirit of resistance. d. electrical shock to body. 4, _ ' e. hanging weigh|s from testicles. f. frying the body with electrical heater. g. hanging the prisoner upside down. h. raping with bottels and hot boiled eggs. and many many in-humane treatments that I am ashamed of explaining. Some American people may think that if Shah was sent to Iran, he would be tried, convicted and executed. Welt, after what he has done to Iranian people, do you expect the Iranian people who lost their best and dearest sisters and brothers during the revolution that brought the Shah down; to give Mm a welcome party?! At the end, f would like to.suggest my American friends to read the informative statement released by Iranian Students at UnlversityofBuftaio. 5. In March 1975, the Shah announced a system of one party government. He said in hid speech to Iranian people that \anybody who will not accept the Seyod Mirmiran Iranian student at UB -ifi ill Blown it If the Iranians wanted the Shaw, they were offered every opportunity to achieve his extradiction through normal procedures. Blackmail by any country can not be condoned and therefore, even if the President wanted to send the Shaw to them he could not. I contend the reason the Iranians have'pulled this stunt Is so they could make the U.S. government look bad. As far as the Embassy being used as a spy center, I hate to burst everybody’s bubble but almost every nation does this and it is informally accepted by civilized nations as a fact of life: It irnot proper to protest these actions by terrorism. \ : If the government in Iran (whoever that may be) really wanted the Shaw back they haw bibwn It. There is no way that Jimmy Carter can do this and stltl expect to be taken seriously or for the U.S.A. to still be a world power. *7 - To the Editor: f would like to comment on the crisis (and it is a - crisis! in Iran. One of the things that the supporters of \'fe’Re over of the American Embassy have misunderstood is the reason for the strong reaction of the American people. The basic American (the grunts as Crpatoza Keet calls them) do not really care what happens to the Shaw or for that matter what happens to the nation of Iran. A lot of these people didn't even know where Iran was until they took the Embassy. What has these rednecks steamed is that a bunch of jerks have decided that they are above the international rules of if w and that God has given them a divine right to take the lives of others in their own hands. The that if a group voices dissent they must be silenced. And the Iranians have taught me that one dictatorial tyrant is better than another, especially if he poses as a “religious\ man. In conclusion, I shall not tower myself to a personal attack on Creatoza Keels, despite his or her attack upon myself. I know such a letter would very entertaining to The Spectrum's readers but I feel Mr/Ms? Keets letter has provided enough comic relief from this disturbing situation. reason tp( their doing th|s it only a secondary thought. I will concede that tltt&haw should lace the people David A. Lewis In short, it is not the Shaw that we are arguing about, it is the principle of the thing. •utsv’rtsr*' - ■■ of his country concerning his past actions. The way to achieve this exrradiction was not to break every International Law concerning the immunity of diplomats and the sovereignty of a nation's Embassy. •sv* c-,- -mmr- ’&&'■ SfVv .7' Vj.. ■ T- r. “ V.\ Sr*, '-'tm “ William Mack (An educated redneck) j. ' \V ii, ■%, •i 1 -\.-M* BSU’s obligation To the Editor: The Black Student Union is one of many university groups that operates with money it receives from the student activity fee. No one need be reminded that every student is required to contribute to this activity fee. The Black Student Union used some of its budget to plan a trip to the King Tut Exhibit in Toronto November 16th. Tickets to the exhibit were being offered to BSU members for $11.00 but to all other students for,$45.00. That’s right—all other students were asked to pay $45.00 per ticket. Quite a scalping to put it mildly. BSU refused Jo roll back prices to a reasonable level after repeated requests by the Student Association to do so. Then, less than 24 hours before buses were to depart for Toronto, the ticket price was lowered to $25.00 for non BSU members, hardly a fair reduction for the University community by any standard. One of the obligatidns of student groups operating with student activity funds is that all students are to be treated equally. No student should be expected to financially support any student organization that knowingly abuses this responsibility. & The Student • Association must determine what changes are necessary in student organization bylaws to prevent such incidences from occuring again. Action must also betaken against the Black Student Union. Because they refused to meet thier organizational responsibilities to the university community, BSU should foe denied further use of student activity fee monies. Irresponsible explaining what led to your conclusion. It was your obligation to present evidence upon which ypur editorial was based, tn the past. f have looked to The Spectrum for objective and informed reporting. I am sorry I will no longer be able to view it in that light «.... ■ - .... To the Editor: I was extremely disappointed after reading your editorial\ of November 7th. It is certainly within your right to express an opinion concerning Or. Ketter s leadership. However, you acted irresponsibly in not Janet Massaro
