Vivisection Item Speaks For Itself

July 15, 1986|By Abigail Van Buren.

Dear Abby: I ran across something you wrote some time ago, and I must say God bless you for your stand on vivisection. It took great courage to speak out against inflicting endless torture experimenting on living creatures.

Continued success in your work and in your life. My family and I thank you. Please run the item enclosed.

Alice Piel, New York

Dear Alice: I think it`s worth repeating:

Dear Abby: How do you feel about vivisection, which is defined as ``the cutting of or operation on a living animal, usually for physiological or pathological investigation; animal experimentation, especially if considered to cause distress to the subject``?

For Animal Rights in New York

Dear For: The late George Bernard Shaw expressed my feelings perfectly when he said: ``You do not settle whether an experiment is justified or not by merely showing that it is of some use. The distinction is not between useful and useless experiments, but between barbarous and civilized behavior. Vivisection is a social evil because if it advances human knowledge, it does so at the expense of human character.``

Dear Abby: In a recent column you suggested a portable cordless telephone for people who work in their yards a lot and rush back into the house to answer the phone but seem to get there too late.

As one with 13 years of professional experience in electronics, I believe the public should be warned about the lack of privacy when using these devices. Cordless telephones transmit conversations using shortwave radio signals. Many users are under the false impression that because the unit operates only within a limited range, the signal travels no farther. Not so. With a very cheap receiver, I have overheard conversations from cordless telephones from over a mile away, and this experience is not uncommon.

Another warning: Certain types of cordless telephones are vulnerable to

``hackers`` who could electronically break into your telephone line and charge their toll calls to your bill.

The public has a short memory. In 1972, the Watergate burglars were caught trying to place a transmitter in the telephone of the political opposition. Had cordless telephones been available at that time, they could have merely presented their target with one as a ``gift,`` and listened to their heart`s content.

Raymond F. Gawryla

Scranton, Pa.

