NORTH STAR

Patt Morrison has been staring at her word processor too long if she thinks Lt. Col. Oliver L. North is TV’s “tantalizing new leading man” (“A Sucker for a Man in Uniform,” Dec. 21).

There is a whole world out there, a world that is not populated by “Alan Alda types,” comic-strip heroes or characters from television shows. In this world, it is vitally important to distinguish appearance from reality, but Morrison failed to do so. Furthermore, by painting North as a hero, she did the Administration’s bidding.

It may be well for her to squeal “Send the Marine--to my house,” but I doubt that many Nicaraguans would echo her sentiments. They may remember the last time the Marines showed up on their doorstep (1909) and overstayed their welcome by close to a quarter of a century.

JOANNE PAGLIARO

Manhattan Beach