The Sun and the Erie County Independent from Hamburg, New York • Page 5

Thursday, April 19, 2001 The Sun Page 5 1 now, Loov. I'm no goodfella The ultimate educational tool. Affordable in-home entertainment. The vast American wasteland. All terms that have been used to describe the box-shaped, screened-in, technological wonder that our society lives and dies by the almighty television.

Now, unlike most of America, I am not a TV junkie. More often than not, I'd rather read a book or play a game then pick up the magic remote and tune in. But I will admit that there are some programs on the "idiot box" that I do enjoy and make an effort to watch. SPY PtANE BAClC OR WE'RE GONNA MPOICJGIZE Heart Soul CHRISTINA M. AST, I 1 I wi i in 1 1 im rmn i ti i )C i rrfft TFT hi hm Volunteers make Meals on Wheels a success Again, thanks to everyone for their efforts at making our communities better places to live.

Lisa Rood, Marilynn Calhoun, Gary Burdick, Martin McMahon, Murray Regan, Pam Zabawa, Gordon Hessel, Jacquie Sigeti Editor, The Sun: The board of directors of the Southtown Meals on Wheels would like to express our deepest gratitude to the numerous people who made this project happen. The volunteer coordinators, Carol Marble, Michelle McMahon, Jacquie Sigeti and Beth Troy took on great responsibilities in the organizational end and they did a fantastic job. Their collective and individual efforts make this program flow. The great people from the towns of Boston, Colden, Concord and Holland who so unselfishly volunteer to be the drivers and servers deserve special mention, as without their efforts no meals could be delivered. The numerous people from Erie County Senior Services who worked hard to make this program a reality and those civil servants who continue providing assessment services for our clients are also greatly thanked.

Erie County Legislators Dale Larson and Steve McCarville also provided great support to make this dream come true. Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and their great staff played an intricate part in this program's development. Besides preparing the meals and all the details that entail, Kris Aldrow and her associates provided a great deal of support and serve as a valued resource. Lastly, there are numerous businesses that offered financial support or volunteer incentives in a show of support of this program. Southtowns Tireman, West Valley Nuclear Services, Colden Ski Shop, Boston Deli, Springville Ponderosa Steakhouse, Springville Rite Aid, Colden Farm Fresh Market, Doc and Jo Davenport, United Way, Boston Chamber of Commerce, Michael Perley, Paul Salzler, Marilyn Calhoun, Marty and Michelle McMahon and Muffler.

However, there is one top-rated television show that I have seen several times and cannot, for the life of me, understand why it is so popular. That is the HBO production of "The Sopranos." Before I launch into this diatribe on one of America's top rated television shows, I must admit that while I fully a support freedom of expression in the arts, personally, am somewhat conservative in nature when it comes to sex and violence on screen. I can watch it. I can even understand using it in the proper context. But the exploitation and abuse of these topics in today's multi-media presentations bothers me.

And therein lies my objection to the Sopranos. I have never watched an entire episode of this on-going Italian soap opera. Nor have I purposely tuned in and tried to develop a relationship with the characters that inhabit this Mafia-ruled cable kingdom. However, anytime I do channel surf across the award-winning HBO series, I inevitably hear overtly, offensive language that is not used as dramatic emphasis or even as liberal spice. Rather the scripted verbiage of this program is a constant barrage of four letter words that as a parent, aunt, godparent and responsible adult, I have often railed against and encouraged others to avoid.

I understand that there is a shock value to certain words in our English language. I will also be the first to admit that I have been known to occasionally employ such verbiage. mouth" the term of endearment often used around my household.) But when words of this caliber are employed to the extent that they turn people off or desensitize them, as in The Sopranos, then what is the point? As for the sexual content of this program, it defies my comprehension of the word entertainment. Nudity and suggestive situations aside, I have consistently witnessed scenes on this show that cross the line into physical brutality and sexual abuse. Actions that belittle women as human beings and establish men as nothing more than animals incapable of reactions other than cruelty and self indulgence.

Call me old-fashioned. Call me a prude. Call me overly serious about television programming. The only thing I know is that a lot of men, women, and I imagine, teenagers, are tuning in to watch The Sopranos every week under the guise of quality at-home entertainment. I just wish I could understand why.

Thanks for making me your choice Editor, The Sun: I am writing this letter to thank all people responsible for helping me get elected recently to the position of Hamburg village trustee. To all the people in the Village of Hamburg that came out and voted in the March 20 election I would like to thank you for your votes. would like you all to know that I was very proud to take the oath on Monday, April 2 before the board meeting because growing up as a child in the Town of Hamburg my dad tried for many years to be elected. He ran for both receiver of taxes and town clerk in the 1960s but was defeated in both ventures because of being a Democrat in a Republican town at that time. My mother would be very proud also if she was alive today because she was very active in her senior years in the Village of Hamburg.

I will try my best to fulfill the duties of village trustee and offer my assistance to all the residents of the village. I would also like to thank my wife, my brothers, Jim and Bill, as well as all the other people that campaigned for me in this election. Again thanks to all and I look forward to serving the residents to the best of my ability. David V. Hustead Hamburg Rural Metro a blessing Editor, The Sun: Just recently my family and I went to West Virginia for our uncle's funeral.

The mountain area we were in was 45 minutes away from the nearest hospital. When we returned from the cemetery to the church hall for a luncheon, one of my cousins suddenly became ill. Because I am an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), my family came into the hall to get me. When I got out to his car, he was sitting behind the steering wheel and was acting very restless. He knew who I was and did not complain of any chest pain.

Another one of my cousins, who is also an EMT, ran and activated 911. Within minutes my cousin lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. We carried him into the church hall and performed CPR for over 30 minutes until a Basic Life Support (BLS) rescue squad arrived. He then was rushed to the nearest hospital 45 minutes away in the care of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Inside my heart I know we did the best we could at the level of our care.

Needless to say another funeral was planned. When I returned home here in Boston, I sat down and thought about the whole situation. It is a comforting feeling knowing that Rural Metro is always near our town to assist the Boston Emergency Squad in life-threatening situations. With this past experience, I would have given anything to have had a service like them to assist me in West Virginia, "No Matter What the Cost," with their well-advanced EMS unit. With or without insurance to pay for Rural Metro, the highest level of EMS care and increasing the chance of saving my cousin's or anyone's life, would have been worth every penny.

My many thanks to Rural Metro for being close to our town and giving our community a better chance of survival in any life-threatening situation. DebiThiel, Boston Emergency Squad More letters to the editor on page 14.