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Editorial: Stabile and the Sopranos

By The TimesLedger

We are dismayed to see that City Councilman Al Stabile (R-Ozone Park) has joined the chorus of whimpering whiners who allege that the critically acclaimed HBO series “The Sopranos” creates the impression that all Italian-Americans are mobsters.

The councilman claims that the show portrays Italians as “pasta-eating, foul-mouthed mobsters.” We're guessing that the councilman has never seen the show and we're wondering why he doesn't have anything more important to worry about. We note that this series, produced at the Silvercup studios in Astoria, is one of the most popular shows on cable television.

To be certain, “The Sopranos” is not family fare. The show often includes graphic violence, explicit sex and endless streams of foul language. The show also features an outstanding ensemble caste and powerful scripts that have made it one of the most talked about dramas in the history of television.

We don't believe for a moment that the adults who watch this show suddenly believe that all Italian Americans are members of the Mafia. At the same time, we know that people like the Sopranos do exist and the moral dilemmas they face reconciling the demands of the family with the demands of the profession make for intriguing drama. Wouldn't it be a shame if we became so afraid of creating stereotypes that we stripped all ethnicity from our entertainment?

Al Stabile is a hardworking public official who has won the affection and support of his constituents. When term limits force him out of office at the end of this year, it will be the city's loss. But the councilman has jumped on the wrong bandwagon and is pandering to people who take perverse pleasure in imagining that they are victims.

Bottom line: if Mr. Stabile doesn''t like “The Sopranos,” he can turn the channel.

Long hot summer

At first it appeared that the coalition fighting the building of a new generator in Long Island City had won. A judge had blocked the project on the grounds that the New York Power Authority did not sufficiently study the impact that this generator will have on the surrounding neighborhood.

Now his order has been stayed by a judge in Brooklyn, allowing work to continue for another week.

There are those who say the generator is a good thing, but not in their neighborhood. Others say the NYPA is exaggerating the need for the 10 new generators to be placed around the city. The Power Authority claims that if we have a heat wave this summer, without the Long Island City generator the city will not have enough electricity. They claim the city will be 80 megawatts short of the 400 megawatts it will take to keep the city going. Like California, New York City could face scattered brownouts.

We don't like the way the NYPA selected sites without community input, but at the same time, we do not question their expertise when it comes to assessing the power needs of New York City.

We can only hope that a compromise can be reached that will keep the air conditioners running and the lights on all summer long.