By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 17, 2011) — This morning, Peter Marchetti sent THE PLANET a quick note on Facebook, confirming that he received our question on random drug testing for firemen and other public employees. He wrote that he had only just then checked his FB messages, and he was out the door. He said he would have a statement later in the day (at night, actually).

At 10:43 p.m., THE PLANET received this statement from the mayoral candidate:

I would support random drug testing for all public employees and elected officials. I however will not speculate as to what is currently happening in regards to negotiations that I am not currently involved in.

Marchetti joins school committee hopeful Terry Kinnas and mayoral candidate Joe Nichols as the only three candidates who have replied to THE PLANET’s question on random drug testing. All three favor it for all public employees, unconditionally. THE PLANET thanks Marchetti for his timely and clear response.

We shall be posing this question to presumed mayoral candidate Dan Bianchi when he formally declares in the race. We hear that shall take place on Aug. 24, at the ITAM.

THE PLANET intends to mail out a brief questionnaire, probably about five questions long, to each of the candidates. We will post who answers, what they answer, and who doesn’t.

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THE PLANET IS THE FOURTH ESATE, DOING WHAT NO OTHER MEDIA OUTLET IN BERKSHIRE COUNTY DARES TO DO: TELL THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH

Most people get what we’re doing here, but a few question our tactics. You hear objections, most of them some variation of, “Whoaaaaa, The Great Dan Valenti, thinks he’s sooooo important.” They’re wrong, of course. We value our critics more than they realize.

First, our critics count among our most loyal followers, weighing every syllable in hope of fueling their obsessional fantasies about who we are and why we do what we do. Second, the more reasonable and measured often provide us with lots of information we would not otherwise receive. This includes “the other side” of many issues. Third, they correct us on occasion, and THE PLANET is the first to thank ANYONE who can add to the record of fact for any given story. Fourth, they have passion. When someone gets hot over something you say or write, they are engaged. We need more of that, not less.

Many of the more unreasonable critics accuse me of all manner of inflated ego, but there’s only one Very Important Person in the game, and that’s The Citizen. THE PLANET does his and her bidding, as we remain constantly at their service. We, alone, among all the media outlets in Berkshire County, with the exception of Jonathan Levine’s Pittsfield Gazette, dare to present the unvarnished truth about the issues and events of Pittsfield and to a lesser extent, Berkshire County.

TELL-IT-LIKE-IT-IS JOURNALISM

We are the media — not the corrupt mainstream media, bought and sold as they have been by the conglomerates and chains with big budgets and small concern for The Little Guy — but the alternative media. Our specialty is investigative, expository reportage and tell-it-like-it-is commentary. THE PLANET has been a journalist since 1974, moving over, under, around, and through newspapers, magazine, broadcasting, and blogging for nearly 35 years. We fear no one and respect everyone … until they lose it.

THE PLANET has been part of the teams that broken two of the biggest stories in that time, the capture of David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer in NYC in 1977 and the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979. We’ve interviewed more big shots and celebrities than we can remember, from presidents to athletes, from mobsters to entertainers. We’ve stood up to corruption and threats. We don’t rattle.

We do this all for Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, the Little Guy, and Jane and John Q. Public. You know who they are. They live in your home town. They obey the law. They keep their homes and their persons neat and clean. They pay their taxes on time, and the only thing they want from government is to be left reasonably alone. They also don’t care for phonies, and they can smell them a mile away.

They are my readers and listeners. They drive this website, making it one of the most read, if not THE most read, in the area.

THAT’s why anyone who’s a public figure shall be at the beck and call of this website — not because of who WE are, but because of who you, THE CITIZEN, are.

In this so-called government, YOU are the boss. We are trying to help you realize it.

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Colonials Fall to Boulders, 7-5

By CHAD COOPER

Special to PLANET VALENTI Sports

RAMAPO, NY (GAME OF TUESDAY NIGHT, AUG. 16, 2011) — A Pittsfield Colonials rally in the ninth inning came up just short as the Colonials fell to the Rockland Boulders, 7-5.

After the Colonials spotted the Boulders three runs in the bottom of the first, Pittsfield took advantage of the Rockland defense in the top of the third. With Quentin Davis on third and two out, Danny Bomback grounded a slow roller to first. Cristobal Santana saw the ball glance off his glove and go into rightfield, scoring Davis and cutting the lead to 3-1. The Colonials further utilized the extra out when Billy Mottram stepped up and drove his 10^th homerun of the season over the rightfield wall to tie the score at 3-3.

Rockland employed a double by Ryde Rodriguez and RBI hits from Jeremy Slayden and Barry Wesson in the fourth and fifth innings to re-establish a three run lead at 6-3. The game remained that way until a Ryan Mollica sac fly in the eighth put the Boulders up 7-3.

Pittsfield battled in the ninth as they scored two runs on a Jerod Edmondson double and brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but Adrian Martin got Mottram to ground out to end the game.

Rockland’s Jon Velasquez (6-5) did not allowwas fantastic for Rockland an earned run over eight innings of work. T. J. Wink (4-1) took the loss for Pittsfield.

The third game of the series is on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Miguel Flores (3-8, 4.29) gets the start for Pittsfield against Will Hassett (5-5. 4.14) for the Boulders. The pregame show on pittsfieldcolonials.com will begin at 6:45 p.m.

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HAPPY TRAILS! … and …

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.