By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 1, 2014) — Welcome to December, when snow finds its legitimacy and snow jobs grab the spotlight — as when THE PLANET considers the latest sabotage of taxpayers performed by that body of our Right Honorable Good Friends known as the Pittsfield […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, NOV. 28-30, 2014) — In trying to assess the events of Ferguson, Mo., it’s best to go to the trove of evidence amassed for the grand jury as prosecutors pressed the case of Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THANKSGIVING DAY, NOV. 27, 2014) — Happy Thanksgiving to all THE PLANET‘s readers and viewers. On behalf of the entire crew at The Secret Squadron, we wish you and yours blessings for the day. We invite you to share your good wishes here in […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2014) — We are a nation of laws, so we have been taught. If we are a nation of laws, we have to accept the grand jury’s verdict in Ferguson, Mo., not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting and […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 2014) — With a few more days of hindsight and analysis as opposed to The Suits‘ blind-sight and paralysis, THE PLANET has extracted additional gems from the Tax Classification Follies as performed last week by the mayor and the city council. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, NOV. 24, 2014) — It’s interesting that since THE PLANET has been pounding on the millions of dollars Pittsfield loses each year to school choice, The Boring Broadsheet has taken up the cause. We are glad for it. Our love of communication, our love […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, NOV. 21-23, 2014) — Taking time this weekend to remember the events of Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, THE PLANET is pleased to present Poetry Weekend (P.W.). This is our chance to share a great poem or two with you, allow you […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014) — THE PLANET calls your attention to the “pure coincidence” involving The Suits’ decision to release information on Western Massachusetts Electric Company‘s upcoming rate increase of 29%. That’s a whopper, to be sure, and it not only riled but sent […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19, 2014) — Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in council chambers, citizens and taxpayers receive their annual slap in the face from the mayor and the city council. THE PLANET refers to the annual “assume the position” exercise known as a tax […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary This just in: The City of Pittsfield has scheduled a tax classification hearing for 7 p.m. Thursday in city council chambers. Hang on to your wallets: Homeowners, the mayor wants to hike your taxes to $18.06/thousand. Business owners, you get it twice as bad. The mayor wants […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, NOV. 14-16, 2014) — Welcome to Poetry Weekend, our respite from the skullduggery of local, state, national, and world politics. This is a time, also, for you to comment on any topic under the sun, the moon, the stars, and whatever lid […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014) — The Kolbourne School operated in good health for almost all of its 65 years, the final 44 of them in New Marlborough in glorious south county. On June 30, 2012, though, the school closed its doors for good. The […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12, 2014) — Of all the underwhelming, useless boards, committees, and commissions in the city of Pittsfield, you would be hard pressed to find a more worthless one than the Human Rights Commission. The HRC was born bad. It’s a pity, because […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, NOV. 11, 2014) — First off, a salute to all veterans on this Armistice Day. THE PLANET shall not mention at cliched’ length the debt we owe to those who served. Suffice it to say that the men and women of the armed […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, NOV. 10, 2014) — Was city money used to fund William Monterosso‘s Golden Parachute (said to be in the $150,000 range) following his disgraceful ouster at Berkshire Works? No said Pittsfield’s personnel director. Yes, the state shot back. Both statements cannot be true. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, NOV. 7-9, 2014) — In honor of nothing and everything, THE PLANET features the lines of a poem we recently wrote inspired by Percy Shelley‘s “Ode to Liberty.” As with “transparency,” liberty is a concept that TES finds scary and threatening in the […]
