THE PLANET SAYS OF THE ACCUSED MISS HALL’S TEACHER: THIS MAN IS INNOCENT!
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
“Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be banned from thinking so as not to offend imbeciles” — Fyodor Dostoevsky.
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY APRIL 22, 2024) — THE PLANET‘s not buying it. Not yet.
We won’t until such time, if it ever comes, that the matter (a) gets lawfully adjudicated (b) from a body that can deliver a fair and impartial verdict.
The scandal at Miss Hall’s School involving as yet unvetted allegations by former student Melissa Fares against a now-dismissed history teacher represents the instant destruction of a man’s 33-year tenure, his livelihood, name, and reputation. Retribution against the man (we will call him Teacher) makes haste seem eternal. Fares claims Teacher “groomed” for sex. “Groomed.” Whatever that means.
Fares, a freelance journalist, made her claims on April 8. In the seeds and stems of #Me Tooland, injustice moves swiftly. Teacher “resigned” the next day, presented with “If you don’t quit, we’ll fire you.” It took one day to destroy a man’s life. This before anything has been established, including Fares’ veracity.
She makes her claims at least 14 years after the fact (she graduated Miss Halls in 2010), shares it on Facebook, and the next thing you know, ol’ Jed’s a millionaire. Fares boosts a backwater journalistic career, wins praise from woke media for her “courage,” incites other angry women on the Miss Hall’s alumni Facebook page into a mob, and lawyers up with a “specialist” who’s made a career of such cases.
Media Incompetence Fuels Hysteria
Melissa Fares (Photo from Fares’ Facebook page) … the “Come Hither” look.
Being pretty and knowing her way around the media, Fares got the publicity she craved, at least going by her actions. If she was clock-stopping ugly, they wouldn’t have touched the story.
There’s a fishy air stinking up this melodrama, and we strongly suspect there’s far more to this story that what Fares has related via the the press.
She should have made her charges privately, quietly and let an impartial probe (is there such an thing in cases like this?) make a determination.
It’s unfortunate for Teacher that the local daily has incompetent management, including executive and managing editors serving bossed administrators owned by the Special Interests and a publisher who knows Shultz about newspapering.
Going full tilt with a damning story that has yet to be vetted? THE PLANET, who has been in the business since Peter Arlos was knee-high to P.J. Moore, feels sorry for the paper’s staff, good journalists who have no choice but to bow to the bribed boardroom bozos.
Consider:
- No charges have been filed
- No arrests made
- No adjudication has taken place
- The constitutional presumption of innocence upon has been trashed.
- Yet a man’s life has been ruined
all on a claim going on two decades old.
———- ooo ———-
A Long Tradition
Mob rule has long been around, but social media have taken it from the provinces and put it in the hands of every grifter and gold digger in the country. Included here are the screechers of #Me Too, who for a few years resurrected hysteria that replaced constitutional freedoms with presumptions of guilt–you know, the George Floyd Thing.
Are Fares’ accounts accurate and truthful? Perhaps, which is the same as saying that perhaps not. Who knows? And that’s the point. Before this determination, a man’s life has been vaporized.
The Boring Broadsheet saw fit to prematurely destroy a respected, charismatic teacher who by all accounts was one of the best at the school, a family man with a wife and four kids. How can classrooms public and private expect to draw quality educators, particularly men, when all it takes is a few syllables from a disgruntled female to instantly destroy his life?
Based on our belief in constitutional republicanism, THE PLANET states that TEACHER IS INNOCENT. We don’t even have to invoke “innocent until proven guilty,” since no formal charges have been made.
We alone among the media will proclaim his innocence, and we alone will not use his name. While every other medium has reveled in the smear, conscience bids us to stay true to our principles.
—————————————————————–
“Memory is hope looking backward” — Sir Donald Turpentine, Knight of the Bath.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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George Orwell
“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Whenever an A-hole dishes out retribution, I ask myself: What did you expect, Jon Melle?
The reason I do this routine is because I understand that human nature and human behavior never changes throughout human history, which is said to be around 300,000 years of the Earth’s around 4.5 billion years around the Sun.
I have personally experienced many years of retribution (from Luciforo and his mean-spirited network) in Pittsfield politics – as my dad, Bob, was a Berkshire County Commissioner from 1997 – mid-2000. I have read about many other victims of retribution in Pittsfield politics over the years, too. It is always the same group of incestuous-like political insiders in Pittsfield who target innocent people, which the Dirty Bird rag sometimes either advocates for or throws them under the bus (because the Berkshire Eagle is a 3rd-rate newspaper without a conscience).
I feel bad for all of innocent people who are persecuted by people who want it all for themselves in their lives. It seems like a lot of good people have to pay for a lot of people who are no good.
Jon Melle
Jonathan,
I have a question for you. How come when people speak ill of you it is retribution, but when Melissa Mazzeo defamed me it was free speech?
Thanks in advance for a response.
My reply to you, Barry Clairmont, is that I am a Linda Tyer supporter in politics since 2003. She was one of the best in the Berkshires elected officials in my lifetime. I agree with you when you said that she was the best Mayor of Pittsfield in recent decades. That being said, I wish you and Linda a wonderful life together.
As I recall, you won a 6-figure legal settlement in your several years-long defamation lawsuit versus Melissa Mazzeo. She should have chosen her criticisms of you being near the City Clerk’s Office where the ballots were held in Pittsfield City Hall close to the 2019 municipal election that your aforementioned 2nd wife won back then more carefully.
You are a multi-millionaire CPA who owns a mansion in Pittsfield’s elitist Gated Community west of Berkshire Community College. Also, you served on the Pittsfield City Council years ago. Your 2nd wife, Linda Tyer, was the Mayor of Pittsfield for 8 years from 2016 – 2023. Your successes far outnumber the accusatory statements that Melissa Mazzeo made about you over 4 years ago now after she lost the mayoral election in 2019.
Many people, including myself, along with The Berkshire Eagle’s editorials, have criticized your defamation lawsuit versus Melissa Mazzeo. You had merit, obviously, but politics is an arena full of mudslinging.
I never sued “Luciforo” over his alleged abuses against me over the past a little less than 28 years now since I was 20 years old and my dad successfully campaigned for the elected office of Berkshire County Commissioner in 1996. I do not rule out suing Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior, especially because he is suing the City of Pittsfield over his pot permits HCAs payments of $440,000 years ago, along with his other marijuana lawsuit that he recently filed in Boston to try to take away unions in the Massachusetts marijuana industry workplace. I wonder how Nuciforo would like it if the tables were turned on him and he was to be sued?
Stay strong, Barry Clairmont. You asked me a fair question. I hope that you will accept my answer.
Jon Melle
Jonathan,
I accept your explanation. Only because you said my case had merit. Yes politics is full of mudslinging. But what Melissa did was just a flat out lie and her insurance company knew it.
Have you ever had a claim with an insurance company and tried to get $1,000 out of them? It’s like pulling teeth. They volunteered paying me $140,000. That shows you they knew I had a legit claim and they thought there was a better chance of losing more than $140,000 at trial.
Thank you for the kind words about my wife.
And yes, the Eagle critical of my lawsuit, without knowing any of the FACTS. This just goes to show us that none of us should judge anything until we know the facts.
I hope you donated a good chunk of the settlement to those less fortunate.
He most likely made a generous contribution and will release his tax forms to show what a good guy he his. We need more generous people like him.
How could anyone speak ill of a wonderful human being such as yourself?
Is the harassment of Facebook TV video show hosts free speech?
This from a man who should never have been behind a counter or near an office due to the fact he wasn’t a city employee……
Your upset because you thought you had a future in government in the Berkshires. You might have Jonathan but starting out by calling Andy Nuciforo a “hunky love bug” or Rep Tricia Farley-Bouvier “the lovely” is not a recipe for success. We all tried to warn you but you always knew best. It comes across as creepy and gross.
No charges pending. Why is it a conversation.
Because there was no crime even if there was sex, assuming the girl was 16 and consented. Happens all the time. Not saying it’s right, morally, but it is not a crime.
Precisely Holmes. Even if a crime occurred, if it was over 20 years ago, that is waiting about 20 years too long to report it.
Indeed. So let’s just say there’s a real victim, not from Hall’s, Simons, lenox, who’s penetrating perpetraitor caused actual damages to her, not to her vagina, but to her life and liberty.
Like, let’s say he’s a government official and the police 20 years later are STILL protecting that man.
She’s at risk of harm per police misconduct and malicious prosecution etc.
Slanderous / discrimination
It’s a different scenario though.
Nothing bad happened to the miss Halls girl. She’s talking for no reason.
Publish a story that isn’t sensational.
One that make your community look ugly.
Try telling the NYC courts that, they charge citizens they don’t like for no crime…isn’t that where the DIE program originated from?
Another friend of dans exposed?
Same thing happened last year with the principal from Lenox a year or two ago. Career ruined over baseless accusations from a scorned woman and her ex-boyfriend. No charges filed despite dual investigations from the police and DA’s office. 14 year after the fact. Eagle ate those accusations right up, as did Stephen Dravis of Iberkshires. Did absolutely zero research into the actual incident or the investigation outcomes.
As far as grooming, studies indicate that it’s not uncommon for that to occurr in families with coexisting safety/stability issues.
Miss Halls & Simon’sRock, naa.
They paid those teachers like hollywood. You’re right, victims and alleged perps have rights to protection to & from privacy/slander, and that’s essentially the reasoning behind it all not adding up.
Did her parents teach her about safety and were they absent? Were they SUD’s. Stop the stigma.
Deep in the heart of the matter, why does he bother, real question! Why does the eagle do it? What is ee afraid of.
Good for former Berkshire County District Attorney for moving away from the Pittsfield area.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/75070/Former-District-Attorney-Marks-Year-In-New-Position-in-St.-Louis-.html
I am a proud supporter of Andrea Harrington. She is a very accomplished and professional Attorney. She is the first woman in Berkshire County to be a District Attorney.
Jon Melle
https://youtu.be/tx8x3LCnYZw?si=O07Cq9TgPkw4wHU0
And you sir need your head examined. Fact is, she is incompetent.
The one accomplishment you listed is: She is a woman. Bang up job!
She was just a paid well office coordinator while here as DA .St. Louie hired her because of her experience here in the Shire as one. DIE is big there also.
On Tuesday night, April 23rd, 2024, the Pittsfield City Council will here …. wait for it …. Mayor Peter Marchetti’s proposal to raise Water/Sewer rates by 8 percent each in fiscal year 2025, which will begin on July 1st, 2024.
Last year during the Spring 2023, then Mayor Linda Tyer proposed and raised the aforementioned Water/Sewer rates by 12 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
Let us review these rate increases one more time, please. In fiscal year 2024, Water rates increased by 12 percent and Sewer rates increased by 25 percent. In fiscal year 2025, Water/Sewer rates will most likely increase by 8 percent each.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/75096/Marchetti-Proposes-8-Water-Sewer-Increase.html
In a few weeks, Mayor Peter Marchetti will release his spending increase fiscal year 2025 operating municipal budget proposal. I predict city and public school spending in predictable Pittsfield politics will increase by between 5 percent to 10 percent in fiscal year 2025 – as it has been this way in Pittsfield for the past 40-plus years now since the misguided state law named Proposition 2.5 went into effect in the early-1980’s.
Jon Melle
P.S. Poor fictional Mary Jane & Joe Kapanski working-class family in Pittsfield, who the state and local career politicians view as their ATM instead of people to be invested in in return for the Kapanski’s paying them excessive tax and fees!
where did that arpa money go?
ARPA went to 2nd Street for one.
read what it should have been spent on. Second street should be closed and given back to the city. Nice spot for a new police headquarters
Ok, I will read it.
Happy birthday &
Merry Iguana LLC
It went to driving class, fines and a bra.
Mrs Marchetti has the citizens by the balls, he likes that.
You need water and sewer. Private well and a septic is the way to go. F Mrs Marchetti
I miss-pronouned it, she likes that…….
He admitted it, so do better Dan. Perhaps you are not informed regarding MASS current criminal laws regarding the age of consent- it would behoove you to educate yourself. Also, there are other victims – try to be accurate at a minimum in your reporting.
MHS
Where and when did he admit it? As for accuracy, I shall continue to do my best. Thanks for the advice!
He admitted it to me on March 29, 2024.
Also, It’s clear you aren’t a fan of the BE. On this topic, however, their reporting is far more accurate than yours.
OK, March 29, you say. When and where, precisely? Also, THE PLANET’s coverage by far was the more responsible, irrespective of the “guilt” or “innocence” involved.
non of your business dan
THE PLANET alone decides what’s our business, Dragon Fly. Got it? Hope this sets you straight, and thanks for the feedback.
16 is age of consent for sex. If she was under that you may have a case.
Read the law more closely.
It’s been the same age for many, many years, my friend. 16. Must I quote you the law. Google it man!
Here are the latest developments in the region:
War crimes allegations: The US State Department’s annual report on human rights raises sharp concerns about the conflict in Gaza, noting allegations of war crimes by Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. While the report does not represent the US government’s own conclusions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the findings would be reviewed.
Mass grave found: A grave with nearly 300 bodies has been uncovered at a hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, Civil Defense workers said, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area earlier this month. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment
Blinken has been useless, or worse than useless.
How’s he handling US troops he just abandoned in Niger with no food, medical or support? They’re hostages for US abandoned equipment, just like Afghanistan was under General Millie.
I recently read in a veterinarian medical journal that Minnie Mouse died from lung cancer as a result of her three pack a day habit of smoking Camels during her teen years. Not too many folk know about that due to a massive cover up by the tobacco industry who back in the day, encouraged smoking amoung both children and mice.
I hope all enjoy this Passover season. In these current times I believe religion is the refuge for the sane to help weather the storm that we are living in.
But is Jesus happy with what his disciples in the mid-east are doing? Apparently so, as the barbaric genocide is relentless. Perhaps it is not China or Russia we should be worrying about?
I’m not sure but if I get the chance to meet him maybe I will ask him
Hamas = BARBARIANS
I tried to call the chief to ask the status of my FID Card, but he didn’t answer the phone so I dug my key into the side of his pretty little sooped up 4×4, carved my name into his leather seats… took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, sliced a hole in all 3 tires…. maybe next time… he will ansa
Now I’ve got that song stuck in my head
Your FID is waiting for you to pick up, at “the crowbar hotel”. ROFL!!!!
Sheriff’s department, izzz accurate . ROTFLSHTIHMHOTWVHTTWGCATHSSAMMRIMRTIWDBIWSL!!!
If the selectmen controls the police force than how can the owner of a cannabis corporation be a selectmen.
Mother’s will lose their children for smoking pot still in Massachusetts.
How is this unclear to everyone else.
Dan weren’t you a Bcc professor? About same era correct?
you seem overly defensive, why you bringing up such a nonissue?
The architect
The Developer
https://www.alanderconstruction.com/about
There’s no secrets in jail
https://www.wamc.org/news/2024-04-17/as-miss-halls-sex-abuse-scandal-expands-attorney-representing-students-says-more-faculty-members-could-be-named-as-predators
Look at the title… “Journalist” Josh Landes, and I use that term loosely, has proven your point, Dan. He couldn’t have said, “…more faculty ACCUSED…” He has already named and labeled them as predators. Apparently you don’t need to use the word “allegedly” anymore to avoid slander/libel
Thank you, GHOST. I’m sure Josh has little choice but to feed his bosses as Woke NPR. We feel for the lad.
It took place 14 years ago and now a former student at Miss Hall’s school is claiming sexual play with a teacher at the school. The now formally respected teacher has resigned because of the accusation. No legal decision of guilt or innocence of the respected teacher has been made, but an accusation like this against a married man with children is serious business. There has not been a decision of guilt or innocence, but he left his job because of the accusation. I don’t blame him. No mention, of course, if the older teenage student was agreeable to this sexual activity. I notice there has been no complaint of forced sexual play, so I am assuming there was agreement from both parties. Now, 14 years later she complains of sexual play with a former teacher. It is 14 years later, this girl was over the age of consent if anything did happen. She certainly is old enough now to know what she is doing. What’s next? i am sure it is a lawyer who will seek a cash settlement. Be aware, guys, it could happen to you. This is ridiculous and outrageous.
Thank you, CHUCK. Common sense from the Voice of Experience.
The school will be the one to pay seeing how according to WAMC reporting it was/is the culture of these private schools. Well when it closes the city will have a place for all the illegals and houseless, but not our veterans
‘Countdown to catastrophe’ with reports of imminent Rafah attack
Israeli media are reporting an Israeli military invasion of southern Rafah will happen “very soon”. Outcries have grown around the world against such an assault with more than one million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
“Everybody seems to be on a countdown to war across the largest displacement camp on Earth, which is Rafah,” said Norwegian Refugee Council boss Jan Egeland.
A ground assault on Rafah would be an “apocalyptic situation”, Egeland warned, adding humanitarian groups “are completely in the dark on how to mitigate this countdown to a catastrophe”.
Rolling On The Floor Laughing So Hard That I Hit My Head On The wall Very Hard That The Wall Got Cracks And The House Started Shaking And My Mom Ran Into My Room Thinking I was Dead But I Was Still Laughing
‘how long do I cook the chicken for in the air fryer?’
Bam, $700k
What Colonialism looks like in 2020
https://www.berkshireargus.com/follow-up-part-two-nearly-two-years/
I thought dams were bad for the environment and adds to global warming? That’s what they have been saying to remove a bunch of dams throughout the state
Spotting glass is not easy for the untrained eye, and the rarest finds are hidden under layers of sediment. Where the eye fails, though, the ear succeeds. Sound is a great ally to distinguish plastic from glass, even when mud and sand obscure a find.
When scratched with the cultivator, plastic will make a dull, slippery sound or a rustle. Glass, on the other hand, makes a clear and bright sound, like the ringing of a bell.
Absolutely profound, wow. How deep.
DAN, I have to say, when I first read this column I thought “yeah, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…..” THEN Today I read the BEagle’s latest story of how the Teacher visited a former student at her college and allegedly did or said inappropriate things “later in the day”. The former student, (who I would assume is 18 as a college Freshman and is an emancipated, voting age, probably using a fake ID adult then complained to her parents, who then wrote to the school about the behavior-complaining about it and now have apparently contacted the Boring Broadsheet with a copy of their letter.
The Boring Broadsheet, and it’s woke scribes who will always put on hold their wokism temporarily when it fits their needs to throw a woman under the bus who comes out with allegations about their preferred mayoral candidate and now prints garbage like the article today further damaging the reputation of a man who has not been convicted of anything. Claiming MHS did nothing about the letter.
MHS Did nothing about what? A visit by one adult to another adult (maybe invited to visit) that turned “uncomfortable”???? The employer (MHS) has no legal authority to tell any teacher that they cannot have contact with another adult just because the other adult is a FORMER student! So this is why MHS probably did nothing- because legally they couldn’t. Fire him, face a wrongful termination lawsuit instead? Over a meeting of two adults? Part of the issue as I see it are the parents treating this adult like a child and feeling the need to write a letter on her behalf.
Thanks for the thoughts and insights, CRAB. Well reasoned.
You really don’t understand how a predator grooms a minor?