BY DAN VALENTI

IF she’s smart, she will move out of state. The media coverage has ruined any chance of the surrounding district hiring her unless they are beyond desperate.

Best thing I have read in awhile, and I needed a good chuckle. Thanks dan!!

A-lie.

Here’s the legal connection:

Just like in Shepherd v. Florida, where the Court warned that the appearance of justice must be upheld, your observation suggests that:

The public is being misled by institutions presenting a façade of accountability.

Systemic forces (school departments, DCF, courts) are shielding individuals from scrutiny while punishing whistleblowers or parents – like yourself – for speaking out.

Procedural correctness is being used as a mask to cover up coercion, bias, or retaliation.

“In Shepherd v. Florida, 341 U.S. 50 (1951), the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that justice is not served when a trial, or institutional proceeding, functions merely as a mask — a hollow exercise shielding predetermined outcomes from public scrutiny. In the same manner, the resignation of Alison Shepherd, under public obfuscation by school officials and media allies, reflects an institutional pattern of protecting insiders while denying full transparency. This tactic mirrors what I have experienced at the hands of DCF and affiliated actors, where the appearance of due process belies systemic injustice. Such conduct not only undermines public trust but also violates the constitutional guarantee of fair and impartial proceedings.”

Shepherd is Not Just a Name: When the Juris Bleeds into the Halls of PHS.

They say Shepherd’s pie is off the menu at Pittsfield High. Cute. “I fxn hate Shepherd’s Pie”. I meant what i said.

But let’s be clear: Shepherd is not just a name. It’s not just the disgraced vice principal whose resignation now flutters through local media in softened tones, tucked gently between softball scores and antique fairs. Shepherd is jurisprudence. And this is case law in motion.

– As Served by professionals wearing chef’s hats at Institutional Kitchens and School everywhere

Let’s talk about the dish that dares to call itself comfort food while tasting like the administrative grief of a mandatory HR meeting. Shepherd’s Pie – that lumpy, gloopy slab of regret pretending to be dinner.

At its best? It’s a reheated apology.

At its worst? It’s institutional gaslighting in casserole form.

What are we even eating here? A graveyard of textures. Grainy mashed potatoes on top of gray mystery meat that may once have been alive, buried under a layer of sorrowful corn and guilt peas. It’s like someone scraped together all the leftovers from a public school cafeteria, molded them into a soggy brick, and called it tradition.

The smell? Think wet wool socks and desperation.
The taste? Like an email from HR: bland, officious, and somehow both underseasoned and passive-aggressive.

Let’s face it – Shepherd’s Pie is the culinary embodiment of bureaucratic failure. It looks like something that was once important, now watered down to appease everyone and satisfy no one. A dish so safe, it’s dangerous. A dinner that says: “You don’t get options. You get compliance.”

And the irony?

Alie Shepherd gets a soft landing and glowing recommendations, while the public gets her metaphor served on a cracked plate, cafeteria-style. Shepherd’s Pie isn’t just off the PHS menu – it should’ve been taken off the m(ay)oral menu years ago.

When the Supreme Court handed down Shepherd v. Florida, 341 U.S. 50 (1951), it was not just correcting a flawed trial – it was diagnosing a disease: the substitution of appearances for justice. It was a warning that institutions sometimes maintain the illusion of order and accountability while predetermined outcomes unfold behind closed doors.

And now, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, that warning has arrived in the flesh.

The community is handed a narrative: Alison Shepherd resigned, full stop. No further inquiry. No press conference. No questions about who knew what – and when. Just a clean exit. We’re told this was a “mutual decision” or, in Planet Valenti’s words, a “Hobson’s choice.” The reality? A pre-scripted exit meant to protect the institution, not the children, the staff, or the public interest.

This is Shepherd all over again.

The Shepherd Court understood that justice must not merely be done – it must be seen to be done. In Pittsfield, what we see is a half-empty press release. What we don’t see is accountability. We don’t see the names of the enablers. We don’t see the disciplinary record. We don’t see an admission of harm.

Instead, we are asked to accept silence as closure.

Let me remind the readers of what Shepherd v. Florida actually argued:

“The trial of petitioners was but a mask – the verdict predetermined by the pressures and prejudices of the community.”
– Douglas, J., dissenting, 341 U.S. at 55

This is no longer just a case in the archives. It’s an operating system.

At every level – from school boards to DCF courtrooms – we see the substitution of process for purpose. We are told the gears of justice are turning, but we’re not allowed to see where the tracks are laid. In Pittsfield, like in Florida in 1951, justice is a backstage production. And if you’re not in the cast? You’re collateral damage.

The Shepherd of PHS is gone, but the institutional instinct to protect its own lives on. If you’re still wondering why some of us won’t stop naming names, here’s why: because the system already did – and it wasn’t yours.

Ketchup !!!

Article XIV – wave your flag.

To change subjects briefly on Saturday’s “No Kings” Rally, aka-“The No Diversity, AARP Rally.”

I cut and paste a photo from the Eagle’s fawning expose on the rally. Nothing about Flag Day or the US Army’s BD celebration, just the “No Kings” rally.

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/multimedia/protest-signs-that-packed-a-punch-heres-a-look-at-some-of-the-signs-across/collection_9f9c1f34-da3b-4f49-a695-02a196fb3a93.html

**I hate to remind democRATS that your party during the last Presidential election cycle:

*Refused to hold a primary.
*Conducted a non-violent coup on President Auto-Pen.
*Removed President Auto-Pen WITHOUT his knowledge.
*Annointed Kamala Harris WITHOUT ONE SINGLE VOTE.
*Used the Courts to keep RFK Jr off the ballots.
*Used Lawfare against President Trump, to try and keep him off the ballot and imprison him.
*Used the Courts to try and keep President Trump off the ballot, after lawfare failed.
*Two Assassination Attempts on President Trump.

June 16, 2025

I am relieved that Donald Trump’s administration disputed news reports that Veterans would be denied care by the VA based on marital status and politics, among other groups that Trump’s MAGA beliefs disagree with.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5353202-va-hospitals-report-white-house-denial/

I hope that Donald Trump and his presidential administration will always hold dear their lofty ideals of a strong VA that cares for Veterans.

As a permanent and total 100 percent service-connected disabled Veteran, I am grateful for the VA care that I receive every week of my life. I always praise the medical providers and VA Staff Members who care for Veterans at the VA and in the Community.

I felt honored when Donald Trump sent me an email letter a little over 2 months ago, and he addressed me “Veteran Melle”.

I also feel comforted that the Office of Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, who is a Navy Veteran who worked for U.S. Senator John McCain, told me today that I can call them with any concerns I have with the VA and the care that I am legally entitled to under the law.

Jon Melle