A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION SEPT. 11-3, 2026) — It was 25 years ago that terrorists left Boston’s Logan Airport, flew over the Berkshires, and took down Manhattan’s Twin Towers. It was this century’s Pearl Harbor and JFK Assassination.
THE PLANET was live on the air that beautiful morning hosting another edition of The Dan Valenti Show on WBRK. Probably only a journalist will understand, but when a story like this breaks, there’s no better place to be than a newsroom. We’ve been involved first-hand in some big stories: breaking the Son of Sam capture in the summer of 1977 at the Syracuse Post-Standard and at the Times Leader in Pennsylvania in 1979, breaking news of the Three Mile Island meltdown and leading coverage that eventually took down congressman Dan Flood, Northeast PA’s Silvio Conte. The Twin Towers ranks up with them.
In the quarter century since that tragic day, the memory stays fresh. A listener called and asked if we knew what was going on in NYC. We hadn’t.
Then, Bob Shade came into the broadcast booth where we did the show and placed a slip under my microphone. It said a commercial jetliner had just crashed in one of the towers. In a situation like that, something kicks in. You don’t speculate. You simple relay the facts. You get into “Cronkite Mode.” In this case, the updates were coming into the WBRK newsroom on the wire. With each snippet of news, a runner would bring it in and we would share what we knew.
It was when the second liner took down the second tower that we declared the crashes were not accidental. That was getting ahead of the story, but there was no other reasonable conclusion to make. We improvised our live local coverage until we could plug into the direct CBS newsfeed. Jim Bouton in his book Foul Ball has an excellent account of the show that morning. Bouton was a regular listener.
The world has become a much different place since then. THE PLANET invites you to share your thoughts on that day … and to bring up any other topic you wish.
Remember, unlike the Boring Broadsheet, we don’t beg for your money and we actually welcome the free and full exchange of ideas.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
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“A day that will live in infamy” — Franklin Roosevelt
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE”
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2026 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
25 years since 9/11/2001.
The terrorists flew over the Berkshires that tragic day.
We remember 9/11 and honor the great significance of the U.S.A. in the world.
Low-tech hijacks deal deadly blow
By Michael Dobbs The Washington Post
Over the last few years, as concern grew about the possibility of a large-scale terrorist attack against the United States, senior U.S. officials and counterterrorism experts warned about a “digital Pearl Harbor,” a “nuclear Pearl Harbor” even a “biological Pearl Harbor.” But no one predicted the catastrophic event that actually took place: hijacked airplanes – evidently commandeered by men wielding knives – crashing into the centers of American financial and military power.
From a headline in the Berkshire Eagle 9/12/2001
Amazing how 9 men with box cutters changed the world 25 years ago today
9/11 was definitely a time in American history that we can recall where exactly we were when we heard the horrible news.
Fast-forward 25 years later and where are we aa a country?
In keep with tradition, NYC elected a dumocRAT as mayor.
But not just any dumocRAT. No, they elected a radical Muslim (Zohran Mamdani), to be the mayor of NYC. Go figure, huh?
Vickie Paladino Demands Zohran Mamdani Skip 9/11 Ceremony
Zohran Mamdani defies 9/11 families and attends Ground Zero memorial | Fox News
Leave it to the dumocRATS to ruin the one event that brought the country together 25 years ago.
Divide and Conquer is the Democrat’s go to play.
25 years ago we were brought together. Today trump and his cult are ripping us back apart. But this time Humpty Dumpty will not so easily be put back together as trump has destroyed the very fiber of America both at home and abroad.
all down thumbs are AIU generated and will be banished to the burn pit which will recognize them for their worthlessness and negative intent Today of all days all posts should be honored and respected with copious amounts of thumbs up and Markus I want to personally thank YOU ahead of time for your attention to this matter.
It is not too late to go back and reverse your thumbs down. You know it is the right thing to do. Stop the madness.
You PV folks really should ease up on your view of our Boring Broadsheet. The BB provides info on arts, lifestyles and politics, with nary a misspelling or grammar error in sight. Included is just enough from the wire services to give a hint of global feel. There is outstanding coverage on sports – the revenue sports as well as golf, soccer, lacrosse and volleyball.
Behind each of the by-lines is a talented writer, merging useful info from the community and historical past, inserting clever topical and local innuendo while drawing their piece to a cogent close.
There’s also great coverage of southern Berkshire, especially Sheffield, Becket, Great Barrington, Otis and Stockbridge. Recently we read about the selling of a 91 acre tract in Richmond for housing development to Texas investors and how the town is considering voting in the opposite direction. Also the sale of the $1.3 million mansion in Hancock.
The saddest thing is that you can’t see past your noses in trashing the BB because of your strong bias against its left-leaning editorial policy. This bias prevents y’all from seeing Quality where it exists. The BB is an award-deserving rag and should be treated like one.
Ps, congrats to PV, which is now using AI sentiment analysis to screen posts in its never-ending quest to keep the playing field unlevel in its favor.
Duah, Red!
(cough, cough…)
The Eagle seems to be reveling in their pictures of Waconah park being demolished. Rubbing it in the faces of all those who fought so hard to preserve it back a few decades ago. Since that day they snarkingly changed the city charter in a major power grab and now seem to be gloating over the pile of rubble that had such history in the city.
Meanwhile the cars and trucks and school buses still bounce and bang their way under the Hubbard ave railroad pass. In an ironic way both of these things are symbolic of what the city has evolved to. A whole Mad magazine edition if I ever saw one.
Great analogy … The Boring Broadsheet and MAD magazine.
Remembering the few days after 9/11, it was a time when it didn’t matter what pollitical party you supported or what color you were, we all came together as Americans. The hatred and bitterness was gone, even though the USA had gone through a terrible tragedy, people came together. How I wish our country and political parties could come together again without using a tragedy to do so. Let’s stop the party hatred and work together as the great country we are.
God Bless America!!!
Unfortunately M&B, we have the great divider in chief, Hussein Obama, to thank for that. I don’t ever see it going back to the old days.
There are people on the Planet who still believe a brain-dead Autopen got almost 18M more votes than their black messiah, Hussein, did in 2008.
Back to your post, when Hussein stated he was going to “fundamentally change America,” he truly meant it.
*Smith-Mundt Act (2012)-allowed propaganda to be used by the US media against US citizens (just think of Meanwhile and Marxist Melle and their posts and realize how effective this was/is).
*Continued parroting HW Bush’s stance on us (the USA) needing a New World Order (NWO).
*Defund the Police
*Set race relations back decades
*Transplanted 3rd world immigrants and geographically placed them to ensure democRAT strong holds (MN, Dearborn, MI, etc).
*Illegal Aliens voting in US elections
*Attached the mentally ill (trans) to the LGB community, under guise of “equality.”
*Social Justice Advocates (I.e.-get out of jail free for black people) placed as judges, DA’s (Wrong Way Harrington), Police Chiefs, in law enforcing roles
*Obamacare (quadrupled my insurance rates, so deadbeats and welfare rats get free insurance)
*Pallets of US tax dollars flown overnight and given to the WORLD’S LEADING SPONSOR OF TERRORISM-Iran
How do you even begin to reverse all of that?
HOW COME….
When “M.A.” posts his daily “Marxist Melle” writings because I am a Democrat who supports the likes of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey….
Nobody writes the equivalent of “Andy, Andy, Andy….”
BUT….when I – Jon Melle – posts my daily writings about “LUCIFORO”, several posters write mocking words about me?
HOW COME….
“M.A.” is fine with J.D. Vance calling Donald Trump’s “America’s Hitler”, which he took back to fall in line with his Orange Jesus MAGA leader….
But when I post about Trump, Hitler, ICE, the Holocaust, then I have offended the Jewish People and other victims of Nazi Germany’s Holocaust?
HOW COME….
Posters defend the third-rate rag called The Berkshire Eagle that blacklisted me – Jon Melle – for close to the past 22.5 years of my 51-year-old adult life….
But when the likes of Tricia Farley Buffet, Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics all refuse to speak with blogger Dan Valenti, who is the best journalists in the beautiful Berkshires, nobody calls them out for only supporting news media outlets that support their one-political-(Democrat)-party insider-politics that has led to Pittsfield having the 2nd highest Commercial Tax Rate in Massachusetts; Holyoke is 1st, record-breaking city budgets that outspend Pittsfield’s peer small cities such as Westfield and Fitchburg by tens of millions of dollars per fiscal year, and so on?
THE BOTTOM LINE is that the blog named PlanetValenti.com allows FREE SPEECH in the one-party-system of political insiders in “the Pitts”.
Jon Melle
As I wrote in my last post that you glazed over Marxist Melle, had Andy Nuciforo not rejected your sexual advances towards him when you first met him according to other posts on I’ve read on here, you’d be singing a different tune about Andy.
You are the true definition of a hypocrite or professional victim. I haven’t decided yet. It’s one of the other.
You post inflammatory remarks about people (Andy, Wimpy White, or Mayor Lumpy), but then immediately claim “victim” when they hit back at you.
A hypocrite or professional victim?
Definitely a wimp, but what else?
In that you and others defend Nuciforo tells me that you and others have been conditioned by the one-(Democrat)-party in Pittsfield to eat their shit sandwiches.
Earl, the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics, Tricia Country Buffet, and the other Pittsfield political insiders hate blogger Dan Valenti because he is too smart to be a FOOL like you and others. Valenti does not fall for Pittsfield’s operate conditioning like you and others.
Pittsfield has brain washed its local residents into believing that Nuciforo walks on water…the Mayor has six-pack abs instead of a BIG beer belly….Pete White looks cute in his Voltron headpiece….Earl looks like Barack Obama….Tricia is the defender of Olde Country Buffet…
I guess you and others can say the same about me for supporting Andrea Harrington, Kamala Harris & Maura Healey. I guess that I am a hypocrite after all.
I am not good enough for Nuciforo. Blogger Dan Valenti is not good enough for Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics. So what?
Jon can’t handle facts MA
To begin to reverse this madness, we must raise up many more righteous/courageous leaders who take action, action and action. We have become an appeasing neutered nation that follows right along with what Winston Churchill once said, “ An appeaser is the one who feeds the alligator hoping it will eat him last”. We reject the truth and instead choose to live in some fabricated shangra-la Utopian world, where we can all play pretend, a place we never have to encounter the boogie man or pay the consequences of our actions.
To your point, Pete Hegthbreath is giving testosterone to all the military folk. Is he a badass or what?
(it is not working against the Iranians though)
With Trump?
Never Forget! Apparently some have, regardless of politics, why would Democrats be in favor of open borders? Clinton’s were not, Obama was not. Biden opens our borders. Drugs pouring in, human trafficking and terrorist. Why? There will be another 9-11 very soon. There are just too many evil people who have entered our Country.
Good post Joe.
It is so hard to get the country together when divisive and hate filled posts keep popping up
Right Joe?
Divisiveness does occurs when truth slaps fallacy in the face. Truth is a very difficult concept to recognize and accept for those who pledge allegiance to the DemonicRat party. A party that is hell bent on destroying this great Republic , a petulant party working overtime to usher in communism/islamic governance, an unlawful party that disregards the Constitution, a party that has been blinded from reality by listening to the propaganda incessantly spewed by the shame stream media outlets. Your party plain and simple is an enemy of the state and continually needs to be called out for everything it does and stands for.
Diesel prices in US top $6 a gallon for first time ever
(gotdamn Hillary)
(and Biden)
(and Obama)
(and Kamala)
But thank you trump from keeping under $15 (for now) he da man!!
Wrong again. Retard.
How come when Autopen (Hussein’s 3rd term) when gas prices spike to record levels, you dumocRATS (yes, Craig…errr, I mean Meanwhile), stated that it was a “Putin price hike,” and “President’s don’t control the price of oil?”
Biden’s claim that 70% of inflation jump is due to ‘Putin’s price hike’ – The Washington Post
Now it’s President Trump’s fault?
What changed, A$$clown?
How come you never address a post as written? Why do you always have to take it sideways instead of facing it head on? Is it because you can’t? Is it because there you have no good answer? Is it because that is what trump and Fox news and Newsmax has trained you to do?
Yes, it is.
Facts.
A tough thing to overcome when your posts are based only on emotions and TDS.
Again. Sideways you go. No substance just misdirection.
The media coverage of the very few 9/11 events here in Berkshire County was very minimal. There was only an article about a man writing a book about 9/11 and an editorial about 9/11 in the BB. The Democrats don’t want to bring it up if they can help it because it calls attention to their dangerous open borders policy during the Biden administration. Open border policies that they want to continue if they regain power. The editorial predictably takes jabs at President Trump while saying that the war on terror has created more terrorists. The Democrats were saying the same thing before the 9-11 attack. Look the other way, don’t confront the terrorists and just appease them. Leading up to the 9/11 attack we had many smaller attacks on Bill Clinton’s watch that were totally ignored. The Berkshire Eagle editorial fears another terrorist attack, but wants to blame any potential attack on President Trump and not the open border policies that allowed so many dangerous people to enter our country.
And so, of course Pat, if another mass attack were to occur now, it would be the democrats fault, and not the fault of the current administration.
The point is that the people of this country and the politicians should be working TOGETHER to prevent further terrorist attacks. We can’t hide our heads in the sand and pretend there is no threat. Democrats wanting open borders increases the threat . Young people who weren’t even born when 9/11 happened should be fully educated on exactly what happened and why. Watching the coverage of the attacks on 9/11 yesterday was traumatic, but necessary so we never forget the evil that happened on that day.
Prior to the tragic 9/11 day, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky distracted everyone by turning the Oval Office into the Oral Orifice.
In the mid-2020’s, we are distracted by the tragedies that occurred in the Epstein Files that the Trump administration is covering up with only a little over 50 days until the 2026 midterms elections.
Then there is Trump’s gal pal Natalie Harp 30 years after Clinton’s gal pal Monica Lewinsky.
Being the U.S. President attracts young woman who are close to the man and his center of pleasure….I mean the center of power.
Jonny look at your last statement and think how it could benefit you. If you run against your cousin Mayor Pete and beat him and become Pittsfield mayor you could attract wicked hot young buff studs into the corner office you’d be in hog heaven and always harder than Chinese arithmetic think about it Jonny. You can win
Mocking me must make mudslinging merry.
Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics pounds, pummels, pulverizes, punishes people’s purses.
The Doyle debacle….
The Hathaway hack….
The Ruberto regime….
The Bianchi bust….
The Tyer taxer….
The Marchetti meltdowns….
I hope someone else other than me – Jon Melle – will be elected the new Mayor of Pittsfield in 2027 who will serve the people and taxpayers instead of the political insiders.
I hope everyone on the Planet had a good weekend. In keeping with the Iran War topic, I wanted to post an article by WSJ.
Yes, the ultra-blue WSJ.
Gunther Eagleman™ on X: “Even the Wall Street Journal just admitted it. Iran is not winning this war. Not close. Their military is gutted. Their economy is collapsing. Their proxies are gone. Their navy is at the bottom of the Gulf. The media spent months screaming “quagmire.” Trump spent month… / X
For those who can’t read it, here are the cliffnotes:
Meanwhile, “I support China,” they called you out.
Thanks for sharing, MARK.
I read your post Markus and the words “unadulterated horseshit” came immediately to mind.
China, by the way, is loving this war as it is weakening the American war machine more and more by the day. America could not help Taiwan at all, or any of its other “allies”. They are toast, We are toast.
Trump even just told Saudi Arabia he cannot help them anymore. After all the billions he scammed them out of he is now abandoning them. He has been scrambling for a way out without humiliation for two months but there may not be one any longer. He signed a deal on worldwide television and bragged he had ended the war and then went back on his word and all hell came back in his face. That is where we are really at Markus.
Now I am feeling badly because I feel like I just told you Santa Claus is not real. Damn
We’ve established you lack reading comprehension skills, so to save you from further embarrassing yourself, I stated in my post it was a “Wall Street Journal story.”
Brush up on the Abraham Accord and you’ll understand why Trump told Saudi Arabia to go sh!t in their hats.
Not to mention they denied the use of their airspace for USA forces when we bombed Iran.
Karma sucks, doesn’t it MW?
Dan
Again chose to miss the lede
That Taxatwoshits, does not allow teaching , the facts of 9/11/2001, is just further evidence of Indoctrination, not education.
That fateful day, I was installing steel at Bard College Annandale, Fisher arts Center.
The acrid smoke, was coming up the Hudson, too heavy to rise.
That NYC has elected a muslin extremist mayor , proves the influx of third world immigrants, has dumbed down the population, to dangerous levels.
Seeing the pattern yet?
What’s Timmy the fixer, have to say about Hinsdale selected man , using hecklers veto, to intimidate a complainant at town meeting 9/9/26?
Dan too afraid to ask Timmy , real questions, lest he lose his keyboard again.
9/14/26@9pm
Tom
Dans silence about Distracted Attorney and judiciary corruption, speaks loudly..
On Tooix
Candidate Bo French points out the obvious, at longhorn football game, and the libtards immediately jump the RACIST train!
Seeing the pattern yet?
It’s the immigration stupid!
American femanazi Demonrats, murder citizens with Abortion, then import replacements via immigration.
The great replacement, Odumber designed- is treasonous .’
The Bush Junta started it as demonrat lights, No wonder Karl Rove is voting against French. He also supports Tailifreako ,ICYMI…
Seeing the pattern yet?
9/15/26@7:39 am
Tom
I will never forget a couple of days after 9/11 driving them North Street to run an errand with my car radio to to Pyx106.
It was another beautiful mid-september day and we all had our windows rolled down and as I was pulling into park, Pyx play The who song Won’t Get Fooled Again.
Every. single. Car. Turned it up.
It was spontaneous that we all decided that nobody on North Street that day was going to miss a note of that song.
It was a moment that unified all of us.