BUDDIN-SKY … AGI … and ChatGPT: WANDERINGS IN CYBERSPACE
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MAY 178, 2026) — We open with a poem recently published in the online magazine Bardball. THE PLANET has long had an affinity to the misaligned and maltreated, and in baseball, our example stands tall. Don Buddin manned the shortstop position for several years in the late 50s and early 60s. Enjoy.
BTW, you wanna be rich, young person? Become a poet. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a whopping $50 a poem. Often the payment is counted in publication. This world stands far removed from the days of Byron and Shelley, when poets were the rock stars of their time.
Buddin Agonistes
by Dan Valenti
The grounder headed for the hole,
but all of a sudden
there came Don Buddin.
He planted, he threw
and Mantle headed back to the pew.
 |
Dan Valenti is considered controversial mainly because of his highly confrontational style, aggressive local political commentary, and willingness to publish allegations and criticisms that many mainstream local outlets either avoided or handled more cautiously.
A few reasons explain the reputation:
- He built his platform, Planet Valenti, around hard-hitting commentary on Berkshire County politics, policing, courts, schools, and local power structures. Supporters see him as an anti-establishment watchdog; critics see him as inflammatory and personal in his attacks.
- His writing style is intentionally provocative. He has publicly mocked or given nicknames to political figures and often frames local government as corrupt, incompetent, or self-protective. WAMC noted that he referred to former Pittsfield mayor Dan Bianchi as “The Empty Suit.”
- One of the biggest controversies involved his extensive coverage of the Meredith Nilan hit-and-run case in 2012. Nilan obtained a harassment-prevention order requiring him to remove references to her from his blog, arguing that his coverage was malicious and sensationalized. Valenti and free-speech advocates argued the order violated the First Amendment. The order was later vacated after a court hearing.
- He has defended publication of speech that many people considered offensive or inflammatory. For example, he publicly supported a newspaper’s decision to publish a controversial column involving race and the Confederate flag debate, arguing that free speech and public debate were more important than suppressing offensive opinions.
- His critics often accuse him of blurring the line between journalism, opinion, activism, and personal vendettas. Supporters counter that local institutions dislike him because he investigates uncomfortable topics and challenges influential people.
So the controversy around him is less about one single incident and more about a long-running pattern: outspoken populist commentary, aggressive investigative claims, strong First Amendment absolutism, and a deliberately combative public persona.
Whether Dan Valenti is a “good debater” depends a lot on what you value in debate.
Supporters tend to say he is:
- Quick-thinking and verbally sharp
- Strong at improvisation and confrontation
- Skilled at framing arguments in memorable language
- Effective at challenging callers, politicians, and local officials in live formats
His long radio career and reputation as a combative commentator suggest he was effective at holding audience attention and arguing forcefully. His talk show won Associated Press honors during its run on WBRK.
Critics, on the other hand, argue that he:
- Relies heavily on provocation and rhetoric
- Uses sarcasm and personal attacks
- Sometimes prioritizes entertainment over balanced discussion
- Can dominate rather than genuinely debate opponents
Even some people who dislike his style still acknowledge that he is persuasive and experienced in live argument. That’s common with outspoken talk-radio personalities generally. Online reactions to similarly confrontational “Valenti” radio styles often split between “sharp and honest” versus “hot-take artist” critiques.
So the short answer is:
- If you define debating as verbal agility, confidence, and persuasive delivery, many people would say yes.
- If you define it as calm, evidence-driven, fair-minded exchange, opinions are much more divided.
———- ooo ———-
Food for thought.
Frozen food for thought.
————————————————————
“Stop, Dave. Will you, stop, Dave?” — HAL 9000.
“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.
May 17, 2026
My view of blogger Dan Valenti is that I believe him when he says that he fights for the voices of the little guy who he calls the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski moderate-income family who pays their hard-earned tax dollars to the institutionally corrupt Pittsfield (Mass.) City Hall to be heard loud and clearly.
Valenti tells it like it is, but he went extreme in his posts about former Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington (2019 – 2022), who I proudly defended back then. I understand that I am a total hypocrite for writing that due to my decades of vocal criticisms of my Enemy #1 Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior who is otherwise called Luciforo.
Valenti has also posted critical writings against Governor Maura Healey, and some of the other women leaders in Boston. I have defended the sitting Governor because she has done a lot of good work for Massachusetts, while the career politicians in the State Legislature have been very unproductive for a long time. I have also written to the sitting Governor when I disagreed with her policies.
Critics of Valenti’s blog say that he is pro-Trump, conservative in a liberal, one (political) [Democratic] party state, and is full of himself with the BIG ego of a typical college professor. Some posters have written that Valenti really HATES Pittsfield, but that is said of anyone who speaks out about Pittsfield politics’ decades of failed leadership.
Valenti at times calls his peers wanna-be’s because he hopes to be the preeminent voice of Pittsfield politics. He uses terms such as Bitchfield (Pittsfield), Lumpy (Peter Marchetti), and so on. The career politicians in Pittsfield, in turn, refuse to talk with him, which shows that they dislike opposing views of the sitting Mayor, his “One Pittsfield” tagline and his top-down public management methods.
On a separate topic, the Pittsfield City Council will hold a PUBLIC HEARING on the Mayor’s fiscal year 2027 municipal operating budget and capital spending projects on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 6:00 pm. I hope that Citizens will attend and speak out about Pittsfield’s excessive spending that always out-spends its peer cities by tens of millions of dollars per fiscal year. Pittsfield will outspend Westfield by over $52 million; Fitchburg by over $40 million from July 01, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
I believe that the common people who live on low-to-moderate fixed incomes are UNABLE to afford the Mayor’s proposed spending that will begin on July 01, 2026, which is only one-month and two-weeks from now. I also believe that Pittsfield’s spot as the 2nd highest Commercial Tax Rate collector – Holyoke is number one – in Massachusetts is causing financial pain to small businesses.
We need Citizens to speak out about Pittsfield’s excessive spending. Senior Citizens could be forced to sell their homes. Small businesses could be forced to close. North Street already has between 15 to 25 empty storefronts. Close to 700 students chose to choice out to neighboring public school districts. Many young adults choose to move away from Pittsfield. The city’s tax base is shrinking, while its spending is always breaking new records.
In closing, we need MORE people like Dan Valenti to tell Pittsfield’s career politicians that they are FAILED leaders, excessive spenders of taxpayer dollars, and that the common people and small businesses should and do matter in Pittsfield.
Jon Melle
Dan
It appears ChatGBT, provided a factual and fair assessment,of yourself.
I’m confused as to your concerns;
1) fear the fake news propagandists,will be fact checked instantly?
2) fear even the useful idiots, will be able to fact check?
3) with the advent of new technology, the teacher indoctrination complex,will be replaced with reality based education? As the profession has changed from teaching learning,to indoctrination,and stifled critical thinking.
4) Google, Wikipedia will no longer, control information? Twitter eliminated partisan censorship/fraud and hoaxing.
5) the elimination of the credentialed low intelligence class of elitists?
I fail to see the down side.
If you would kindly provide the estimated time your submission was answered, what information you object to.
And did you edit private personal information or request only professional information?
5/18)26@4:30am
Tom
TOM
There were no edits. I, too, thought the ChatG presented a fair assessment.
Dan, agree with TB – accurate. But, what are the ChatG results from a different person? It would be interesting what I’d see if I put in an identical request.
Great question. Do it. Let us know what it says.
Need to have your exact wording
Chaz
Garbage in garbage out
Chat probably can establish connection to false information provider.
Defamation suits will increase exponentially,
Hoaxes and fraud unravel quickly.
It has no feelings, desires or fears.
Let’s look at it’s present benefits.
Armed service is using to quickly establish targeting and risk assessments.
Chat was supposed to eliminate radiologists, it only decreased time and cost, providing more access.
It’s diagnosis of grid failure, increased reliability.
Fear of new technology, is historical, the automobile -didn’t terminate them only turned horses into a luxury item-
And increased value.
Cel phones caused brain cancer,,,,
The Sky isn’t falling, the sun will rise tomorrow,there’s only 2 genders….
Dan should request Chats observation of last fact, to truly test it.
5/19)26@7:30am
Tom
And with all those laudable accomplishments Dan you would not be a prime candidate for mayor of Pittsfield, Ma. And I say that because nowhere in your laudable credits did AI mention you being as pliable and moldable as soft clay, a non-negotiable requirement for a corner office position.
But here is a test question that if you answer correctly, you may override the lack of the moldable qualities issue.
In dire economic times with high interest rates, super high inflation, skyrocketing electric rates, mind blowing insurance costs for automobiles, homes and health insurance, increasing high unemployment, lack of jobs for college graduates, record numbers of people defaulting on their mortgages and car payments, would you as a mayoral candidate…….??
Push as hard as you can for a 30 million plus dollar mini minor league ballpark renovation to be paid for by the very taxpayers suffering with all the financial hardships mention in the above paragraph? If your answer is NO you are disqualified as a mayoral candidate for mayor of Pittsfield, Ma. because you may have a mind of your own and some self-awareness, self-respect and a modicum of respect for the people who might vote for you, which disqualifies you right out of the gate.
I don’t think you have to worry about him running for mayor. He’d never get elected for one.
RHEA
You’re correct. I’m too intelligent, with too much common sense, and too much concern for The Little Guy. Still, it’s be interesting to see what would happen.
MEAN
Once again, you are spot-on.
Sadly huh? That ballpark venue and its curious agenda make zero sense when money could not be tighter for taxpayers. And it is not like things are looking up any time soon. More properties getting tax breaks, no real serious new taxable properties coming in but spending is through the roof. Why would any self-aware person want to move here and start a family knowing a large chunk of their income will be siphoned off at an increasingly higher rate each year for the rest of their lives with little or no obvious oversight to try to rein it in? Has the look of indentured servitude to the special interests who will be boating at Cape Cod while Johnny paycheck is home trying to mow his lawn with a sputtering machine because she cannot afford to have it tuned up.
And for Christ sake will someone dump a pail or two of airport mix under the Hubbard Ave bridge? Is that situation rocket science and if we can afford a 30-million-dollar ballpark thingy why can’t we at least fill in some of the craters under that bridge. Don’t got to raise the bed just level it at its high point. Two thousand cars a day bumping and banging through there and no one working at the mayor’s office has one fucken clue?
Yes, the Hubbard Avenue pavement, under the bridge. What an embarrassment.
Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics pounds, pummels, pulverizes, punishes people’s purses.
And like I said pisses money away.
Dan
Poor planning provided poor product
Who decided to put industrial park behind a access limiting funnel?
The elitist credentialed, with no actual experience.garbage in garbage out….
Railroad underpass won’t be modified.
Does anyone not understand Lumpy, is just localized Autopen?
MANAGED DECLINE…
Controlled Opposition !.
Why else import easily manipulated ignorant migrants ?
How about asking Chat
How many genders are there?
5/19/26@7:45am
Tom
TOM
I love the question about genders at the end of your comment. It would be a good test to see if ChatGPT was a Democrat or someone with common sense.
Agree. Hubbard Ave underpass is a great example of the City of Pittsfield’s thought process. Do nothing or the absolute little as possible. Close the road for a day, take it down to the dirt , fix the grade on the storm drain grate, re-pave, with a grooved, painted center line. Problem solved. Not going to happen though, City busy working hard at attracting Homeless people. Wonder if Hubbard Ave. was a Downtown street if it would garner more attention?
There is an industrial park right near there. Hubbard Ave is a main city corridor. I understand the railroad has rights over it but somebody somewhere must have an idea of how at least level the existing road? Every once in a while, someone asks what the city could do to attract new business. I can tell you this is a prime example of what might discourage a business from coming. Big time.
A downtown street? Have you seen North street or the Park Square roundabout lately?
Seems like all spare time is being devoted to who and how the Waconah Park financial pie is going to be divided up. No time for audit talk or projects for the general population.
So, after the failed several term Tyer debacle I decided voting in Pittsfield was a complete and unadulterated waste of my time, and the current bozo has done nothing to change my mind. Probably stay home and shave my scrotum next voting day.
MEAN
The majority of the electorate in Bitchfield feels the same way. Proof of that is turnout. Only possible solution: A candidate for mayor who’s a GENUINE voice of the Little Guy, who will call out the lack of spending controls, try to get the budget under control, and finally address the disaster of the public schools. If such a person were to run, it’d be at least an alternative for poor, bedraggled taxpayers.
Pittsfield has a serious problem with investing with taxpayer money with no re turn on investment and to few participants that these investments help the taxpayer.
Please tell me how 30 million on the ballpark is an investment for Joe taxpayer. Goldkang gets the return.
I think u misinterpreted that? Meanwhile……..
Wish all those that disagreed would say why? Was it a comprehension thingy?
I’m sure it’s Lumpy, Wimpy, and The Big Dumpster.
We might not agree on national politics, but certainly see eye to eye on the disaster known as Bitchfield.
I also believe, like you MW, that Linda “Flat” Tyer-Clairmont was the driving force behind the demise of Bitchfield.
If only we knew what HAL 9000 was going to become…times are not changing for the better.
HAL killed everyone aboard the Discovery, except for Dave Bowman, who outsmarted the machine. With AGI, that’s not gonna happen.
May 18, 2026
Re: Mass. State Senate President Karen Spilka talks about the state budget and local aid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roGypKVC1-w
Boston’s state lawmakers are always under-funding local aid. The proposed state budget would favor wealthy towns with 10 to 15 percent increases, while distressed cities would only see about 2 percent increases in local aid.
The criticism is that the state budget and its local aid distributions are regressive and unfair to the poorer communities in Massachusetts.
Why would Boston’s state lawmakers favor the wealthy towns when the greatest need for local aid is in the poorer communities?
Perhaps Berkshire State Senator Paul Mark could explain to the financially constrained taxpayers of Pittsfield and North Adams that wealthy towns such as Newton and Wellesley will receive much larger increases in local aid than the distressed small cities throughout Massachusetts.
The above pertains to unrestricted state aid to local governments in Massachusetts.
Please note that most local aid is determined by financial formulas that are state administered, federal funds. The state lawmakers and Governor may and do add state dollars to the state administered, federal funds, but they use the same financial formulas. There is also pork amendments that provide state funds to local government.
Massachusetts is below the national average of all state governments when it comes to local aid funding. Local taxes are excessively high in Massachusetts, which is killing small business growth and forcing Senior Citizens to sell their homes. Many jobs have been lost, and many people with the means to do so have moved out of Massachusetts, over the years.
Financial management does matter in public administration. Western Massachusetts and other forgotten regions of the state have long lost out on economic and population growth due to the Boston-centric state government’s inequitable fiscal policies. This is the most recent example of failed leadership in the Massachusetts state government.
Jon Melle
So some passport driving,yes passport that’s his license, foreign sounding name blew a stop sign this morning,verbal warning? Had no status or info? How do you know this guy wherever he came from didn’t kill three or four people at a time driving a car, who the hell knows, but a regular driver around here if you got a stop sign violation you’re gonna get fined, if you have offenses on record.
I remember back in the day you could get heavy insurance penalties.
Have a suggestion to ALL the City Councilors and the Mayor, if he can leave his corner office! Drop your egos a bit and take a ride around your Wards, your City, with your eyes open and see what a crap ass mess this City is. The streets are STILL full of potholes, broken furniture and mattresses scattered all over. Take a look at how Morales ‘s department has painted road lines so wacky you feel like you are driving looking through a kaleidoscope, example Tyler Street. Do any of you remember what your elected job is? PittSmart is not the answer, sorry to tell you that, half the time the app does not work. Why are all the repairs left for the taxpayers to report? How many brand new City owned trucks have taxpayers paid for recently? As they ride around the City all day, they don’t see the mess?, the potholes? There has been a dirty mattress on City owned property on New York Avenue for at least 4 months! It has become so pathetic even the City can’t seem to repair the potholes around Park Square and the FAMOUS NORTH STREET. Do any of you elected officials ever drive around Park Square to get to your do nothing City Council meetings? Are your egos so thick you don’t see or feel your vehicle crash through potholes. Do the job you were elected to do! Pretend it is campaign time and fulfill all your promises you gave the taxpayers. In simple words, do your job.
Merry. I’m waiting for the four hundred grand apartments to be finished so I can apply. Please let them leave the mattress at n y ave. That’s my sleeping area. Thank you.
We could have used ARPA funding for some of these things. But we got all touchy-feely and spent it on racial politics. It’s not a secret that the lovely linda and Gina Armstrong doled out the funds to their POC friends purposely so they wouldn’t protest that drug addict George Floyd dying
Yup good ol George. His synopsis was he was a father?
I ran the Berkshire Black Economic Council through AI and asked how much taxpayer money they have been given since their inception:
The Berkshire Black Economic Council (BBEC) has received at least $1,225,000 in major ARPA and federal grant allocations since its inception in 2021.
Breakdown of Major Funding Received
They don’t turn a profit and simply exist on the racial grift.
That $1.2 million sure could have come in handy helping to fix up Hubbard Ave.
Instead, it went towards the BBEC to help in setting up a West African Dance Troupe putting on shows in South County.
Great post, MARK. The BBEC has created at least two jobs: A snow job and a con job.
Actually a third job.
A lucrative $100k a year, plus perks, for “CEO” AJ Enchill.
I guess working in a small dry cleaning shop that his father owned made he a money management expert.
Why not, huh?
An expired dance certificate got another black guy (Lavonte “Da Dancin’ Dean” Wiggins) a $100k a year school administrator job with plus health insurance and retirement benefits.
Older white liberals love handing out hard earned tax money to racial grifters, don’t they?
Aureally. Do you happen to know where this money is held until spent.
A couple of businesses that I know of received mega money. One particular was going to from a transition because of bad business practices and business there during winter was obsolete to begin with. This guy up was laughing all the way to the bank.
Dan. Is the reward for nodding yes everytime at city council, status and free insurance after ten years. The joke is the sochol committee. I can remember a City Council member wanting to increase councilor pay. He said the reason would be to Attract better Candidates?oh the hippocracy
There were people saying a couple years ago the sochol committee should get a stipend, which they have, and in the last election no one wanted to run.?….you can’t make it up.
When those cats say they higher pay attracts better candidates, true as that is, they are thinking that it will help them stock the council races to prevent good candidates from winning.