By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015) — When revisionist history meets political correctness, you can be sure a hasty and usually mistaken overreaction will result. Hence the hysteria over the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, a banner mistakenly called the flag of the Confederate […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2015) — Politics as a study in human behavior will always fascinate us, but we ourselves remain immune to the toxic effects of power. We employ our influence solely for the surrogate use of Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski, the forgotten Little […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 19-21, 2015) — On Thursday, THE PLANET informed you of how the courageous voters of Cheshire told its avaricious public school system: “Enough, already!” Voters rejected the school budget put forth by the school committee and Supt. Kristen Gordon that called […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015) — In towns and communities throughout Berkshire County this year, voters have slapped back greedy initiatives advanced by local school departments, teachers’ unions, and their bobo politicians. Their message: “Enough is enough!” Two examples will suffice. Last year, South County […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015) — THE PLANET recently (and exclusively) told you about the hot water former Pittsfield Water Department manager Matt Inhelder has evidently gotten himself into in the Town of Hadley. You will recall that Inhelder “resigned” his position in Pittsfield six […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2015) — Campaigns have turned into Death Marches for the electorate. Presidential campaigns now run spill over into the fourth year. Literally the day after Barack Obama turned back Mitt Romney to win a second term, he became a lame duck, and […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015) — On this Flag Day, THE PLANET‘s thoughts go back to the four years in the early 2000s that we were honored to deliver the keynote address at ceremonies at the National Archives. Each year, we would gather our thoughts […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 12-14, 2014) — Last night Pittsfield citizens and taxpayers got a chance to see JIV in action. The superintendent the Town of Lee couldn’t wait to put in the James Bond ejection seat basically called the millions more his school department […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI Sports and Commentary ADD 1 — Tonight, tune into PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION, featuring another round of guest-host Terry Kinnas, with Special Guests. The fun begins at live 7 p.m. channel 16 Time-Warner cable from the PCTV studios. Also tonight, our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council preside over […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015) — Public schools have gotten so bad in Holyoke and school apologists there have refused for so long to take steps to improve the situation that the state will bring in what it calls an “independent education expert” to replace […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD 1, TUESDAY MORNING — THE PLANET has just received word from our spies that Pittsfield Highway Department head Kevin Swail (rhymes with “fail”) gave public works chief Bruce Collingwood his two-week notice this morning. Sources say Swail has taken a position with the Lanesboro Water Department. […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 8, 2015) — As its finances are managed, or in the case of Mayor Dan Bianchi‘s FY 2016 budget mismanaged, so goes the city of Pittsfield. If the city had a finance director who Warren Buffeted the job to bail out the […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 5-7, 2015) — Tonight, Friday, THE PLANET will be at The Marketplace Cafe in beautiful, downtown Pittsfield in an appearance as part of Artswalk. There will be a number of our paintings on display, free refreshments, and we shall be there […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015) — On Tuesday night, our Right Honorable Good Friends (RHGFs) on the city council conducted their annual Follies Fatale talent show, informally known as a departmental budget review. This exercise sees the automatic approval of budgets submitted by the mayor. When […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015) — It’s not what you know — or when, where, why, or how you know. It’s who you know, even outside of Whoville. For example, if you’re a landlord with empty space in a downtown commercial building, it pays to know the chief executive […]
By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015) — THE PLANET has done a lot of things over the years. Modesty prevents name dropping. Suffice it to say, we’ve done most everything, met most everyone, and been all over. This Friday, though, we experience a first. Here’s the […]
