Blogger: Randy Turner's a parasite; people are tired of his attacks on C. J. Huff

I have been hearing for the past several weeks that some of Joplin's leading citizens are planning to throw their support behind a blogger who can combat the horrible, insidious things I have been doing on the Turner Report.

Whether that blog is former KSN reporter Keith Mackey's Joplin Confidential I do not know, but if it is, he certainly wrote something that would appeal to that constituency Friday during a post on the fourth anniversary of the Joplin Tornado.

Mackey's blog has not been updated recently because it is going through some changes, so his posts have been on the Joplin Confidential Facebook page.


Ponder if you will the plight of the Joplin School System. If you just consider the facilities, there was no Joplin School System. But if you consider the people, then the Joplin School System was a mighty force, led by Superintendent Dr. C.J. Huff, faced with the gargantuan (and seemingly impossible) task of having classes ready for kids in August. They did it. Sometimes we’re not sure how they did it, but by hard work and force of will they did. Class space was found, and learning continued.

Thousands of people from all over poured in to help, and their help was desperately needed and appreciated. College Heights Christian Church, out by the University, was undamaged so its halls became a center point of relief and supplies. Minister Randy Gariss led the way that had everything organized to the nth degree. It wasn’t just College Heights, of course. All faiths linked arms and fueled by faith, love and prayer worked harder than they would imagine to help the victims.

But then the carpetbaggers showed up. Like sharks to a shipwreck, like locusts to the crops, like leeches to the body these parasites arrived wanting to see what they could gain from our tragedy. There were the usual carpetbaggers; looters and fake construction frauds but they were dealt with quickly. There were more insidious carpetbaggers come. For instance, the ones who came in business suits, promising to rebuild a mighty city yet while they were sucking the life force from the city they stuffed their own pockets and not a single shovel was turned. They fled in the middle of the night. Some carpetbaggers were already within our midst, like a failed teacher, fired apparently for cause and who looks to have begun seeking his vengeance and has worked hard using social media to incite a mob mentality (using inflammatory language and being freewheeling with the facts) to disrupt the job the schools are doing, even at this critical juncture. A lot of folks are growing weary of it.

Mr. Mackey, you are the one who is being "freewheeling with the facts." You obviously have not done the slightest bit of checking to see if what I have been writing is true. I have not just levied criticism at the C. J. Huff Administration, I have backed it up with documents, e-mails, court records, and multiple sources. And time after time, I have printed the entirety of C. J. Huff's responses and explanations.

The business about being a "failed' teacher is also off the mark. The only people who say that are C. J. Huff and Anson Burlingame. Talk to my fellow teachers, parents, and my students. You will not hear that from any of them.

This is not the first time you have used this business of a "failed teacher" bringing down everything that C. J. Huff has worked for. I am having a hard time understanding this- the Joplin Globe has been firmly behind C. J., the television stations have run one glowing story after another. He has a staff of people whose job is to promote the image of the Joplin school district. With all of that at his disposal, you are saying that one person writing a blog has brought about C. J. Huff's ruin.

I do not appreciate the characterization of the people who think it is time that the district and C. J. Huff part ways as being a "mob." This is a "mob" that has used the ballot box to eliminate two sitting board presidents in the past two years, and who purposely voted in someone they knew would not be able to serve, just so they could remove one of C. J. Huff's biggest supporters.

This is not a mob, Mr. Mackey. These people are working through the system. They are supporting their candidates, electing them, and are waiting to see results. I realize it is much easier for you and C. J. Huff to believe that I am some evil puppeteer with all of these people doing my bidding. I don't operate that way and these people do their own thinking.

Where was your sense of moral outrage when C. J. Huff was attacking Jennifer Martucci and Debbie Fort? I suppose you referring to me as a "failed" teacher is similar to Huff attacking Debbie Fort as a "failed principal" or attacking Martucci as someone who doesn't love kids.

On your blog, you pride yourself on sticking completely to the facts. Apparently, you have a fluid idea of what facts are.

I don't deny that when I write, I have an attitude. I have a passion for what I do and I do it well. The truth is important to me. If I make a mistake, I correct it and I do it publicly.

With C. J. Huff and the mess that is going on in the Joplin R-8 School District, I have not had to make many corrections.

I have talked with people who support C. J. Huff, I would suggest, Mr. Mackey, that you talk to some of the people who want to see change.

Unless, of course, you are afraid of taking a walk on the wild side.