Turner Report apologizes for Tina Smith post

Over the years, there have been a number of times when Turner Report readers let me know that they think I have finally crossed the line.

These scoldings usually take place when I make an attempt at humor in my posts.

It appears that I really did cross the line Friday night with my post on former Joplin R-8 Chief Operations Officer Tina Smith.

In that post, I spent several paragraphs criticizing Smith for the damage she did to the school district with the cruel and vindictive way she handled her job. I wrote about her service as the attack dog for former Superintendent C. J. Huff and former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.

I wrote about her shortcomings as a member of the Huff

administrative team and her shortcomings as a human being.

And finally, I accompanied the post with a stock photo of actress Margaret Hamilton in her iconic role as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. The idea was to give the impression that Tina Smith was a wicked witch.

With that, I finally crossed the line.

It occurred to me this morning that the late Margaret Hamilton, a well-respected actress who never did me (or anyone else, as far as I know) any harm did not deserve to be compared to Tina Smith.

It also occurred to me that I might also be unfairly criticizing the fictional Wicked Witch of the West by having anyone think that she had anything in common with Tina Smith.

I will be more respectful to Margaret Hamilton and the Wicked Witch of the West in the future.

I offer my sincere apologies.