USA:
Kentucky State Militia Radio
By Nick Grace C.,
Clandestine
Radio Watch
Washington Bureau
Kentucky
State Militia Radio (KSMR), CRW has confirmed, is sponsored
by the Kentucky State Militia (KSM) - a group of armed American
patriots who oppose the powers of the federal government.
And with radios all over the world tuned to its frequencies,
CRW has been told that the clandestine radio station is on
the verge of "full operation."
Commander Charlie Puckett, KSM State Representative, reached
on Thursday by e-mail, said that KSMR "is a news station and
emergency communication alternative to the main stream media
that has run amuck!"
"The station," he said "is almost finished and ready for full
operation..."
Broadcasts, he continued, "will be monitored by various people
in our organization for content and professionalism... It
is in our rules that... (it) not interfere with any other
broadcast station in any way! (KSMR) will be approximately
10KC's from WWFV to accomplish this goal."
WWFV is a licensed short wave radio station owned and operated
by Dave Frantz. It is known to relay programming recorded
by Christian religious groups and various militias.
KSMR "is a first amendment station protected by the second
amendment," Puckett said, citing the free speech amendments
to the U.S. Constitution.
According to monitoring reports across the American East Coast,
the station occasionally broadcasts on 3260 and 6890 kHz between
0300 and 0400 UTC with an announced 500 watts. Regular programming
is scheduled for early January to coincide with a "massive"
multi-state militia meeting in Norm Creek, Kentucky, on April
5.
Denying a report that KSMR broadcast responses on top of a
transmission by WWFV last December, Puckett said "the broadcast...
was in no way related to us. We would never tolerate such
irresponsible behavior."
KSMR, having been confirmed by CRW as operating on behalf
of the Kentucky State Militia, marks the first time in a decade
that a "gray" clandestine radio station has been launched
on the shores of the United States. While the last gray broadcast,
originating from a Puerto Rican farm in 1990, was aimed at
the Cuban government, this latest station has directed its
propaganda against the U.S. federal government.
It is likely that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
which enforces the radio spectrum in accordance with the Section
301 of the Communications Act of 1934, will take aim at KSMR.
Without a solid national monitoring infrastructure, however,
playing a game of cat and mouse with the station will be a
challenge for the government. The FCC has not "busted" an
unlicensed short wave radio station in nearly five years.
Nevertheless, should the FCC pay a visit to KSMR the question
is not whether the KSM will resume transmissions from another
location. No, the question is whether or not the armed militia
group will defend a station they believe is firmly protected
by the U.S. Constitution.
Clandestine Radio Watch,
March 9, 2001
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