Is KGEZ off the Edge?

The brief experience of local hate radio in the Flathead Valley may soon come to a whimpering end. The out-of-state former millionaire developer who came to Montana some years ago may have bit off more than he can financially handle this time. Reports from the AP this morning state Mr. Stokes, who has continually complained about taxes and government has now taken and spent $350,000 of the people’s money and has no way of paying them back. A piece of land in the way of the Highway 93 widening project south of Kalispell is at the center of a dispute between Stokes’ radio station, KGEZ “the Edge”, and the State of Montana. The State assessed the land at $100,000, Mr. Stokes wanted $1,000,000 for it. While in dispute the State put up $750,000, which Mr. Stokes drew down to nothing. The final offer to the Station was $ 400,000.
In the report the station’s creditors are now threatening foreclosure.
The reason this new story is important is that Mr. Stokes has used his station over the years to criticize policies we as Montanans find dear to our hearts. The environmental movement (He calls the environmentalists Nazis and associates them with the Third Reich) is a favorite topic that he uses as a scapegoat for a multitude of social and political ills. He lead an unsuccessful but expensive lawsuit of the local “liberal” community college because the questioned the results of an election. He supports the war in Iraq, but does not believe in taxes. He wants the support of the community, but alienates everyone who doesn’t share his point a view. He states he is for free speech, but criticizes those who speaks up against his views.
Judging from the few callers to his program, there are several people supporting the station; they call themselves “patriots”, but in fact, they are as sheep being blindly lead by self-destructive maniac. They fail to question the logic or reasoning behind the views espoused.
Although the local program is amusing, like watching a babbling clown, it will be refreshing when the reactionary right realizes there is not place for hate speech in the Flathead Valley.