Montana Human Rights Network’s Attempts to Hijack and Silence Conservative Media
State and Federal records show the Montana Human Rights Network trying to sabotage KGEZ-600AM in early 2000’s
By Casey Whalen
This op-ed was originally published at Casey Whalen’s Substack.
Flathead County, Montana is a very important area for radical Marxist organizations nationally, but none more so than the Montana Human Rights Network (MHRN) based in Helena. The organization was founded in 1991 by Christine Kaufmann and Ken Toole, both of whom would later become Montana State Legislators.
The mission of the Montana Human Rights Network, according to the organization’s 2019 IRS 990 filing is to, “organize Montana residents to realize their power to create pluralism, justice, and equality in their communities. We challenge bigotry and discrimination, support marginalized people, and advocate for legislation that honor everyone’s basic rights.”
MHRN has focused on the Inland Northwest over the years, propagandizing citizens and agitating. Operatives such as Love Lives Here Flathead Director Cherilyn DeVries is a major player from Kalispell who is directly affiliated with the Montana Human Rights Network, promoting like-groups and ‘reporting hate’ info to the Institute for Research Education & Human Rights (IREHR) and the suspect Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), among others.
John Stokes was the owner of KGEZ-600AM (also known as Z-600 and Skyline Broadcasters) broadcasting out of Kalispell with a regular daily show. John had a bombastic style and became known as a ‘shock jock’ pointedly calling out those participating in climate change propaganda or the “Green Religion” as author Henry Lamb dubbed it.
Inevitably, the Montana Human Rights Network found out about Stokes style of awakening people to the dangers of the green agenda, which is counter to one of the goals of the organization. In 2001, MHRN filed a complaint with the state consumer affairs office stating that Stokes had bragged about inflating the number of listeners on his station in a ploy to deceive advertisers.
Stokes then filed a harassment complaint with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office on August 22, 2021, as confirmed by Commander John Christian, according to Helena Independent Record.
Stokes was concerned that Senator Ken Toole, founder of MHRN, was attempting to put the station out of business. Commander Christian stated that it was the first time in the state’s history that a sitting senator had harassment allegations filed against them.
Montana Human Rights Network newsletter showing John Stokes/KGEZ burning an effigy of a green swastika outside of the station in Kalispell, MT on Earth Day 2001.
After researching the Montana Secretary of States Office website, records show the malice of the Montana Human Rights Network to undermine John Stokes. In 2005, MHRN successfully registered business entities owned by John Stokes as assumed business names of MHRN including “KGEZ,” “Skyline Broadcasters,” and “Z-600.”
Search via the Montana Secretary of State Office results for Montana Human Rights Network
As the data from the Secretary of State’s website shows, the MHRN had plans to create their own “Human Rights Network News” and what better way to make that happen than to undermine their opposition by any means necessary.
So, how could they do that?
By means of multiple Federal Communications Commission complaints filed in 2005, at the time of KGEZ’s license renewal. The complaints were authored by multiple individuals desperate to silence John Stokes and KGEZ-600AM in a vain attempt to revoke the station’s license.
The Montana Human Rights Network has been very vocal about this particular topic as they have telegraphed in newspaper articles and the organization’s own newsletters over the years. They fail to mention or cite the specifics of the complaints sent to the FCC, attempting to play victim, their usual modus operandi.
The following is a letter from the FCC in 2007, denying one of the complaints. Complaint filers included: Scott Nicolson, Neal Brown, Roger and Susan Sherman, Susan Waldron, Clark Reynolds, Oliver Coburn, Kate Hunt, Celeste McLean, Sheila Conners, Montana Human Rights Network, Keith Hammer, Lorney Jay Deist, Christine Kaufman, Ken Toole.
The FCC’s denial letter allowed Stokes to continue his license renewal.
FCC ruling letter from 2007
Some of the complaints cited alleged that Stokes had used the term “Nazis” to describe environmentalists, that he advocated the sale of white sheets during the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, and that he referred to a gay woman as a “stupid gumba.”
Objectors further alleged that Stokes has promoted and encouraged violent behavior on his program, such as encouraging listeners to run bicyclists off the road or to tear down entrance gates at state parks.
Several objectors have also asserted that Stokes had broadcasted false statements about them and has launched personal attacks against them without providing them with notice and an opportunity to respond.
Finally, two objectors alleged that Stokes had broadcasted their home addresses without first obtaining their permission to do so.
The FCC ruled in Stokes’ and KGEZ’s favor and sided with the First Amendment.
The mud slinging between Stokes and the Montana Human Rights Network went on until Stokes lost a defamation lawsuit to the Gardner Family and ultimately possession of KGEZ, which was resold and has now moved to downtown Kalispell.
This tactic by the Montana Human Rights Network was recently deployed in a similar fashion when the short-lived Montana Daily Gazette, operated by JD Hall, was also targeted. The news outlet started in February 2020, had published stories addressing fraud allegations against Whitefish Credit Union among other issues now covered by Northwest Liberty News.
The business name “Montana Daily Gazette” was also hijacked by the Montana Human Rights Network months after its inception. Lawfare ensued due to the nature of the news being exposed.
This is a culture war and fighting dirty is the name of the game.
John Stokes was recently found dead in his Ferndale, Montana home on December 28, 2022. A welfare check was issued after a neighbor noticed his full mailbox. It was discovered that a fire contained to a single room of the home was the cause of death. The Lake County Coroner’s office suspects that John passed the morning of December 13, 2022. An inventory report provided to this writer by the coroner shed some light on his death.
Casey Whalen is an independent journalist and activist aiding his community and shining a light on the cultural Marxism revolution unfolding in America. Whalen is the creator of North Idaho Exposed.
From westermt.news