A Statement from
Grant County Peace Coalition

Based on a meeting conducted by Grant County Peace Coalition,
we offer the following perspectives on the current situation regarding the
cancellation of Radio Free Silver! from KNFT Radio.

• Grant County Peace Coalition is deeply disappointed that serious injury has been inflicted on the show, the station, the community that were served by it, and the larger community in that anti- democratic activities resulted in the cancellation of Radio Free Silver! from KNFT on 19 July 2004
   
• Grant County Peace Coalition is proud to be associated with
  Radio Free Silver, which offered alternative, liberal, and progressive viewpoints on critical issues for our community and a voice, not silenced but marginalized, for a constituency in a time of national decision.
   
• Without apology for the opinions expressed on the show, to
  characterize the Radio Free Silver hour as purely political venue is untrue.  RFS provided a forum for a variety of topics and issues
  including: the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf to the Gila,
  holistic medicine, universal health care all New Mexicans, key points related to the issue of 18,000 acf of Gila River water, child and spousal abuse, voter registration, the differences in casualty reporting for the War in Iraq, development and community planning, quality of life issues, the local economy, and yes, the illegal and immoral war in Iraq.
   
• Kyle Johnson, host of Radio Free Silver, feels that his constitutional right of free speech has been denied. GCPC feels the powers that were exercised in forcing Radio Free Silver off the air do not reflect the best values we cherish of our nation or in our community.
   
• Grant County Peace Coalition recently participated in the
  Independence Day Parade, where the theme was: “Celebrating Our Diverse Heritage as One.”  Was that theme valid or not? Our group discourages discrimination in any manner, and took to heart the theme of the parade. GCPC would never work to shut 
  down an opposing view simply because we disagree with that point of view.
   
• In light of the recent article in “Outside” Magazine, which portrayed Silver City as one of twenty “dream towns” in America, we question whether our business leaders want to condone pressure tactics to silence voices of the community.
   
• Grant County Peace Coalition is committed to peaceful resolution of this problem and have discussed calling a community wide meeting to allow all parties to air their grievances about the way this matter was handled.
   
• To prevent misunderstandings, we are engaged in seeking information and dialog from all parties concerned in the cancellation of Radio Free Silver from KNFT on 19 July.  We seek resolution to this situation based on an objective analysis of the facts.
   
• Grant County Peace Coalition is NOT associated with any person or group that may have threatened businesses advertising on
  Ranch Radio with a business boycott.
   
• In light of the proactive stance that the County Commission has
  taken with regard to the equitable sharing of Gila River water and
  their resolution regarding concerns about citizen rights under the
  Patriot Act, we expect that the Commission will recognize that the
  events that have recently occurred mark an unhealthy and reckless course for our community and that as leaders of same, they will turn their attention to this matter and take appropriate action to insure that every citizen's rights are respected.

Click here for the Appeal for Listener Support
Click here for Rapid Response of RFS supporters!