Before Vladimir Putin decided it was a swell idea to take his mass murdering to the next level, you almost had to squint to see the traitorous stains who walked among us. But the “savvy genius” who got hopelessly bogged down in Ukraine in less time than it takes Donald Trump to get his head stuck in a jumbo jar of Nutella shined a black light on some of our seedier nooks and crannies and—lo and behold!—looks like treason was the reason for the appeasin’.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has all but declared eternal fealty to the Motherland, and Trumpian Mini-Me’s like Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene have decided to give plenty of aid and comfort to their longtime war-criminal crush, but the problem actually runs deeper than that.
Conservatives’ residual fondness for Putin, a putative “Christian” who hates “woke” ideologies like treating fellow humans with dignity and respect, is taking some time to fade, even as this strong and brilliant leader indiscriminately pounds free cities into rubble. And while I’d love to get a look at Tucker’s Venmo history, I can’t prove that he’s actually on Putin’s payroll. Unfortunately, at least one American most definitely is.
Indeed, on Liberty, Missouri, radio station KXCL, you can still hear literal Russian propaganda as the country crimes its way from Crimea to Kherson to Kyiv:
Fault Lines is a show featured on Radio Sputnik, broadcast programming produced in Washington D.C. and funded by the Kremlin. The show regularly airs on KCXL, a small station in Liberty, Missouri that can be heard for miles in any direction.
Radio Sputnik’s narrative on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is in stark contrast to most coverage of the ongoing conflict, described largely as an unprovoked attack on Ukrainians led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Yes, it’s “described” as an unprovoked attack on Ukrainians by Putin because that’s what it fucking well is. There’s not a lot of gray area involved—in Putin’s head or elsewhere.
Nevertheless, Missourians are still hearing outrageous takes like this, from Fault Lines host Jarmarl Thomas: “[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy isn’t the brimming, shining hero the West has made him out to be. That’s the narrative that’s required in order to solidify this idea this is unprovoked.”
Okay, then. Sheesh, the station must be getting paid a king’s ransom to run this kind of garbage, eh?
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, scrutiny of Kremlin-sponsored media like Radio Sputnik continues to mount. And for KCXL owner Pete Schartel, that scrutiny comes in the form of renewed pressure for him to stop broadcasting programming that keeps the radio station in business.
The amount Schartel is taking to jettison his soul and keep his station going? Erm, $5,000 a month to air six hours of Radio Sputnik. Hope it’s worth it, Pete!
Schartel continues to air the agitprop despite a call from the National Association of Broadcasters to stop carrying Putin-friendly programs. Schartel’s response? He says the NAB’s guidance is a “knee-jerk” reaction that’s prompted angry calls to the station and led some listeners to call him and his wife “traitors.” So, naturally, he fell back on the weakest excuse in the book: “If I did [cut the program] we’d be doing exactly the primary thing we criticize the old Soviet Union and other communist regimes of doing where they don’t allow free speech,” Schartel said.
Ugh. The First Amendment excuse. Dude, the First Amendment doesn’t require you to do regular favors for bloodthirsty dictators. That’s what pee tapes are for. You’re giving it away for practically nothing.
Of course, Putin isn’t the only questionable figure Schartel has blessed with airtime. The station also carries TruNews, which the Anti-Defamation League has flagged for antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ content. Because of course this guy is a shitheel right-wing dickhead. How could he not be?
For the record, Schartel appears unchastened by the unwelcome attention he’s received lately. He plans to keep airing Radio Sputnik as long as he can. Hopefully, that’s not much longer.
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