FIRST OFF . . .

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court asking that American Cablevision of Kansas City, Mo., re-establish its public access channel so that the Ku Klux Klan can broadcast a white supremacist program called “Klansas City.” The City Council eliminated the public access station last year rather than broadcast the Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan’s program. In its place, the cable company established a community access channel over which it exercises editorial control. The lawsuit says the council’s decision was motivated by the desire to suppress the viewpoint of the Klan. Councilman John Sharp said the City Council welcomes the suit “because it was our intention to set a precedent that could be followed by other cities throughout the nation. The issue is whether the city has the right to require every cable television subscriber to subsidize the Klan’s propaganda.” Dick Kurtenbach, executive director for the local ACLU chapter, said his organization found the Klan’s white supremacist ideology abhorrent and believed Klan members should be prosecuted if they used a television show to incite violence or other criminal activity. However, he said, “our client here is the First Amendment. The Klan is only the vehicle.”