#841: Mark Koernke

A.k.a. “Mark from Michigan”

Mark Koernke and his wife Nancy are prominent militia activists and shortwave radio broadcasters in Michigan, which is already well known for its militia groups. Mark Koernke is renowned as an early proponent of – and to a large extent responsible for popularizing – the black helicopter paranoia so widespread among conspiracy theorists (there is a fine take on it here. He used to be a host of his own radio show, “The Intelligence Report”, on World Wide Christian Radio until the station indefinitely suspended his broadcasts, partially because Koernke claimed that authorities were setting up Timothy J. McVeigh for assassination, thereby suggesting that McVeigh was some kind of militia hero. Koernke is also known for his various educational videos on the New World Order, including “America in Peril”, the first in a trilogy.

After he had served a three to seven year sentence in prison for assaulting police, resisting arrest, and fleeing from police in a car chase, Koernke claimed that he had been set up by the  co-founder of the Republic radio network syndicating his show, which was not taken into consideration by the courts. He currently hosts “The Intelligence Report” on Liberty Tree Radio and the Micro Effect. He and his wife is also behind the website Patriot Broadcasting Network – their website here is worth a look, in particular their recommendations regarding TACMARS - where they appear to give advice to militia groups and people on the run from the guvmint. It is sometimes a little scary, as illustrated by this exchange. Koernke also creates youtube videos to flaunt his lack of comprehension of reality and his paranoia.

Diagnosis: Deeply crazy. Though his impact is probably relatively limited (depending on how you view the militia movement – his influence is substantial there) one is always afraid that Koernke’s is a situation that may at some point end rather sadly.