Minnesota Independent

Bradlee Dean: A week before House prayer, Zellers asked to be on my radio show

By Andy Birkey | 06.21.11 | 11:48 am

Controversial preacher Bradlee Dean says that House Speaker Kurt Zellers asked to appear on Dean’s radio show, the Sons of Liberty, the week before Dean gave a controversial prayer before the Minnesota House. Dean’s claim stands in stark contrast to Zeller’s words condemning Dean, as well as House leadership’s insistence that they weren’t familiar with Dean. Dean made his statement as part of a media blitz of more than two dozen radio stations where he defended his prayer and blamed “homosexual activists” for the controversy which continues to simmer. Zellers says Dean’s claim is not true.

Citing lack of compromise, Dayton vetoes GOP budget bills

By Andy Birkey | 05.24.11 | 1:45 pm

As expected, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed all budget bills Tuesday that were submitted by the Republicans. His message to the GOP: “Compromise.” Dayton also hit Republicans for including divisive social issues in their budgets.

As Democrats file complaint over controversial prayer, Bradlee Dean slams GOP’s Zellers

By Andy Birkey | 05.23.11 | 11:19 am

The decision to allow anti-gay preacher Bradlee Dean to give the opening prayer before the Minnesota House on Friday sent shockwaves through the Legislature, and the reverberations from that decision continued over the weekend. Democrats filed a complaint on Sunday after House Speaker Kurt Zellers moved to strike Dean’s name from the official record, while Dean, after skipping his own press conference on the matter, took to the airwaves to slam Zellers for not defending him.

Rep. Cornish’s ‘rude’ emails anger gay marriage supporters

By Andy Birkey | 05.23.11 | 9:59 am

A vote by Rep. Tony Cornish to put a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the 2012 ballot has brought a flurry of emails into the Good Thunder Republican’s inbox expressing disappointment. The responses he’s been sending back — “Give it a rest!!!!!!!!!” and “try writing a sane letter,” among others — have only served to fan the flames.

GOP’s anti–gay marriage amendment heads to 2012 ballot

By Andy Birkey | 05.22.11 | 2:18 pm

The Minnesota House passed a bill that would put a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the ballot in 2012. Four Republicans broke with their party to vote against the bill, while two DFLers joined the Republicans in voting for it.

Bipartisan outrage erupts over GOP’s invite to Bradlee Dean to give House prayer

By Andy Birkey | 05.20.11 | 1:02 pm

A prayer at Friday’s session of the Minnesota House given by anti-gay preacher Bradlee Dean erupted a firestorm of criticism among DFL legislators and some in the GOP. Dean, whose fiery brand of anti-LGBT preaching riled opponents of GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer last fall, led the House in prayer, asserting that President Obama was not a Christian. Republican leadership, sensing controversy, asked the official House chaplain to conduct an unusual second prayer. Minnesota’s LGBT legislators said Dean’s anti-gay preaching “reveals the underlying hateful nature of the anti-gay constitutional amendment movement.”

GOP’s Zellers on Bradlee Dean: ‘That type of person will never ever be allowed on this House floor again’

By Andy Birkey | 05.20.11 | 11:32 am

Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers told members of the Minnesota House that he would never allow Bradlee Dean or anyone like him to give a prayer before the chamber again so long as he is speaker. Dean’s prayer insinuated that President Obama was not a Christian and his past statements about incarcerating gays and lesbians sparked a firestorm of criticism on both sides of the aisle.

GOP invites preacher who advocates jailing gays to give House prayer

By Andy Birkey | 05.20.11 | 10:13 am

Minnesota House Republicans invited anti-gay preacher Bradlee Dean of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide to give the morning prayer. The prayer was so offensive to many legislators that House leadership brought in the chaplain to redo the prayer.

Minnesota Capitol. Photo: Paul Weimer, Flickr

False tweets could result in Senate ethics complaint against GOP’s Hoffman, Brodkorb

By Andy Birkey | 05.19.11 | 10:20 am

Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, told Senate colleagues on Wednesday night that she is planning to file an ethics complaint against Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas, after Hoffman accused Goodwin of calling people suffering from mental illness “idiots and imbeciles.” In fact, Goodwin was referring the history of the treatment of the mentally ill in Minnesota and progress made since the state referred to them as “idiots and imbeciles.” Hoffman refused to apologize Wednesday night.

In close vote, anti-gay marriage amendment moves to House floor

By Andy Birkey | 05.18.11 | 10:00 am

On Wednesday morning, the House Committee on Rules and Administration approved an amendment that would codify a ban on gay marriage within the Minnesota Constitution by a vote of 13 to 12. One Republican, Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing, joined the DFL in voting against the measure. The bill heads to a House floor vote. The committee took no public testimony before the vote.