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.

On the Global Freedom Report last week, Dean was flummoxed about why Zellers condemned his prayer. Zellers told members of the House that he “denounced” Dean and that allowing him to pray was a mistake.

“I was actually denounced by Kurt Zellers, the Speaker of the House, and why he denounced me nobody knows. I have no idea,” Dean said. “What I do know, he doesn’t know me, and the week prior to that he was asking to be on our radio show here in Minneapolis.”

He added, “So we are all kind of taken back. As a matter of fact we have done 21 interviews from coast to coast and every show host has asked me the question, ‘What was the problem?’ And we are still asking the same question.”

Radio host Brent Johnson added, “Go ahead and invite him, after the fact, invite him on your show. Maybe he’ll answer.”

A spokesperson for Zellers’ office says Zellers never attempted to go on Dean’s show. Update: “Speaker Zellers did not ask to be on Bradlee Dean’s radio show,” Jodi Boyne, director of public affairs for the Minnesota House Republican Caucus, told the Minnesota Independent.

Dean has appeared on a two dozen conservative radio stations to defend himself, the prayer and especially Dean’s remarks about gays and lesbians in the last few weeks.

On HOPE FM 95.9, a Christian station in Forest Lake, Dean said he wasn’t targeting Obama when he said, “It’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans. Or the Presbyterians, the Evangelicals, or any other denomination, the head of the denomination and His name is Jesus, as every president up until 2008 has acknowledged, and we pray it in Jesus’ name.”

“I never meant to take a shot at Obama,” he said. “I’m not going to play your little political games. If you look at my prayer, in no sense of the word can you derive disrespect anywhere.”

He added, “If you want to split hairs, strain at the gnat and swallow the camel.”

He said it was Obama who said the United States was not a Christian nation.

On the overtly Christian nature of his prayer, Dean said, “We are not a Muslim nation. We are not a Buddhist nation. We are a Christian nation. We have to understand it’s not all of the religions of the world, that this is everybody’s country? No. When you go to Washington, D.C., Moses and the Ten Commandments are everywhere.”

Here’s part one of the interview:

And part two:

On the Joe Pags Show out of Houston, Tex., Dean said he never suggested that Obama wasn’t a Christian. “There was no implication on my part. I wasn’t taking a shot at Obama,” said Dean. “If you listen to the entirety of my prayer, I was unifying.”

He then said that American soldiers did not die for Americans who were not Christians.

“What did our military boys and girls die for? Did they die for other religions? Or did they die to uphold for the Constitution, so help me God? If we have foreign gods come in here, then what’s going to happen is everyone is going to want to implement their law. For example, the Muslims want to implement Shari [sic] law. Why? Because they think they have a right to do it. No, they don’t. Foreign people can come here and they are afforded asylum, but we serve the lord of lords, king of kings. They cannot continuously bring in their gods into our country and expect us to remain who we are as a people. We have to stand. We have to protect who we are as a people.”

Here’s part one of the interview:

Here’s the second half of the interview:

On the Shilling Show in Virginia, Dean told host Rob Schilling that “homosexual communities” were out to get him.

“How did we go from what I said in the prayer to ‘big bad Brad the anti-gay hate-monger,’ as they like to say. It’s not anti-gay. It’s anti-crime and pro-family. And it’s not bigotry, it’s decency,” he said. “My perspective is it’s character assassination by the homosexual communities, no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

He added, “We are turning into hell in this country.”

Here’s the interview:

WCCO’s Chad Hartman was the only interviewer to challenge Dean’s statements about gays and lesbian. He asked about one of Dean’s more incendiary quotes:

“Muslims are calling for the executions of homosexuals in America. This just shows you they themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the American Christians do, because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination.”

Dean said he was simply warning LGBT people about Muslims.

“I’m warning the homosexual communities that the Muslims are calling for your execution,” he said. “They took what I said and they turned it up on its head, and they’ve been on attack ever since. I’ve debunked it, I’ve debunked it, and I’ve debunked it.”

Hartman then asked, “Did you also say that ‘gays will molest 117 people before they are found out?‘”

Dean said, “I was referring to pedophiles.”

“It was very clear you were talking about gays,” Hartman shot back. “Did you say that inaccurately? Should you have said pedophiles?”

Dean responded, “What I am saying is what I just told you, and I am referring from Dr. Paul Cameron’s quotes, his statistics.”

He added, “Why is the homosexual communities defensive about it unless it does concern pedophiles?”

Here’s the interview:

Part 2:

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.

In the higher education bill, Dayton said he wouldn’t accept restrictions on stem cell research, a provision that was heavily debated in the Legislature. Republicans, and a few DFLers, moved to include a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer, as well as all products from that procedure in University of Minnesota research, in the budget bill.

“The definition included in the bill is vague and could threaten further development of stem cell research,” Dayton said.

The education budget bill included a private school voucher program that would allow for taxpayer subsidies for religious schooling. Dayton called the provision “unwise.”

“I am disappointed that the bill creates a private school voucher program, an experiment that has not worked in other states,” he wrote. “Until our public schools are funded at adequate and sustainable levels, a diversion of public funds to private schools is unwise.”

The Health and Human Services bill contained health care cuts for 140,000 Minnesotans, which Dayton called “unconscionable.”

He also said the bill had become “a vehicle for divisive social issues,” such as a ban on stem cell research and a ban on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

In the Public Safety budget bill, Dayton criticized cuts and changes to the Department of Civil Rights.

“Discrimination remains a serious problem in Minnesota,” he wrote. “Your extreme cut in funding, along with your policy language, would weaken the Human Rights Act and lessen the effectiveness of the Department of Human Rights. This I will not allow.”

In a press statement announcing the vetoes, Dayton accused Republicans of failing to compromise.

“In the spirit of compromise, more than one week ago, I cut my proposal in half, in the hopes that an offer to meet in the middle would spur action towards the balanced solution the people of Minnesota have asked for,” said Dayton. “Instead, you chose to present me with an all-cuts approach, one that has serious consequences for Minnesotans, and that I do not believe is in line with our shared commitment to build a better Minnesota.”

He concluded, “Compromise is never easy, because each person must give up something that is important. Compromise requires us to agree to items that we don’t agree with. That is the only way we will reconcile our differences on the state’s budget. I am returning this and the other budget bills to you with the hope that you will choose to work with me, to find a fair, responsible, and balanced solution.”

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. Meanwhile Dean, after skipping his own press conference on the matter, took to the airwaves to slam Zellers for not defending him.

Dean said he didn’t understand why people thought he targeted President Obama in his prayer.

“I know this is a non-denominational prayer in this chamber and it’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans,” Dean said in his invocation in the Minnesota House. “Or the Presbyterians, the evangelicals or any other denomination, but rather the head of the denomination and his name is Jesus. As every President up until 2008 has acknowledged. And we pray it. In Jesus’ name.”

Zellers, R- Maple Grove, restarted the House session and brought in a chaplain to redo the prayer. He also condemned Dean’s prayer in a floor statement.

“Members, I can only ask for your forgiveness. That type of person will never ever be allowed on this House floor again as long as I have the honor of serving as speaker,” Zellers said.

“If Speaker Zellers does not stand for the Constitution, our veterans, the Founding Forefathers and the Christian God to whom he swears by an oath to uphold these very things, then I would say Mr. Zellers is not fit to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Minnesota,” Dean wrote on his website Friday. “Today Speaker Zellers exemplified a point I have made many times over in past years. When a little heat comes for taking a stand, diplomatic people immediately bend to the opposition. They fall all over themselves to apologize for something that they claim to stand for when speaking to their constituents. But when it comes to actually putting what they said into practice, they denounce the Constitution’s laws and the people’s principles who voted them in. How hypocritical.”

Dean then devoted his entire two-hour radio program to the prayer flap. He denied mentioning President Obama and compared himself to Martin Luther.

“I went into them chambers with total respect,” Dean told his listeners. “I feel like Martin Luther, innocently nailing the 95 theses on the wall, and I’m not even Catholic.”

“I didn’t say we weren’t a Christian nation, Obama did,” Dean said. “If you want to point the finger at someone denying Christianity in our country, you might want to talk to Obama about it, because I didn’t say it.”

Here’s audio of Dean saying he didn’t mention Obama:

Dean was poised to give a press conference on Friday afternoon to respond to the controversy, but instead he sent his sidekick in the ministry, Jake MacAuley, who also goes by the name Jake McMillian. Reporters noted that just before the press conference was called, Dean met with Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council, a group that is pushing the anti-gay marriage amendment, as well as Republican Sens. Dan Hall of Burnsville and Paul Gazelka of Brainerd on the sidewalk outside the Capitol.

DFL Complaint

DFLers filed a “protest and dissent” complaint on Sunday after Zellers had Dean’s controversial prayer stricken from the record. Zellers said that since the House didn’t have a quorum when Dean said his prayer, that technically the House wasn’t in session.

DFL Rep. Michael Paymar of St. Paul initiated the complaint which was signed by DFL members of the House. The complaint — instead of Dean’s prayer — became a part of the House record.

The DFLers wrote:

“Pursuant to Article IV, Section 11 of the Minnesota Constitution, we the undersigned members register our protest and dissent regarding the selection of Bradlee Dean as Chaplain for the Day on May 20, 2011. Mr. Dean, by his own admission during the invocation, intentionally violated the House policy on offering nondenominational prayers. Mr. Dean has a history of making inflammatory, extremist, and prejudicial public comments about the gay and lesbian community.

In his conduct, Mr. Dean offended many in the House of Representatives and the public with his invocation. His reference to President Barack Obama and his religious views was misleading and disrespectful. While the Speaker of the House apologized to the body, we the undersigned protest and dissent the selection of Bradlee Dean as Chaplain for the Day. His actions brought dishonor to the Minnesota House of Representatives.

America and Minnesota’s greatness comes from a tradition of religious tolerance and respect and the pursuit of civil and human rights for all oppressed peoples. We forcefully protest and dissent the selection of Bradlee Dean as Chaplain for the Day. Furthermore, we the undersigned protest and dissent the action of the Speaker of the House in expunging from the Journal of the House any and all reference to Mr. Dean’s actions as Chaplain for the Day.

We request that House Leadership examine the process for vetting the Chaplain for the Day so that prayers offered on the House floor are nondenominational and consistent with the values of religious tolerance and respect for all Americans regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This protest and dissent shall serve as the official recording of Bradlee Dean’s actions as Chaplain for the Day in the Journal of the House.”

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.

A Minnesotan named Stephanie, who sent a form email through the Human Rights Campaign website, got a response from Cornish that she described as “rude.”

Other people who have emailed Cornish have also received responses.

“Cool off & try writing a sane letter,” went one response. “Try writing your own letter without forwarding someone else’s anger and resentment. Get an idea of your own,” Cornish wrote in another email.

Update: A reader shares correspondence with Cornish, which included the explanation for the “give it a rest” line:

From the start, right after my vote, I received e mails calling me a “bigot” and much much worse, describing in detail horrific things that I should do to my own body, and people talking about my “obituary.” It wore on me, so about the 300th letter I got like that, I replied, “Give it a rest!”

It’s just kind of disturbing I guess, when my district asked me overwhelmingly to put this on the ballot, that I should get such letters.

Thanks for writing,

Cornish

Another reader sends this email, received from Cornish Sunday and sent in response to an email generated by the Human Rights Campaign:

Hey, try writing a letter on your own and not copy someone else’s. That way you won’t be trapped into writing ridiculous ranting letters.

Have a great day.

Cornish

Both emails come from Cornish’s official House email address.

Republican Reps. Steve Smith of Mound, Rich Murray of Albert Lea, Tim Kelly of Red Wing and John Kriesel of Cottage Grove voted against the amendment. DFL Reps. Lyle Koenen of Clara City and Denise Dittrich of Champlin voted for it. Here’s the roll call of votes.

The vote came after hours of testimony. The UpTake provided these clips of the debate and the aftermath as protesters outside the House chambers learned of the vote.

As the vote passed, opponents were already geared up to fight the amendment. Minnesotans United for All Families launched Saturday evening.

“Minnesota voters are being asked to amend our constitution to ban same-sex marriage. In 2012, Minnesota will vote “NO” on this anti-family ballot question. In Minnesota, we treat others like we want to be treated,” said spokesperson Donald McFarland. “Our campaign is hitting the ground running and we plan on using every resource available to defeat this anti-family constitutional amendment.”

Rep. Keith Ellison became the first high-profile Minnesota to lend support for the new campaign.

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.”

In his prayer, Dean said, “I know this is a non-denominational prayer in this Chamber and it’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans. Or the Presbyterians the evangelicals or any other denomination but rather the head of the denomination and his name is Jesus. As every President up until 2008 has acknowledged. And we pray it. In Jesus’ name.”

According to Tom Scheck of Minnesota Public Radio, Dean was invited to give the prayer at the request of Rep. Ernie Leidiger, R-Mayer.

Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor denouncing the prayer.

The controversial prayer did not mention LGBT Minnesotans, gay marriage or the pending amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, but DFLers and progressives seized on Dean’s past statements about the LGBT community.

Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, one of the longest-serving LGBT elected officials in the country, and Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, that chamber’s only LGBT member, released a statement denouncing the decision to allow Dean to lead the prayer.

“In my 30 years in the House, I have never seen such a hateful person be allowed to deliver the opening prayer,” Clark said. “Bradlee Dean has a documented record of hate speech, and has suggested that extremists who call for the execution of American gays are morally justified. The decision by GOP leadership to allow his intolerance, fear and outright bigotry into the ‘people’s house’ is reprehensible. Minnesotans are a peaceful, loving and caring people. It’s this spirit of togetherness and shared hope
that the House of Representatives should strive to embody. The Republican leadership should be ashamed of themselves. It reveals the underlying hateful nature of the anti-gay constitutional amendment movement.”

Dibble questioned the timing of allowing Dean to lead the prayer.

“In this time of divisiveness, it’s disgraceful and appalling to see the Speaker of the House of Representatives the body that is supposed to represent all Minnesotans invite hatred into the opening prayer,” Sen. Dibble, a former House member, said. “Instead of providing a message of inclusion and hope, the House began this day with hate and discrimination. Mr. Dean has a long and well-known record of intolerance, something that should have no place in the legislature, let alone in a prayerful blessing. This morning’s action is a sad commentary on House Republican leadership’s apparent ambivalence for supporting the equal rights and beliefs of all Minnesotans.”

Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, called it the “most offensive ‘prayer’ ever,” and that it’s “never happened before.”

The Woodbury Bulletin reports that Rep. Greg Davids, R-Presto, leaned over and told a colleague during Dean’s prayer, “that is going to leave a mark.”

House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, took to the House floor to apologize for the prayer saying, “That type of person will never ever be allowed on this House floor again as long as I have the honor of serving as speaker.”

Zellers also released a statement on the matter, saying, “I respectfully apologize to all members in the MN House and all citizens of this state for today’s morning prayer. As Speaker, I take responsibility for this mistake. I am offended at the presence of Bradlee Dean on the floor of the MN House. I denounce him, his actions and his words. He does not represent my values or the values of this state.”

Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud, the chief author of the bill to codify an anti-gay marriage law in the Minnesota Constitution, said, “I absolutely repudiate the man who spoke at the start of session and his message of hate. Respect and decency must rule!”

Bradlee Dean is no stranger to courting political controversy. His past statement, made on his radio program, that Muslim countries that execute gays and lesbians are more moral than American Christians was highlighted by detractors of GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer last fall after it was revealed that Emmer had donated to the ministry.

Dean’s website says he has hosted several notable Republicans on his radio show, the same show he frequently calls for the incarceration of gays and lesbians, including former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, U.S. Senate candidate Dan Severson, State Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Brainerd, State Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has also raised funds for Dean’s group, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International, on numerous occasions.

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.

“Earlier today there was a prayer given by a man I personally denounce. The decorum and dignity of this body is my responsibility. I did not live up to that responsibility today. For that, I apologize. This is the people’s House. Each member deserves the dignity and respect of all of us,” he said. “Members I can only ask for your forgiveness. That type of person will never ever be allowed on this House floor again as long as I have the honor of serving as speaker.”

Here’s video of Dean’s invocation:

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.

Dean has made many controversial statements as pastor of You Can Run, including advocating the incarceration of gays and lesbians, that the LGBT community is trying to usher in Sharia law in Minnesota, that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught,” and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians. His prayer on Friday touched off a firestorm at the Capitol as the LGBT community was rallying outside the House chambers against a proposed anti-gay marriage amendment.

Dean said during his prayer, “I know this is a nondenominational chamber,” he said listing off a litany of Christian denominations and leaving off any mention of Judaism.

Then he took a dig at President Obama, insinuating that he is not a Christian. “The head of the denomination is Jesus as every president up until 2008 has acknowledged, in Jesus name.”

Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, rose to speak out against the prayer. At first he was at a loss for words.

“I want to express a deep level of concern about what occurred in this chamber this morning,” he said.

He said the fact that the House restarted the prayer was an indication that something went wrong. “I take that as an acknowledgment that there is legitimate cause for deep concern among the members and the staff and among the people of Minnesota.”

Today hope was crushed by the words of a single speaker,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, I do trust and hope that we understand the gravity and the severity of the prayer that has been given to the people within this chamber and out.”

“I’m shaking right now because I’m mad,” he concluded. “This cannot happen again.”

Already this year, in the Minnesota Senate, Republicans invited a pastor who gave a sectarian prayer that caused concern among that chamber’s non-Christian members.

Here are some examples of Dean’s previous comments:

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.

Goodwin spoke on the Senate floor about the historical treatment of the mentally ill in Minnesota.

Following that, Sen. Hoffman sent out a tweet, stating that Goodwin was calling those with mental illness names:

Goodwin was incensed over that characterization. “I expect a public apology,” she said. “I have worked with children with mental illness. [Hoffman] clearly understood what I said. This is just plain mean-spirited and I expect an apology and I will file an ethics violation.”

She also noted that GOP party vice chair and Senate Republican Caucus communications staffer Michael Brodkorb retweeted Hoffman’s tweet. “I guess the ethics violation goes to two places.”

Here’s her call for an apology:

After the dust-up, Brodkorb also tweeted for Goodwin to apologize, but he has since deleted that tweet.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness also watched the debate. “Having listened to the debate, Sen. Goodwin was providing history not making disparaging remarks — actions speak louder than words.”

Hoffman was not prepared to make an apology and sent out this statement:

I look forward to sitting down with Senator Goodwin to discuss my concerns regarding remarks she made on the Senate floor today during a lengthy debate on Health and Human Services finance bill [sic]. Until I have an opportunity to speak with Senator Goodwin directly and share my experiences as a registered nurse, I have no further comment.

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.

DFLers pleaded with Republicans on the committee.

“The founding fathers warned against tyranny of majority,” said Rep. Kathy Brynaert, DFL-Mankato. “Don’t do this.”

Rep. Kate Knuth, DFL-New Brighton, said. “Why take away rights in our constitution? Why tear the people of our state apart?”

She added, “It makes me physically ill to think of the division we’ll see.”

Rep. Carolyn Laine, DFL-Columbia Heights, said, “Clearly this isn’t about the sanctity of marriage; it’s about discrimination.”

As the roll call was being taken, several protesters shouted “Shame!” and “You are damaging my life and my family!” One was dragged from the committee room.

According to OutFront Minnesota, five Republicans would need to vote with the DFL to defeat the amendment in the House. Along with Rep. Tim Kelly who voted against the amendment in the committee, Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, has said he will vote against it on the House floor.

The House will need to take the bill up before Monday, which is the last day of the session. The Senate has already passed the amendment, and if the House approves the measure, it will be on the ballot in 2012.