In my previous story on Michele Bachmann, one thing I neglected to mention is perhaps one of the weirdest bits about her: her connection to “heavy metal ministry” You Can Run But You Can’t Hide International, run by Bradlee Dean, who plays drums for a Christian metal band known as Junkyard Prophet and has a conservative political radio show in the Twin Cities called “Sons of Liberty.” Bachmann has helped out You Can Run But You Can’t Hide (YCRBYCH) as a keynote speaker at their 2009 fundraiser, and the group has also been supported by former Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer (who is the reason why gays are boycotting Target and Best Buy). While it’s no surprise that Bachmann would throw money at conservative Christian ministries, she may want to sever her link with this one before the presidential race heats up. Because if you think Bachmann is crazy and full of hate, you should get to know Bradlee Dean.
Bradlee Dean is on record of saying that President Obama is no different from Osama bin Laden, and when asked to make an opening prayer for a session of the Minnesota Legislature, used it as a chance to insinuate that Obama is not a Christian: “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.” It was enough to cause the House to get their regular chaplain to offer a new prayer, and was condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.
VIA motherjones.com
But of particular notice are Bradlee Dean’s remarks about gay people. He has claimed, among other things, that gays are responsible for the Holocaust or that gays “on average…molest 117 people before they’re found out.” He also seems to have a poor understanding of the legal status of homosexuality, believing that the 2010 nomination of Sharon Lubinski to U.S. Marshal for Minnesota was illegal because Lubinski is a lesbian. Even stranger, he believes that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim in the U.S. Congress, is trying to “advance Sharia law” through his support for gay equality. Yet perhaps his most troubling comments are these he made in the same show where he accused gays of being molesters:
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…If America won’t enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that.
Does it seem like Bradlee Dean just might be saying he admires other countries for wanting gays dead? That is what many people took from it, including both the Minnesota Independent and Rachel Maddow, who covered Dean’s statement on her show last August:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FBjfLTOYGXw
(You can also read the transcript of the show at the MSNBC website.)
Nearly a year later, Dean is now suing Rachel Maddow and MSNBC for “defamation” because they made it seem like he was more anti-gay than he apparently believes himself to be. This is despite the fact that Maddow included the response Dean gave when the Minnesota Independent reported the story, this shallow clarification:
[W]e have specifically rejected, as all Christians do, the Islamic doctrine, and actual practice, of executing homosexuals. But some have claimed, in effect, that by merely mentioning the execution of homosexuals (as a criminal practice of Islam), on our radio broadcast, we have suggested it for consideration. Obviously this is absurd. The whole point was to contrast the Islamic position with the Christian position. This may not have been as clear as we would have otherwise planned it to be. Live radio is not scripted. But everyone who knows us knows that this is our position because we have stated it consistently for years – long before we ever discussed the topic on the radio. There are board members, and other supporters who can vouch for this. We have never and will never call for the execution of homosexuals. This is a complete misinterpretation by design.
Maddow clearly did her best give the whole story here, mostly letting Dean’s comments speak for themselves. But even if she hadn’t — sorry, Bradlee Dean, but when you’re saying that countries that kill gays are “more moral” than ones that don’t, it’s not “misinterpretation by design” to assume you might be advocating gay executions yourself.
via businessinsider.com
It is also worth noting that Dean’s lawyer bringing the lawsuit, Larry Klayman, has just as much of an agenda as Dean himself; he is the head of conservative groups Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, and has claimed that we’re in an era of “political heterophobia.” In terms of this lawsuit, Klayman has said, “This case is filed as a matter of principle. We need more Bradlee Deans in the world and hateful left-wing television commentators must be made to respect not only his mission but the law.” Um, okay then? Dean has also “become increasingly defensive over the last few months as national organizations have taken note of his ties to Bachmann, and…strongly hinted that he would push back against the criticism in a big way.” So this should hardly come as unprecedented.
The scariest thing about Bradlee Dean is where his message is going: to your schools. You Can Run But You Can’t Hide has a history of lying their way into public schools and the taxpayers’ money, claiming they want to put on an anti-drug or pro-abstinence rally and then using the time for religious proselytizing and homophobic hatemongering. His appearances have inspired student walk-outs as well as embarrassment from principals who didn’t thoroughly vet him before letting him speak, with one Wisconsin principal even warning other schools about YCRBYCH. It’s not just in schools where Dean has engaged in this kind of deception; his organization also solicited outside of a Hutchinson, MN Wal-Mart under a false name, and has been banned from the premises as a result. Most despicably, Dean has asked for money under the claim that he’s using it for teen suicide prevention, despite the fact that Dean’s rhetoric is exactly the kind which is likely contributing to the gay suicide problem in Bachmann’s district. It’s clear that Dean is the last person who should be suing anyone else for lying, whether they did or not. And also, doesn’t the Bible have a pretty clear message about lying?
Before Bachmann’s entrance into the presidential race, Dean’s excesses were rarely reported outside of independent newspapers in the Twin Cities area. Maddow has always been an expert at reporting the stories that no one else was and bringing them to national prominence — and her catching this one a year ago has clearly had that effect, as more and more national news organizations have taken notice of Bradlee Dean and his frightening ministry. Dean is likely aware of this, and that is why he chose to go after Maddow. Luckily, he probably won’t succeed. MSNBC has responded saying, “This suit is baseless and we stand by our reporting.” If anything, Dean’s frivolous lawsuit will have the opposite effect he wants; so far, it has only brought him to the attention of more national news publications. One can only hope the trend continues.
I gotta get my shit together! I’m only at 89 molestations.
In all seriousness, this won’t make it very far in the court system, and also, this guy is gross.
I know, I need to clear my schedule to make sure I get to all my molestations. Good thing I’m not working full time, this is quite a commitment!
Also, agreed. Skeezeball to the max. Wouldn’t touch that turd with a ten foot pole.
you guys, the reason it’s “on average” is because i’m spiking the statistics as well as the punch.
I’m pretty sure your marriage to AG counts as at least 20.
i was going to molest three people yesterday but i remembered all the paperwork that goes along with it and thought my time would be better suited punching kittens.
can we reschedule?????
of course!! what kind of homosexual would i be if i didn’t molest someone every chance i got?
You’re the homogay equivalent of that kid who messes up the curve in lecture! :C
Gotta work harder to be competitive.
oh thank god I wasn’t the only one who’s first reaction was to make a molestation joke.
But the numbers don’t match! if 10% of the population is gay that means there are 30 million gays in the US. If everyone of these gays molests 117 people that means the 100% of Americans have been molested by the gays.
Yeah, yeah… I know, leave it to the accountant to spoil all the fun….
Gay Agenda:
Step One: Touch all the straight people [X]
Step Two: Convert all the straight people [_]
Step Three: Take over the world [_]
One down!!
You missed “general gender binary fuckery and resulting apocalypse,” which always sounds like the most fun parts to me.
*always sound
Shh, that’s a Classified subclass of Step Three!
Dammit, they changed it again?! Why do I always miss these bloody memos? I’ve still got Agenda Version 1.5:
Step One: Make everyone in the world gay.
Step Two: ?????
Step Three: Profit!
Ah yeah, there was a meeting last week about exactly How to Make Everyone in the World Gay. It’s a work in progress, my friend.
does that mean we have to molest gay people too? or does it not count because we’re both gay? maybe lesbians have to molest gay men and vice versa? this is all very confusing. I’m terrible at math and records. How am I supposed to keep track of my molestations?
There’s an app for that.
iMolest?
So like, everyone either is gay or molested by a gay, statistically, probably more than once?
My current celibacy is starting to seem unlikely.
I wonder if it counts if I molest other gays? Cause rachel maddow in those glasses is making me pretty molesty
Dammit I am waaay behind on my molestiness and my kitten-punching. Quality over quantity?
not to miss the point or anything, but dude, holy shit! it’s Skwisgaar Skwigelf dressed up as Axl Rose!!!
Fortunately, truth is a complete defense to defamation. Hooray!
Darn that technology, making it all easy to leave a written/audio “paper” trail.
lolwat
http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y313/jplusk10/glee/tumblr_lgp2wgQdv61qfr9ek.gif
this just made me want hi-c …..badly
subliminal messaging ftw
I tend not to buy what is thought to be insinuated with comments… but this is weird, intense, scary, and clear.
-Muslims calling for execution of homogays b/c it’s written in the law of the religion (I actually don’t know if this is true).
-American Christians aren’t as moral, because they are totes not executing or advocating for the execution of the gays, thus not obeying the laws in the Judeo-Christian Bible.
-If America won’t enforce the laws (and since the only “laws” mentioned were those pertaining to the Judeo-Christian Bible), God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that.”
…. yah… seems pretty clear. Or this is a really poopy foot-in-mouth situation. So…creeped…out…
this guy has serious problems……one being that he’s going to lose this case hard, but sadly he will gain publicity. shit what a deb
I can’t wait til his complaint is 12(b)(6)’d (or the Minnesota equivalent) out of court. Failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, yeaaaah!
ikr this guy’s case is going no where fast but I honestly it’s all for the publicity. he’s probably now going to be labeled the hero who tried to take down the liberal media only to be shut down by the liberal pro-choice, pot smoking, gay loving government (i wish all of these where true).
teabaggers can suck on this one
http://pics.blameitonthevoices.com/072010/teabagging_tea_bag.jpg
Sometimes the law makes me so happy.
“We need more Bradlee Deans in the world and hateful left-wing television commentators must be made to respect not only his mission but the law.””
His mission? To fill American schools with self-loathing teenagers that will grow up into hateful adults? Oh, wait, yeah, sounds about right coming from the Right. *sigh*
Thank you, Rachel Maddow, for soothing my angry soul whenever I hear about these hate-mongering morons. Also, according to him, we are pred-a-TORS! Gotta get my quota in!
Is it sad that I read the title and I already hated the guy? I mean, how many different shades of asshole do you have to be to SUE Dr. Maddow?
Uhm – So how many molestations is Bachmann’s husband up to?
Well, he molests my brain every time he or his wife open their mouths.
Nobody picks on my Rachel, dammit!
Poor man’s Axl Rose is going to lose and lose badly
YOUR Rachel? You’re about to start a war here.
Bradlee Dean is like a weird combination of Axl Rose and the Nelson twins
i think that everytime you write about people being mean, sprinkle in pics of maddow. because i wanna be angry, but then i see her and i feel better again.
For a guy with serious genderbender issues, he really might want to rethink the hair.
but it makes him look like jesus.
Oh right, of course. I am such a heathen, I did not make the JC connection.
I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t wear a bandanna or sunglasses.
I feel like I need to take a shower just reading this article.
I can’t even be angry. I’m just sad.
The fact that he’s getting into public schools under false pretenses to the point that he was actually giving his anti-gay speeches before they realised… like, what the fuck. If I were in charge of a school or something I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want someone guy running an organisation called “You Can Run But You Can’t Hide” talking to my students, espec. one with an affiliation with Bachmann.
CRAZY. However the mention of the student walk-out cheered me up slightly.
Also even his anti-drug message is a terrible one. He apparently believes that you can’t ever be addicted to drugs, despite being a former addict himself. I…just…don’t know what to say…and what kind of message is that to kids who may know people who struggle with addiction?
So he believes it’s sort of a choice to continue taking drugs, as opposed to being powerless to an addiction? That’s all kinds of harmful, you’re right.
I guess so. Not a lot of the articles I read discussed his attitudes towards drugs specifically, but that’s the gist I got from “he doesn’t believe in addiction.”
That’s kind of a general issue with the way drugs are taught, though, where they teach that kids who start doing drugs are kids with problems or who are too weak to stand up for themselves or something, as opposed to some people just having more of a predilection for addiction than others, and there being signs of that (like a kid who spends an abnormal amount of time on any one activity may be more susceptible to drugs).
(I do think we specifically need to address more the fact that ANYONE can be a drug-user, even people who are otherwise responsible and healthy – because I think one way that a lot of kids get into drugs is they’re told that drugs are only used by shadowy boogeymen or by irresponsible “burnouts,” and then they see the honor student doing a bad drug and they think “Wow! If Johnny Valedictorian is a druggie, they must not really be that bad, right?”)
What? We changed our policy to molesting people? Darn! I just finished our gay ray which would shoot out Ellen riding a unicorn that shoots out rainbows and glitter that would make everyone in the world fabulously gay…