Controversial Preacher Bradlee Dean Kicked Off High School Campus In Florida

[DonViejo]

Controversial preacher Bradlee Dean has demanded a Florida high school that kicked him off campus on Wednesday allow him to return and speak at the school.

Dean, who last year sparked outrage after a controversial appearance at an Iowa high school, was invited by a student group to speak at an after-school meeting at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Fla. According to a lawyer representing Dean and his group, the school's principal ordered Dean's event shut down, citing concerns over Dean's anti-gay stance. A school district spokesman was not available for comment.

The lawyer, Horatio Mihet of Liberty Counsel, wrote the school district on behalf of Dean and the student organization, the American Club, claiming that the decision to bar Dean's appearance violated the Constitution.

"We see serious constitutional problems with the principal censoring religious and political expression simply because they are deemed 'offensive,' especially when there are no specific, articulable facts to support such an assertion," he wrote. "Federal law, including the Constitution, protects the right of student clubs to present their ideas without fear of censorship because of disagreement with the content of the message."

The letter threatened legal action against the school if it doesn't reverse its decision and allow Dean to come back to campus. In a statement, Dean said: "If standing up against those who perpetuate crimes against our posterity is wrong, then I am guilty as charged. America should pay careful attention to who is doing the discriminating, and who is abiding by the laws of our republic."

Watch footage of Dean's confrontation at the school:

more:
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/controversial-preacher-bradlee-dean-kicked-off-high-school

[KG]

1. piss on Bradlee Dean

[geardaddy]

2. Good. That guy is a fucking worm.

[el_bryanto]

3. Not sure about this - this wasn't an official school event where people were required to attend

If so I'd be pretty open and shut.

As it is - it gets awfully close to censorship based on ideas, and I'm not sure I'm keen on that.

Bryant

[cali]

5. It's a hate group

this is the guy that the republican leadership of the Minnesota House invited to say an opening prayer and then had to profusely apologize for after his prayer.

He's a complete nutter as well- espouses that Gorbachev is behind No Child Left Behind. Schools that have hosted him have often apologized in his wake.

[el_bryanto]

6. I understand all that

I certainly wouldn't attend had I the opportunity; but isn't Freedom of Speech designed to protect hateful as well as agreeable speech?

Bryant

[Marrah_G]

10. Keeping hate groups off school grounds is not a bad thing

Think of it like this: If this was a leader of a neo-nazi skinhead organization, would you feel the same way?

[el_bryanto]

11. If the group advocates violence than keep them off.

If they don't - it's a little trickier.

nt

[Marrah_G]

13. Anti gay messages lead to violence

Much like Racist rhetoric leads to violence.

[el_bryanto]

17. Yes - and religious messages and political messages and really anything that divides people

It's a fine line - I would say that whoever the sponsor/faculty advisor of this club is, they showed poor judgement.

Bryant

[cali]

4. His organization has been designated a hate group by SPLC

No hate group leader has any business on the grounds of a public school.

[Initech]

8. I agree hate groups have zero business with public schools.

Regardless of what religion they claim to side with. Look at that school in Indiana where that "Christian" special needs teacher was trying to say gay people had no purpose in life and was trying to get them banned from the prom. This is the type of thing this kind of hate and bigotry leads to.

[patrice]

7. I used to teach high school in OK & I always wondered how the use of the school's resources

isn't the school promoting religion and that would include physical things like buildings & utilities & such and also organizational resources like systems and processes that bring hundreds of students together at certain times in certain places and make them and, thus thousands of others in their families, ALL available for evangelizing by religious students (and technically other forms of marketing).

How would that specific religious evangelization event, those people, in those numbers, with all of the communications perks provided by public education . . . HOW would that occur without the use of PUBLIC RESOURCES.

Yeah, students do, ahem, cough, cough, "initiate" religious activities, but they are doing so BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE USE OF TAX PAYERS' RESOURCES.

Maybe someone can tell me how that is NOT "establishment of religion" on the state's dime.

[catbyte]

12. Is that the moran trying to sue Rachel Maddow?

[DonViejo]

14. Yes, and he lost...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113717279

[patrice]

15. I also ran a high school newspaper for 3 years. In re 1A, schools' LEGAL responsibilities are

to "act in loco parentis", and that's as close to all of the parents as possible, so, no, just any student wishing to say just anything using the PUBLIC'S DIME is not legal.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

16. This is the stupid fuck who said that Pres. Obama's nomination of a lesbian to a gov't position was:

"Illegal".

Not kidding. He said it was illegal for the woman to be posted to a federal position.

The Minnesota Republican party has been quite cozy with Dean in the past. Bachmann, Emmer, Pawlenty...they've all rubbed elbows with him by either inviting him to speak at their events or speaking on his show on The "Patriot" right-wing talk radio.

I rarely say this, but I hate this man. I hate him with the heat of a nova (To quote Toby Ziegler).

[Archae]

18. This same ditwit claims the government is behind the Aurora and Sandy Hook shootings.

http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/2013/bradleedean.html