Iowa Family Leader wackjob Reisetter running for state senate won't talk much about his college appearance but Iowa Democrats have the video

AKSARBENT loves this story because it gives us another excuse to post our video exposing the hypocrisy of the leaders of the Iowa Family Leader before getting into the deceptions of one of the organization's staffers, now running for office.



Below, Matt Reisetter attacks his opponent for trying to tack on an amendment (S-5030 to amendment S-5004 (H.F. 589)) to Iowa's infamous "Ag Gag" law, passed last session, which would imprison people who document animal cruelty undercover in agricultural production facilities in the state. To mitigate this free reign to abuse animals, an amendment was proposed to require oversight of animal treatment in such facilities via internet-connected security cameras for review by state officials to safeguard against abuse. It was defeated and the Ag Gag law, which Reisetter evidently supports, was passed. Now, in Iowa, livestock owners can engage in practically any degree of sadism they wish, and can get outsiders who bust them put behind bars. The law, which impinges on press freedom, has been called unconstitutional.



Keenan Crow of Northern Iowa Democrats has a much more complete rundown of Reisetter's right-wing fundamentalist radicalism than even we dare "borrow." Go here to see everything. There's a lot.

Here are some highlights:

Last night I, and several other of our members, were able to attend the League of Women Voters candidate forum. We also had the opportunity to write several questions (although only a few were asked, and even then not the way we wrote them). What we took away was that many Republicans were not willing to honestly answer these questions. In particular, Matt Reisetter was very dodgy on his record and his stance of several issues. We all know he worked on the Family Leader campaign to oust 3 Iowa Supreme Court justices in 2010, yet when asked about the current retention vote he declined to give a straight forward answer. Further, when asked about a personhood amendement which would outlaw birth control, he gave a non-committal response about leaving it to the people. 

...This week we start with a tape from an event Reisetter put on entitled “Homosexuality: Is it okay to be gay?” During this event Reisetter admits outright to using unnecessary scare tactics, compares consensual homosexuality to statutory rape and smoking, and decides that, despite all applicable research, gender is a hard dichotomy and homosexuality is a choice. Watch the full video of this here:

• “Social scientists, pagans and Christians alike agree the healthiest environment for the next generation to be raised in is an environment where there's one mom who’s married, who’s a woman. Who’s married to one man. You see social development, academic performance, suicide rates, poverty...everything about a one man one woman household where kids are raised pins the chart as far as health of the next generation.”

First of all, there is an entire division of pagan scientists which are actively coming up with data which is qualitatively different than the Christian ones? This is news to me. Second of all, no they don’t. The American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, the American Anthropological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics are in disagreement with Matt’s assertion just to name a few. Professor Judith Stacey of New York University stated:  “Rarely is there as much consensus in any area of social science as in the case of gay parenting, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics and all of the major professional organizations with expertise in child welfare have issued reports and resolutions in support of gay and lesbian parental rights”. So that claim is not just a half truth, it’s outright fallacious...

• Audience Member: What about evidence that says it isn’t a choice, that you’re born with it?
  Matt: The evidence there is not even close. Your sociology professor telling you that maybe? You might be reading it somewhere.

Yes Matt, we’re reading it somewhere. In peer-reviewed journals and text books. In reports from major medical organizations. You know...places where you find evidence.

• “Where does it stop? [...] By logical reasonable outgrowth of people who support same sex marriage, you’ve got to support polygamy, you’ve got to support man-boy relationships with NAMBLA (the National American Man Boy Love Association) they’re advancing that cause right now.”

[During Q&A]

• Cody: I thought it was very curious that you were trying to throw [NAMBLA] in there as a scare tactic and I wanted to address it and ask why you brought up NAMBLA when I think we can all come to the consensus that NAMBLA is somewhat different than consensual male to male or female to female relationships. 
  Matt: I think you’re right, I think I’m probably using that as a scare tactic and I’m being honest.

Reisetter willingly admits he misled the audience to make his point. Do we really want this man representing Cedar Falls?

• “Public health, this is a new one. The CDC released two studies. One says smokers  are 10 to 20 times more likely to contract or die from lung cancer. They also put out a study that says men that participate in anal sex are 40 times more likely than women to contract HIV/AIDS. What does that have to do with anything? State legislatures in the last two years around the country have been banning smoking. Why? Because of public health. Because we don’t want people contracting and dying of lung cancer. We want to put a dent in the people who are smoking. At the same time, in Iowa at least, they’ve been blessing same sex marriage thereby giving an indirect approval of a behavior which is more dangerous by the statistics than smoking.”

Mr. Reisetter was pressed on this issue during the Q&A more than any other and Reisetter repeatedly back pedaled...Two students named Joe and Cory pressed him on the issue..

• Joe: Going back to the anal sex/HIV correlation. The argument is likely to come out from under it because you don’t get HIV from having anal sex. HIV is contracted by being exposed to someones DNA that contains HIV. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not you have anal sex.
  Matt: Um...okay. Touche. But there’s still a strong correlation right? 
  Joe: More than likely it’s because of having promiscuous sex.
  Matt: Yes. 
  [...]
  Cory: So why are you opposed to a measure that would increase monogamy among homosexual males and thus decrease the overall transmission? 
  Matt: Because homosexual males by in large are not really interested in marriage. Homosexual females are more interested in marriage than homosexual males by far. Am I right?
  *Crowd groans*
  Female student: Can you give us some research on that?
  Matt: I don’t have it in front of me right now.
  Female student: Yeah...that sucks doesn’t it. 

Crow concluded: This video is in stark contrast to what Mr. Reisetter presented himself as last night. Matt never once answered a direct question on his stance on social issues. I think the implications within this video are clear, however. He is willing to lie, manipulate, and misrepresent in order to perpetuate his rigid social agenda. Matt Reisetter is not a good choice for Iowa...