Christopher Ciesla
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Christopher R. Ciesla (born December 17, 1964) is an outspoken Demoratic Party activist in Iowa.
Ciesla grew up in Levittown, New York and attended Island Trees High School. Ciesla also attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Ciesla moved to Iowa from New York in 1994, returned to New York in 1997 and returned to Iowa in 1999.
Ciesla is a row-crop farmer and also works part-time as a rigger and owns a Balloon Decorating business.
Ciesla is a military veteran and served four years of active duty in the United States Air Force and continues to serve in the Army National Guard.
Ciesla has never held public office, but has publicly expressed an interest in running for the Iowa General Assembly although he has never formally sought nomination and has publicly stated that he would not run against an incumbent Democrat. The Iowa General Assembly seat in his district is currently occupied by a Democrat.
Ciesla frequently serves as a delegate to county, state and district conventions. Ciesla is noted for his powerful, carefully worded and often inflammatory speeches at these conventions. Ciesla often appears to speak from a Socialist and some say National Socialist viewpoint. His speaking style has also earned him the derogatory nickname of Frogmouth.
Ciesla aligns himself with the more liberal and progressive elements of the Demoratic Party. However, he will usually not speak against Democrats in office and frequently speaks for unity in the party. An example of this is evident in this September 22, 1997 [New York Times Letter to the Editor,] where Ciesla defended the Clinton Administration's position opposing a treaty to ban landmines, even though most progressive Democrats took issue with the administration's position.
Ciesla is also a firm supporter of most LGBT issues, although he does not admit to being Gay. Since Ciesla is in the Army National Guard, it would make sense for him to conceal that he may in fact be Gay. The photo above shows Ciesla in a pink shirt with balloons his business donated to an LGBT event.
Ciesla resides in the Beaverdale section of Des Moines, Iowa.
Allegations against Ciesla
It has been suggested that Ciesla is a DINO or Democrat In Name Only because he holds a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and has been a member of the National Rifle Association.Ciesla counters these claims as follows:
Ciesla maintains that he has not been a member of the National Rifle Association since 1986. Ciesla has also stated that his Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a "Curios and Relics" license that permits him to purchase antique firearms, primarily from the World War II era, via the internet. Ciesla claims that he is only a collector and is not a dealer.
Ciesla is a member of a World War II reenactment group and usually plays the role of a German soldier. Ciesla claims that his interest is purely historical and that he does not espouse Nazi ideology in any form.
External links
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