Customer Reviews

Shadow in the Land: Homosexuality in America

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Dannenmeyer's book seems to have raised a few hackles by reviewers here, but I can only say that, having been written in the late 1980s, his book is far more relative today than it was when he first penned it. Much of his seemingly dire predictions are coming true, as witnessed most recently by the Prop 8 situation in California. Shadow in the Land is an important piece of literature because of is prescience, if nothing else. We now have children's books about my two daddies or mommies, educators wanting children to sign gay pledges in grade school, and gays picketing and disrupting houses of worship and places of business, intimidating customers, publishing gay "hate" lists on the internet. Dannenmeyer predicted all of this and he was spot on.

This is all nothing but fear-mongering nonsense. It is of the highest interest to know that Dannemeyer was/is a close personal friend of Ernst Zundel, the founder of the Holocaust Denial movement, the avowed intent of which is to justify Hitler.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction

1. What Really Causes Homosexuality? I. The Storming of the APA II. Contemporary Explanations of Homosexuality A. Theories That View Homosexuality as Inherited 1. Genetic Theories 2. Hormonal Factors at Birth 3. Levels of Testosterone B. Theories That View Homosexuality as Acquired Behavior 1. Homosexuality as Illness

2. Homosexuality and the Law I. The "Hate Crimes" Bill II. AIDS Litigation

3. The Religious Issue I. What Orthodox People Are Being Asked to Give Up A. Biblical Authority B. The Authority of the Historical Church C. Free Will II. Homosexuals and the Established Churches Dignity Integrity Other Denominations III. The Homosexual Church IV. The Religious Dilemma V. What Can Religious People Do about Homosexuality?

4. The Politics of Homosexuality I. The Homosexual Movement: 1960 to the Present A. The Transformation of the Rhetoric 1. "Gay" 2. "Homophobe" and "Homophobic" 3. "Sexual Orientation", Formerly "Sexual Preference" 4. "Alternate Life-Style" 5. "Discovering or Exploring One's Sexuality" 6. "Family Partner" B. The Redefinition of Homosexuality C. Focusing on What They Are Rather Than What They Do D. The Organization of Public Demonstrations 1. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 2. The Human Rights Campaign Fund E. Getting Uncle Sam to Help F. What Must Be Done to Stop the Homosexual Movement?

5. The New Sex Education: Homosexuality I. "About Your Sexuality" by Deryk Calderwood II. "Sexuality: A Divine Gift" III. "Mutual Caring, Mutual Sharing

6. AIDS and Public Policy I. Widespread Testing A. Persons Convicted of Intravenous Drug use, Prostitution, or Sexual Assault B. Persons Receiving Treatment or Services for Family Planning, Tuberculosis, Drug Abuse, or Sexually Transmitted Disease C. Premarital Applicants D. Hospital Admittees between the Ages of Fifteen and Forty-nine II. Reporting III. Contact Tracing IV. The Restoration of Laws against Sodomy V. The Rejection of Antidiscrimination Laws

Index

"The Storming of the APA" p. 24-39

"The story of how homosexuality was declared 'normal' by the American Psychiatric Association is one of the most depressing narratives in the annals of modern medicine. Indeed, it is difficult to contemplate the details without wondering if our society is not in a state of advanced deterioration. In brief, a group of homosexuals stormed the APA annual convention on successive years and with deliberately disruptive tactics actually forced the psychiatrists to accede to their demands and declare homosexuality a 'normal condition'. In effect the nature of medical opinion was altered by strong-arm tactics.

This is not an event you will see memorialized on '60 Minutes' or in the New York Times. The liberal press is silent on the subject, because, although they are embarrassed by what happened, they are pleased enough by the outcome. Thus have they condoned this politicalization of the medical profession, this defiance of the very idea of thoughtful deliberation and civilized discourse.

A few of the people who were victimized by this unprecedented activity have written on the subject, but perhaps the most detailed account of what happened is to be found in Ronal Bayer's remarkable book 'Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis' (pp. 101-54).

I say 'remarkable' because Bayer's study is a highly sympathetic narrative of these events, yet one that looks unblinkingly at the violence and irrationality that lie at the heart of the homosexual movement, its essentially anarchic impulse. If you doubt that homosexuality should have remained on the list of mental illnesses, you have only to read the account of how it was removed.

What follows is my own summary of the events, a summary derived in large part from Bayer's narrative." ...

IV. The Religious Dilemma p.105-107

Dannemeyer summarizes homosexual political message/aspirations:

"... 1. Henceforth homosexuality will be spoken of in your churches and synagogues as an 'honorable estate'.

2. You can either let us marry people of the same sex or better yet abolish marriage altogether, since it will give the lie to everything you have said and done in the past about sexuality.

3. You will also be expected to offer ceremonies that bless our sexual arrangements, whether or not you retain marriage as something to be celebrated in your churches.

4. You will also instruct your young people in homosexual as well as heterosexual behavior, and you will go out of your way to make certain that homosexual youths are allowed to date, attend religious functions together, openly display affection, and enjoy each other's sexuality without embarrassment or guilt.

5. If any of the older people in your midst object, you will deal with them sternly, making certain they renounce their ugly and ignorant homophobia or suffer public humiliation.

6. You will also make certain that all of the prestige and resources of your institutions are brought to bear on the community, so that laws are passed forbidding discrimination against homosexuals and heavy punishments are assessed. We expect and demand the same commitment to us that you made to Blacks and to women, though their suffering has not been as great as ours.

7. Finally, we will in all likelihood want to expunge a number of passages from your Scriptures and rewrite others, eliminating preferential treatment of marriage and using words that will allow for homosexual interpretations of passages describing biblical lovers such as Ruth and Boaz or Solomon and the Queen of Sheba."

"Warning: If all of these things do not come to pass quickly, we will subject orthodox Jews and Christians to the most sustained hatred and vilification in recent memory. We have captured the liberal establishment and the press. We have already beaten you on a number of battlefields. And we have the spirit of the age on our side. You have neither the faith nor the strength to fight us, so you might as well surrender now."

The only thing I can say that would expand upon my headline is that Amazon.com should be ashamed of itself for carrying this "book," and that Dannemeyer's constituency should be ashamed of themselves for electing someone to our government.

This book chronicles some interesting events, but unfortunately, Dannemeyer's editorial and perspective lose all credibility.

What will his next book be about? How the Earth really isn't round?

The author does a spectacular job of citing works and noting the origin of quotes. He would, therefore, receive high marks in the proper way to cite sources. Most (if not all) sources used, however, are one-sided and pathetically bias, not to mention violently radical. For that, he receives EXTREMELY low marks in source balance.
This is a shameful example of subjective prose written by one who is obviously angry at something. It is therefore not useful to anyone making an honest effort to learn anything.
Basic Rhetoric 101 teaches one to balance the basis upon which the thesis is built. This work is dangerously lop-sided, leaning much too far (and radically) to the right. Beware when approaching: harmful debris may topple upon you.