The Sunday AJC offers us a unique juxtaposition of resurrection and disintegration. Jim Tharpe's title, "Democrats approach meltdown" sets an immediate tone, one which the heritage movement needs to consider. That is why I am willing to devote Easter Sunday to this piece, hoping to spur our own resurrection. Although a long time bastion of liberal cheerleading, the AJC shows it can face the reality of what is happening to its cause.

˜The Democratic Caucus...shattered into its disparate parts in the legislative session that ended last week.' No pulled punches there folks. "Conservative and liberal Democrats split over gay marriage and tort reform...And a half dozen conservative Democrat legislators even showed up at a Republican fund-raiser for President Bush." Folks, the earth is moving in Georgia, and we need to get onboard and do it quickly. The train is leaving the station.

"Their caucus is ideologically divided at best on a wide range of issues," says Jerry Keen, the Republican whip in the House.

According to long time AJC political pundit Merle Black, "...philosophical differences split Democrats in two general groups with urbanites (downtown Atlanta...more on this coming) liberals and African Americans in one, and rural and suburban whites, who tend to be moderate or conservative on the other. With no philosophical glue binding the party, there's only one reason for many rural Democrats to remain with the party. It would have to be a perception that the Democrats will remain in power, so you could be a part of an effective majority."

There is a lot for us to learn in these mouthfuls. The heritage movement has nowhere near the diverse elements among it, often substituting hairsplitting reasons for its disunity. One would hope that we could at least rally around a major common cause----our position on a rigged referendum. But our enemies were able to play with us with ease, identifying and working to exploit our disunity through their support and exploitation of the Northwest Georgia turncoats. These SCV turncoats humiliated the GA SCV division compatriots with their public rejection of the unanimously passed division position. That was our meltdown.

Were these folks motivated to be part of an "effective majority?" Have we no philosophical glue to hold us together on even a key issue? Our split was not a rural versus big-city members split. Plenty of rural SCV members did not support the division position. Does this render SCV neutered as main opposition force in the Heritage Wars? Are we going to copy the disintegration of our historical opponents?

"We are like the Alamo in the House," said Tyronne Brooks, president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials. "We set the tone, and we have to provide the leadership." Our Northwest Georgia turncoats surely weren't our Alamo fighters. They made their Santa Anna deal. They demonstrated their brand of leadership. The rest of us got shafted by our own, just like the black churches did.

The Republicans do not get a free pass here with some of them demonstrating a similar talent. After Republicans rode us to victory, we got swapped.

The Democrat's "flag split" disaster was their suicidal position on the gay marriage ban. Even the leadership was split, with majority whip Nan Orrock and Calvin Smyre against the amendment and DuBose Porter and Jimmy Skipper for it. Our GA SCV Executive Council vote on the SCV referendum position was unanimous. So who is in more disarray? Who is more pitiful? Who is showing the worst leadership, or a lack thereof?

Fear of losing black votes did not concern the Republicans in pushing for the gay marriage ban. The Log Cabin crowd was similarly ignored. Its being a "divisive" issue also did not bother the Republican leadership. It is obvious that some constituents are being taken for granted on certain issues. Can this be their own fault? Do we deserve it?

At least the Dems acknowledge the reality of their split. "This sends a terrible signal to the progressive wing of the caucus 'the white urban (downtown Atlanta), black wing of the caucus.'" said judiciary chairman Bordeaux. "The signal is that the speaker focuses more on the rural Democratic legislators and not the other half of the caucus."

Our own divisions don't send a message. They are ignored like they do not even exist, as if they don't undermine all of our future plans, and eliminate any hope of reversing our situation. Our enemies read us loud and clear from the outside, but "mum's the word" on the inside. Where our disunity is public for all who wish to see, within our own org it is swept under the rug as if this actually made it go away. In a George Orwell haze, we deal with it by not dealing with it.

If the GA SCV is not going to completely eliminate itself as a primary Heritage War defender, then it must reform its attitude.

The Democrats are providing us lots of self-destruct examples. Black politicians, who have historically received faithful support from the black church community, "turncoated" that constituency in favor of their new gay marriage friends. They even provided the 'civil rights' tie-in so that opponents could conveniently be branded with the familiar racist and homophobe tags. Meanwhile, pedophile enabler Tyronne Brooks sailed through the Nuwaubian scandal without a political scratch.

While our Democratic enemies are in disarray, we seem to be trying to surpass them in this endeavor. With good unity we could really capitalize on this situation. But this takes strong leadership. It takes some philosophical glue. We seem to have lost our way.

The fight now is being carried by our own Alamo contingent. Unfortunately this has turned into a spectator sport for many of us who are nowhere to be seen, either at the front lines, nor in supporting roles. On the contrary, these "spectators" sometimes are most visible in undermining the Alamo fighters. This is our version of the Black Caucus telling the black churches to "take a hike."

Surviving is not a spectator sport. History has confirmed that for generations. We of the SCV are supposed to know a lot about history, especially Southern history. Denial and disunion contributed greatly to the CSA's defeat. The lack of foreign recognition is being replayed via our anemic----almost nonexistent----liaison program. "Supporters" watch the real fighting from afar, hoping the war will be kept from their doorsteps. The Gould Haglers play their two-way role. The Northwest Georgia camps play theirs. Our ancestors watch and weep, as history is repeated.

We need to resurrect ourselves from this fate before it is too late.

Jim Dean is the producer of Heritage TV and a member of the Georgia Heritage Coalition.