The nuclear family is pretty much dead and buried (along with the majority of their comfortable celebrity icons of the 1950’s and, soon enough, 1960’s.) Blacks, despite the plethora of forgotten ghettos that plague our nation’s urban centers, are further advanced in successful, spotlit careers than ever before. The growth of Latinos (either from immigration or from out of the womb) have made it so one can’t go anywhere in Middle America without hearing Spanish being spoken or written on a front door placard. And us Gays and Lesbians- aw hell- we’re out of the closet, more visible and winning Emmys.

That scares the hell out of Scared Adult White America. Not their kids because, well, they get it. They understand that there’s no big deal if a black brother dates a white chick. They know that if their roommate in college is gay it doesn’t mean they’re going to get raped in the middle of the night. They know that telling teenagers to hold off having sex until they get married is a joke because, well, none of the people telling them to do it could do it either. They heard their parents and grandparents predict the end of times and, well, that show never aired.

So here we are in 2005 with the New Right strongly coordinating their teammates and bank account holders to lobby, message and twist in whatever way is possible weak-kneed politicians to either back down or get lost so that they can continue their Crusade to stop change in America. C’mon, we all know we’re only about a few years away before some congressperson announces a ban on foreign languages in some form. Strongly-partisan voter initiatives against the forward movement of gay and lesbian rights in this country are only going to get worse we know that.

And blacks? Well, c’mon, year by year the rich white businessmen get richer and the black poor get left with fewer opportunities to get out of the ghettos. We might as well just start a new form of busing for the young black men in this country. The day of graduation from high school (if they even make it that far) we should just put them on a bus and send them right to prison because that’s pretty much where they’re doomed to end up anyway.

Instead of pushing for change and evolution (oops, sorry, Creative Innovation, how’s that?) to move our country FORWARD, the New Right works to stop the progress and take it back to when the Scared Adult White Americans feel more comfortable.

You wonder why these rich, exclusive, mansioned-communities out in the exurbs are so popular? Because they’re bubbles. From people of different colors, nationalities and sexualities. Essentially, they’re just building new towns with their own safe shopping centers, amenities and school systems. It’s cultural segregationism going on out there in Bush Land. We have one of those new high-end shopping centers out in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland featuring all the high-end stores that the majority of America can’t afford to shop at. It’s called Legacy Village. I call it Prejudicy Village because the only people of color that are there are the ones waiting on you. Just like the 1950’s. Like the good old days.

BUT, just like we saw back in the 1920’s when politicians tried to close doors left and right to stop the march of time, the same thing is happening now. The thing that the New Right and Scared Adult White America are forgetting is that despite all of their work on creative terminology, building Christian law schools and having Roger Ailes now run all the Fox stations nationwide, there’s one thing they can’t stop from happening more than change.

Death.

Specifically their own.

And as the “Greatest Generation” and the “Boomers” die off, change will move forward. Their more open-minded, more intellectually creative children will see that the Armageddon of Culture never happened and more that, if anything, Americans will be getting along better than ever before.

Maybe then we can stop running away from the realities that surround us and unite as one country again and realize that the 50 stars and 13 stripes on our flag are just that, on ONE FLAG.

NOT a divided one.

Which is exactly how they stay in power.

(Mike Shea is a board member of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats)