Once upon a time, America once stood as a nation of laws, a beacon to the world and a shining pillar of hope. Somewhere along the line, we have forgotten equality and justice under the law. Instead of lauding the likes of superheroes Luke Skywalker, Batman, Superman and yes, even Robin Hood; we have transformed into a nation that worships Prince John, Lex Luthor, the Penguin and Darth Vader. Seriously. We want to destroy the very people working to save our lives because we can have a beer, shoot targets and read a bible with the Right.

We now live in a society where elite, white collar criminals reign supreme under the guise of working for the “little man”, supporting citizens’ sometimes bizarre ideologies or catering to their darkest fears. Ideology and fear – two words that hold great power in a world of misconceptions, lies and propaganda. How easy it is to fool the uninformed and misguided by simple keywords and cheap dialog only to craft a nation of lawlessness. Regrettably, that is what America has become in this 21^st Century.

Markedly, we see the outpouring of eager republican voters casting votes for their latest and most outrageous insurrectionist leaders in recent primaries. Resorting to focus on Kryptonite that divides us is much easier than assembling a united force of Americans willing to work with one another to achieve the greatness we have still yet to achieve in this life.

So deluded with ideological pipe dreams and fear of the “other”, we are willing to sacrifice our very own livelihoods and communities to the austerity that will surely come with another leadership of the likes of Donald Trump. But love of worship can be a blinding factor, causing even the ordinary man or woman to say and do unspeakable things in the name of a freedom that has never and will never exist.

Our Founders, which are often thrown up incoherently in the midst of sensationalized conversations regarding the Constitution, are quickly misconstrued and used for their intellect at the time. Those on the Right cherry pick passages much like the backdoor preacher will cherry pick the bible to get his donations rolling into his coffers. It is not about creating better lives for all, but for promising riches that will only line the pockets of these white collar criminals. The Right will laugh behind closed doors at the uninformed, using them as a stepping stone, to fatten their wallets and score political points for their demagoguery.

The Right continues to build mistrust and establish themselves as the savior to be all and do all. The truth is, no one man or woman can lead a nation filled with hatred, intolerance and greed. Why did so many leave to come to the New World? Because they did not want to be persecuted for their beliefs and way of life. Many escaped hardship and cruelty. Those in the Right who scream, “Then leave the US!” are in fact becoming the persecutors. Sadly, this is not unprecedented- this has happened in the past. Many Native Americans welcomed past generations of the persecuted only to become the persecuted themselves because they did not prescribe to the settlers’ ways of life.

This coming midterm election, ask yourself: Do you want to become the accessory to the criminals who want to persecute those who are different or do not share your same beliefs? If so, than you will live with the sins that will become historically owned by you and fellow voters who placed these Right-wing ideologues in positions of leadership. You will become the Kryptonite to salvaging this still young and delicate nation from the grasps of autocracy and tyranny. I still want to believe in the good of the American people, that there is still a glimpse of logic that distinguishes Superman from Lex Luthor. Between the two, I would pick Superman hands down.

America, Home of the Kryptonite©

C. Bailey-Lloyd

August, 2022

No, I am not talking about Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, or Cinderella. In those stories, the handsome young suitor comes along and presents a rosy ending. Don’t even get me started on the lie told by history books on Pocahontas.   

The “fairytales” I’m talking about are the ones depicted on theater big screens. Films like Enemy of the State, where unlikely hero Edward “Brille” Lyle (Gene Hackman)  falls haphazardly into an unwanted partnership with good guy, Clayton Dean (Will Smith)  to save the nation from a corrupt and murderous National Security Agency official.  Heroes like Brille are apparently in short supply.

Other films like Whitehouse Down, Olympus has Fallen and London has Fallen, though my favorite thrillers of good guys beating the bad guys (before they destroy our country, of course), are fairytales at best. Pipedreams of humble heroes just “doing their jobs” to stop anarchy and hostile thugs from killing democracy seem to be a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Inevitably, scriptwriters have a penchant for painting idealistic stories of freedom fighters and truly patriotic heroines.

Growing up Gen X, we had Superman, the Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman and the like – typical unsuspecting average folks who transformed into heroes to save us from absolute destruction. Perhaps it was my upbringing during the Cold War that made me believe there were always guardians at the gate to stop national and global annihilation. Maybe it was the idea that someone, somewhere would be honest and strong enough to do the right thing. But I digress.

Just like the idea of America being the land of opportunity had been so cavalierly sold to us as children; we learned “alternative facts” about slavery, Columbus and the Civil War. As time marched on, the reality of our doctored history started bubbling through the surface. The hard reality is that until we accept history with all its faults and dirty laundry, we will forever be in a psychological state of civil war. Patriotic heroes do not exist. Villains who keep the lie alive do.

To break this vicious cycle, we as a collective body of truth bearers, must become “the helpers” that Mr. Rogers told children and viewers to seek. We do not possess super powers, we are not trained special forces, and alone, we cannot change the world. We can stand idly by – do nothing, say nothing. Apathy is fools’ gold to the conspiracy theorists and violent nationalists, who choose authoritarianism over democracy.

If you are paying attention, our country is at a crossroads. Truth deniers and violent insurrectionists  are everywhere – in the halls of congress, on media outlets, in our courts, our military, our law enforcement and other government institutions. It is up to us, the helpers, to dispel and expose every lie, every malicious act with courage and tenacity. To do otherwise is complacency and the end to democracy.  

America is not perfect, but the idea of advancing America to becoming a more perfect Union is what keeps the dream of equality and the pursuit of  happiness for all people alive. We cannot build that America alone. E Pluribus Unum.

Special gratitude to the helpers on the January 6^th Committee

 

In Life, there are No Fairytales

© 2022 – C. Bailey-Lloyd

 

 

 

 

 

Last week, I was diagnosed with F4, Cirrhosis. When I first found out, I really didn’t know how to react. I thought about how years ago, I had ended up in the hospital for over a week due to an unknown illness. At first, doctors brought in the CDC thinking I had some unknown new disease. All I could think to myself back then, was what in the heck is going on?

 

After having both my lungs collapse, I remember struggling to breathe. Then all the labs started to roll in—all my stats were off the charts. I recall the doctors asking my family members if I was an alcoholic. Their answer was always no. Mid week, my gallbladder was removed because it ceased functioning. During the surgery, they had a difficult time bringing me back. I learned I had flatlined at one point.

By the end of the week, I was told I had NASH. Also known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, This liver disease sneaks up on people when they least expect it. My next step, once I was out of the hospital, was to get a biopsy done on the liver itself to stage it. I didn’t know what to expect from the biopsy. In fact, after having gone through lumbar laminectomy in recent years, I figured this would be a cakewalk. Little did I know how profoundly painful a simple needle extraction of the liver could be. I was not given any calming sedative, nor was I anesthanesthetized. I felt the full brunt of the biopsy. It felt like a shotgun shell racing from my right side to my rib cage. Though it only lasted a few seconds, it felt like an eternity.

 

At the time, I was told the slide of my biopsy would be sent to MUSC hepatology department. I was to wait for the call for an appointment from MUSC as follow up. After a few days, I was back on track thinking that I had beat the odds. That following week, I met with one of the specialists at MUSC. He walked into the room, a very tall  lank man about the age of 40, with a very serious expression on his face. He sat down across from me, and proceeded to give me the biopsy results. “It’s not good news,” he said, “You have NASH with stage three fibrosis, leaning towards stage 4.” Naturally, my first response was, “what are WE going to do about it?” He kind of nodded his head, and told me how diet played an important role in the health of my liver. He then told me that he was going to get me into fibrosis trial at MUSC.  Though I qualified and was accepted into the trial, the trial fell apart due to lack of funding.

 

Over time, and through many different complex health journeys, I arrived at last week. Despite losing extra weight, eating mostly healthfully, ridding myself of type two diabetes, with a healthy 5.5 A1C, I now have cirrhosis. Internally, I am screaming at the top of my lungs. There are so many racing thoughts I have. There are many unanswered questions still. I have since reached out to the American Liver Foundation and received a ton of information. My first stop was at Books-a-Million, where I purchased “Skinny Liver” by Kristin Kirkpatrick, as well as two additional Mediterranean diet cookbooks. My first Mediterranean meal today is the spinach – eggplant – zucchini – mushroom lasagna. Since I am having to cut out a lot of the foods I am used to, this will definitely be a crash course in even healthier eating.

From what I am understanding, there is no cure for cirrhosis except liver transplant. That being said, the food that I put in my body can kind of act like a bypass machine for my liver and keep me alive. That’s the best that I can hope for at the moment.

In the duration, I have reached out to my gastroenterologist and have asked him for my meld score. (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) A meld score is basically a special liver scoring system that uses a combination of liver tests to see if/when you qualify for a liver transplant. Based on what I’ve read, once on a liver transplant list, it can take months to a year to receive one unless a living donor comes forward. Other factors to consider are that the surgery itself does not come without risk for either the donor or the recipient; and even as a donor recipient, you will have to take anti-rejection drugs the remainder of your life (if all goes well). There is a lot I still have yet to learn. For now, I am taking one day at a time and embracing life to the fullest with what I have. I did not realize, nor appreciate the value of this often forgotten organ. Today, there are nearly 107,000 people in America waiting on an organ transplant.  17 people die every day waiting on an organ transplant. Maybe in my next life, I’ll have a much better appreciation of the body and organs I was given. Take care of your liver and your liver will take care of you.

 Life, One Day at a Time

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