It's No Party -- It's not even a Picnic!

We've just passed the Health Care Bill and while I agree we needed health care reform, I'm not so sure our congressional members went about it the right way. Half of the country is for it while the other half is against it -- we are such divided country yet there is one thing we know for sure in this country...we are slowly becoming the have's and the have nots! Without jobs people can't eat, they can't pay their bills and they can't enjoy a quality of life that affords them a simple stress free environment. Sure -- we don't have to all buy our dream cars, but we do need transportation to get to our jobs and we do need heat in the house and food on the table and when it comes to buying medications for our sick family members -- we need money!

What we have is a country of greedy business people -- loan sharkers who want to capitalize on interest rates when loaning money out to the poor or financing them for a car or any other purchase they deem necessary. We just need our people to have jobs -- men and women given equal opportunity to work for decent wages that will sustain a quality of life that every American so richly deserves. I read an article the other night where Dolly Parton took on one of the Senators from Tennessee -- saying it was just "un-American" to charge 400 percent interest rate at these pay day loan stores! 400% -- are you kidding me! I thought my credit card of 23% was horrible. I nearly fell out on the floor when I read it! Good for you Dolly -- take on the big guy because those senseless bastards in Washington are not listening to us little guys. They will though when every American goes to the Polls and forgets about being a divided country and unites to send them all packing! Republicans and Democrats better start working on industry and finding us jobs or they'll be finding themselves out of their jobs! The Tea Party, Coffee Party, Kool-Aid Party, --they all have it wrong -- it's no party -- it's no picnic out here for those who are struggling. We need to make it difficult for those in office now -- make them squirm and struggle a bit for their money -- they need to help the small businessmen and women create jobs, help industry keep jobs in the United States and work to make our country stronger. The only way to do that is to create more jobs -- not bigger government! We are heading down a very slippery slope because what government gives us -- they can take away!

Can It Be

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been completely oblivious to the world -- I'm not sure if it is because I purchased a new iphone or because I finally found out that you can teach an "old dog new tricks" after all. I stopped watching the news folks and the super sensation of the media and I feel wonderful, coupled with the fact that I replaced the news with an exercise program. I keep telling people that I have this new found energy and that I'm not certain where it comes from but -- hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth...or however that saying goes.

I'm not so sure people like this new energy level of mine though -- it's almost like they are jealous. Could that be because the rest of the world likes being depressed or is so caught up with their own problems and the sensational news of the day that they can't find time to "love life." I'm not casting stones because God knows, I spent the better part of 27 years being depressed and now all I want to do is "live and love life." I'm no longer waiting for the sky to fall, or hear the next bit of bad news in the morning before I go to work so I can obviously ruin the rest of my day...I want to get up, exercise, eat a wonderful morning breakfast and then watch the sunrise as I drive into Denver.

Can it be -- that depression has taken the world by surprise and so many people are just plain depressed, lacking sleep and actually unhappy? I remember a time when I left the military and first began working on a farm in Medon, Tennessee! All I did was feed the horses and the cattle and I watched over the cats and dogs. I learned alot from the animals...they led a simple life. I fed them -- and they appeared grateful!

Can it be -- we just need to learn to be grateful for what we do have and think less about what we don't have?

Thank you Bobby C -- for reminding me to be grateful for what I have and never stop writing! It is my what feeds my soul! Can it Be!

Another Year

Another Year

Listening to music of years past

My heart beats to a different drum

I'm happy and have found my way through life's maze

It wasn't always easy that's for sure

I stumbled and picked myself up

Nothing seemed more difficult and often I felt alone

Today, I feel wonderful and as the New Year approaches

I have a love that has been with me from the beginnng of time

At least my time - a new beginning where we made it through the storm

Together...

The sky is so beautiful today, bright blue and although my love is not here with me

She knows that I am with her in every way. We are looking at the same mountains

We are sharing the same moon and we are breathing in the same air

But most of all -- we share life's miracles and understand that God walked with us on this journey in order to bring us to where we are today.

There will be many more years, God willing that we will share

Together...

I love you my dear, "Ryan"

With a 'Heart of Love'

Bonnie Tierney

December 26, 2009

As I Dine on My Own Words...

It takes great courage to stand up and be counted, especially against such a tyrant as Ahmadinejad. The young people of Iran are to be commended for their strength and determination and I suppose once again, I must eat my own words! I've doing that alot lately -- eating my own words. They don't taste well these days, especially when spoken with such anger. It's not like I've just become angry about him -- I mean, it's only been 26 years and still counting. So when I stated that Iran should have been blown off the face of the earth 26 years ago, well -- I'd like to apologize to the people of Iran for my comments. Your leader is evil and many of those who follow him are evil but to those of you who recognize him as an evil man and one who should be overthrown, I commend you. You have much work to do for yourselves, your people and your country.

Peace around the world is possible and your efforts in rising up against your leaders will move our world one step closer to such a reality. As I dine on my own "words" I will remember you in my prayers as you show the world your courage to defend your right to a true democracy --it takes great courage to stand up and be counted. Somehow in your show of strength and courage to rebel against your leaders, you have removed the very sword from my own "heart."

A Nation of Cowards To Hold Trial In New York

How ironic that the man who coined the phrase and called all Americans, "A Nation of Cowards" wants to hold the terrorist trials in New York City -- the very city where 3000 people lost their lives. Eric Holder - what hole did you crawl out of or better yet, what country do you hold allegiance too?

Let's spend more tax payer dollars as we begin the circus trial - and oh yes, let's make sure that the "MSK" the so called master mind behind the terrorist attacks, has a jury of his Muslim extremist peers. Then - if the "glove doesn't fit, you must acquit!"

Mr. Holder - you lumped me into the Nation of Cowards, but I am someone who served on active duty with the United States Air Force for 19 years. As one of those so called cowards, I would much rather have a Military Tribunal -- just go to GITMO, hold the trial and then hang all those terrorists. Wasn't this an act of war what they did? Didn't we go to war over it? Haven't we spent enough money on GITMO -- why must we spend more tax payer dollars in Illinois and New York, just to kill them? Lord have mercy -- when we went to war with Japan, we just dropped the big one on them -- killed many innocent people. Today - we are friends and our President bows to them. The difference between Japan of yesterday and terrorists of today is not much -- both wanted to kill Americans. www.outskirtspress.com/LockedInTime


With a Heart of Love,

Bonnie Tierney
Author and Veteran

What I Would Have Said to Larry King

It's Veterans Day again, November 11, 2009, and I'm still trying to process in my mind the 13 people who were killed at Fort Hood this past week by an Army Major who just happened to be Muslim, let alone be a Psychiatrist who treats our men and women in uniform. Why must everyone be so damn politically correct?

I was in my office at the Department of Veterans Affairs and just returned from a meeting with the Director when my blackberry started getting newsfeeds one after another about the shootings. (I left my bb in my coat at the office but I did hear the director's bb going off.) I think I began getting the information just after 2:45 p.m. MST. I could hardly believe what I was reading. There were shootings on base and one after another was being shot down...reported killings at the PX, then at a processing center. Information was murkey at best coming in from all sources. Then sirens going off in base housing telling people to remain inside. There were reports of 3 snipers on base killing people. It was exhausting not being able to listen actively to the news, but rather get the information off my blackberry. Then the news came that the shooter, an Army Major had been killed and two others had been taken into custody. It was nearing 4:00 p.m. and time to leave for the day. The final news I received from my friend, indicated that the Army Major was Muslim and that he was an Army psychiastrist.

At that point, I didn't care whether he was John Smith or Mike Anderson -- he was insane because he was a trusted officer taking the lives of our soldiers. I've never been politically correct and I have always advocated since working for the Department of Homeland Security in a previous position that we "NEED to PROFILE" because most of the terrorists today are Muslims. I remember calling my girlfriend after I left work, indicating that the SOB needed to be hung from the nearest telephone pole upside down, in full Army dress, and shot again by all of the victim's family members. I also said he didn't deserve to be buried in the United States. In fact, my emotions got the best of me and I just indicated that after we "killed him again" we needed to cut him up in milllions of pieces and toss his remains all over the middle east.

On my way home, I got a call from one of the producers on CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight. At the time, it was an unknown number calling from New York so I didn't answer the phone. I let it go to voice mail, but when I listened, the producer wanted to interview me about the shootings at Fort Hood. As many of you know, I wrote "Locked In Time - I Still Remember and Always Will" www.outskirtspress.com/LockedInTime. At some point, I'm hoping that they interview me about the book and my PTSD as a result of being one of the officers involved in the identification and processing of the soldiers that were killed in the terrorist bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. I'm not a professional psychologist so I wasn't exactly sure what they wanted to ask me. In any event, I called back and told "Emily B" (I won't use her last name, "You might not want to talk to me right now -- I'm trying to process what happened and to be truthful, I'll tell you what I think: That Army Major needs to be hung upside down by his boots and killed again." You have to understand, a military person with PTSD just heard that some Army Major shot and killed troops at Fort Hood while they were in a Military processing center getting ready to deploy. Emily asked me how far I was from Denver to their nearest television studio. I said about 20 minutes. Long story short, I started to go back toward Denver when I got the call back saying they had someone whom they were going to interview. I turned my car around, and started heading back to my home and about 20 minutes later, I receive a call from one of Larry King's producers indicating they would like to interview me. I absolutely love CNN (both Larry and Lou) because each of them tell it like is but being on a TV set with Larry King made it very real. Long story short - I got caught in traffic, made it to the studios just short of the showtime.

What would I have told Larry King: Who can make sense out this killing? Is it possible that the Psychiatrist who just happens to be Muslim was depressed or was he a terrorist. Of course he is a terrorist -- make no mistake about it. He entered a MPC (Military Processing Center) and killed innocent soldiers and to me - that makes him a terrorist. The fact, now later disclosed that the FBI had him under investigation tells me that they were wanting to "follow him" for some time to determine if he had any ties to Alqueda or other Muslim extremists. The government should be held accountable to the fullest for allowing this "ARMY MAJOR" to continue. From a PTSD perspective, I would have never allowed the military to assign that bastard to me in the first place -knowing how I feel about those who killed the 241 soldiers in Beirut. It's kind of like a female who is raped and asks for a female police officer to interview her instead of a male! Is it not her right to request a female based on sensitivity reasons. Maybe this Army Major should not be counselling our military soldiers about PTSD and the fact that the FBI was watching him should have been a red flag to the Army officers in command. The bottom line: I would have told Larry King that our country needs to stop being politically correct and take things at face value. People don't want to jump to conclusions but those soldiers are dead because the Army tried to be "Politically Correct" with an Army Major who happened to be a poor performer and Muslim. They gave him the benefit of the doubt and 13 people are dead.

Always - With a Heart of Love,

Bonnie Tierney
Author and Veteran

We Live In a Crazy World

Responding to an article in Huffington Post:

To even suggest that Sarah Palin has "anything" in common with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sickens my stomach! She was not part of kiling 241 soldiers, sailors and marines during the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983 -- but he was! He is nothing but a tyrant to be spit upon. He is pure evil and I would love nothing more than to be put in a room with him with a pair of plyers in hand so that I could slowly rip off every fingernail and toenail from his worthless body.Those of you smug people in Washington and around the country who continue to berate Sarah Palin -- remember one thing while you do it...she one of "us" -- the so called "little people" of America who are rising up -- willing and ready to vote all of YOU...out of office (regardless of political affiliation). While I refer to myself as "AirForce1" I am also known as "Bonnie - The Blue-Eyed Blogger" and most especially like to sign my posts, with my real name -- because like Sarah Palin, I own my words.

With a Heart of Love,
Bonnie Tierney
Author & Veteran