BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Murder Inc, and the New World Disorder

At first blush, one would think that the Republican Party is making much ado about nothing with their staged outrage over the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his 9/11 conspirators in the U.S. Federal court. Considering the macho stance that they generally take against Al Qaeda, one would think they'd say "bring it on", and be anxious to drag the conspirators back to the scene of the crime to face the consequences of their horrific act. After all, being forced to answer for their crimes before the people of New York represents the epitome of poetic justice.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

The Teabaggers Want their Country Back - Preferably, Circa 1860

I just saw another one of those videos. You know the ones - the kind that Fox "News" loves to show of the clueless teabagger with tears in her eyes, complaining that she wants her country back. They're designed to tug at our heartstrings, but they have just the opposite effect on me. What I see is a social bigot who thinks the world is about to come to an end because Barack Obama is the president instead of the White House butler.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

It's Time for America to Stop Claiming to be a Great Nation, and Start Becoming One

I want to begin this article by thanking Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her responsible Democratic colleagues, and one Republican, for standing up for the American people in their historic passage of the health-care bill in the house. I've bitterly criticized Speaker Pelosi in the past, and I'm still smarting over her "impeachment is off the table" stance during the Bush administration, but she stepped up to the plate in a very big way in this, the most significant legislation that the house has pasted in a generation. So thank you, Madam speaker.

But that said, now is the time for progressives, Democratic supporters, and all citizens who care about a congress "of the people" to also step up to the plate - not by weeping and begging the Liebercrats in the Senate to do what's right by the people, but by showing them the consequences of not doing so.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Could GOP Leaders Possibly Believe Their Own Rhetoric?

Is it possible that Republicans truly believe that President Obama is both a socialist, and a fascist, who wasn't born in the United States, and that providing affordable health-care to American families is a plot to destroy America? Could they possibly believe that Dick Cheney kept America safe, or that George Bush was protecting the American way of life? And is it possible that they consider their incendiary rhetoric simply innocent speech, and don't recognize that during this time of severe hardship they could very easily incite insurrection within the country? It's not likely.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Could Obama Fall Victim to a Change We Can't Believe in?

At this point Obama's presidency could go either way - he can either become one of the greatest presidents this country has ever known, or go down as an exciting experiment that went bad. It's all up to how he handles the expectations of Independents.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Joe Lieberman: To Hell with the American People

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has announced that if the senate includes a public option to healthcare reform he's prepared to side with the Republicans in a filibuster to prevent the bill from coming up for a vote. In other words, he's prepared to fight to block the will of the American people.

This is the same Joe Lieberman that Democrats sweat blood and treasure to support in his bid for vice president in the 2000 election; the same Joe Lieberman who signed a pledge with seven Republicans and six other Democrats not to filibuster any of Bush's judicial nominations in 2005; and the very same Joe Lieberman whose own Connecticut constituents polled 21 to 68% (a 47% margin) in favor of a public option. But he doesn't care about all of that. All he cares about is protecting his cash cow - the insurance industry.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

ODE TO A BLEEDING HEART

The one factor that contributed most to the downfall of the Democratic Party during during the seventies and eighties was allowing conservative Republicans to seize control of the political rhetoric. The Democrats simply sat back and allowed themselves, their constituency and their agenda to be redefined in the eyes of the American people by conservative "spin doctors" without rebuttal. As a direct result, they've allowed the term "liberal" to become a bad word in the political lexicon.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Conservatives Waking Up in Droves

Well, it seems that the GOP is finally coming into its own. Both its numbers, and its rhetoric, reflect that its rapidly becoming more of a cult than a political party. Recent polls indicate that now only 20% of the American people will even admit to being Republican these days. That's down from 32% in November. If its current rate of decline continues, after the 2010 election there won't be enough Republicans left in Washington to throw a card party - and that's with good reason.

History doesn't lie, at least, until Republicans get a hold to it. But with their desperate attempt to regain power at any cost, this current crop of GOP 'leaders' have inadvertently betrayed their true agenda - to promote the interest of big business at the expense of the American people. Every initiative that they champion is transparently designed to do just that.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

GOP 'Patriots' Strike America Once Again


My computer is still warm from my last article where I pointed out that the GOP is no longer conservative, and has become anti-American. Now, reinforcing my position, they've struck out against America again. In last week's column, "Limbaugh-Beck and the GOP Patriots Against America", I pointed out that you can say what you will about true conservatives, but they are fiercely patriotic, and will ALWAYS, support America, regardless to what the circumstances.

But this current group of renegade Republicans are clearly demonstrating not only that they're not true conservatives, but they're not even loyal Americans. With every day that passes it becomes increasingly clear that their only concern is making money, regaining power, and accommodating their own self-interest, and they're more than willing to throw America under the bus to achieve those goals.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Limbaugh-Beck and the GOP Patriots Against America

If anyone had any doubt about whether or not the GOP has become anti-American, all doubt should now be laid to rest. Rush Limbaugh, the titular head of the Republican Party, slipped into an altered state of bliss after hearing the news that the United States lost its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The man was completely beside himself with glee. God only knows what would have happened if we'd also been attacked - his body fluids would've had to be cleaned off the studio floor. I watched the video of Limbaugh's antics over and over again in total disbelief. It's literally unbelievable what's happened to the Republican Party.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

The Republican Agenda: Keep America Ignorant and Miserable, at any Cost

The Republican Party is a coalition of three separate constituencies with confluent interests. The first group is made up of traditional conservatives. These are highly patriotic Americans who believe in limited government, the primacy of the people over government, and fiscal responsibility. But the other two groups that have coalesced within the GOP are much more malevolent - international business interests, and social bigots.

It is the former of these two, international business, that controls the GOP. It's made up of highly educated individuals with huge resources and plenty of clout - and they use every bit of their resources and clout to manipulate what has become their citizen army - the social bigots. The social bigots are the people we see armed to the teeth at presidential speeches, disrupting townhall meetings, and fighting against their own interests. In short, these are the Joe the Plumbers of the world.   Read More »

Does anyone else think it is possible that Obama has scrapped the missile defense system in exchange for Russian cooperation against Iran? I was thinking about the secret agreemnets made by the U.S.-USSR during the Cuban missile crisis. I would like to hear what others think about this possible backroom deal.

BENEATH THE SPIN · ERIC L. WATTREE

The Religious Right: A Threat to America

When I became of age one of the first things I did was to reassess all of my previous beliefs and attitudes. Thereafter, I discarded as invalid anything that didn't stand up to logical and objective scrutiny, because even at that young age, I'd lived long enough to recognize that most of the problems in this world are a direct result of our failure to re-examine our illogical views of reality. Most religious zealots not only fail to go through that process, but refuse to as a matter of religious doctrine. It is due to that kind of zealotry, along with their doctrinal obligation against even considering the fact that they might be zealots, that makes the religious right a clear and present danger to both the United States, and the world.   Read More »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE


The Ironies of 911


While viewing America's solemn commemoration of the eighth anniversary of 911, I began to reflect upon its many ironies. The very first thing that came to mind was Dick Cheney's claim that the Bush administration's policies have kept us safe. My second thought was, he must think we're crazy - and far too many of us are.   Read More »

While much of the talk centering around health care reform one area that should be given special attention is that of health care regulation. One of the reasons that people are unable to get efficient and quality health care coverage is because the insurance companies, along with the drug companies, have run free for far too long. For decades these companies have been allowed to run up prices and wrongfully deny people the care that they deserve. This has to change.

We must also seek ways to lower the costs of health care. President Obama has found one creative way to cut health care costs by simply using electronic record keeping instead of the old and outdated system of filing paperwork. This is the things we must examine in order to cut costs where they can be cut.

During President Obama's speech to Congress and the American people we witnessed an important political moment. There have been times when there has been the battle of the public interests vs the interests of corporations and business. Wednesday was one of those moments. Obama and the Democrats could simply cave to the special interests and the big money lobbyists but instead they stood with the American people. Now we must see if they can get something done for the American people.

On this, the day after September 11th, we still remember the tragic terror attacks on our home soil. But one group remembers the national rage we felt on September 12th, 2001. They call themselves the 912ers, and their leader is Glen Beck. And their latest public demonstrations are not at tea party protests, but town hall events. They are not at every town hall protest, but when the insurance industry incited mobs quiet, you can hear the 912ers speak. “I want us to go back to the Constitution!”, “The Founding Fathers didn’t want this!”, and “I want my country back!” are their cries. My question to them is, “Do you know what that means?”

We would have to throw out the Bill of Rights. Even Hamilton objected to the Bill of Rights in the Federalists papers. Although, his argument was not against the rights themselves, but that the bill suggested they were the only rights. Further, they were not ratified until four years after the Constitution. That means no freedom of the press, assembly, speech, or religion. No right to a trial by a jury of your peers or to protect you from unlawful searches or seizures. However, the 912ers do make one exception for the Bill of Rights. The only amendment to the Constitution that the 912er’s website supports is the second (the right to bear arms).   Read More »

During his Presidential campaign and as he entered office President Obama stated that he would refocus on Afghanistan, which some had called “the forgotten war”. after the Bush administration began to focus primarily on the war in Iraq. Now we find a rise in violence in Afghanistan and a resurgent Taliban. With the costs of war rising many have began to question the future of Afghanistan and America’s role in that country.

Can America win in Afghanistan and if so at what costs? This is a legitimate question. America has spent billions in Afghanistan fighting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban as well as billions trying to rebuild the country and establish a stable government capable of one day handling its own security issues. The financial costs of this war and that of Iraq has undoubtedly been a factor in the American economic collapse. There is, of course, the costs of American lives. If our objective was to eliminate Al-Qaeda many question if American lives should be put at risk for the security of Afghanistan. There is no doubt that Al-Qaeda has not been wiped out and completely defeated. Most in the military and the U.S. intelligence community agree that Al-Qaeda is still attempting to regroup in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region and that they are still plotting against America. With this knowledge we must ask if we can really consider a quick exit from Afghanistan.

History paints a picture of Afghanistan as a region that has been controlled or heavily influenced by many outside governments and rulers. Afghanistan has also shown to fight and outlast these influential powers, most notably in the 1980’s when the Afghans, led by the mujahideen and assisted by the U.S, forced the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan. Many feel that the U.S. could suffer the same humiliating defeat as the Soviet Union. Many feel that despite the resources that might be pumped into Afghanistan that no clear and certain victory can be attained.

The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has declared that despite Afghanistan’s bleak outlook that victory is possible. Many have expected General McChrystal would ask for more American troops, even with around 68,000 American troops already stationed in Afghanistan. General McChrystal has also reportedly recommended placing more troops in populated areas as opposed to pursuing insurgents into remote regions of the country. The newly revised strategy is also believed to call for expanded efforts to train the Afghan military and security forces, better methods to counter opium poppy cultivation, and a rise in civilian commitments.


Violence thus far in 2009 exceeds previous reports and with recent reports of election fraud in Afghanistan sectarian violence could grow. Recently Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Admiral mike Mullen claims that the enemy (or the Taliban in particular) is doing a better job than coalition forces in providing stability and support to the Afghan people. This assessment has led many to the opinion that America is not at war with Al-Qaeda and not the Taliban. It is true that the Taliban that harbored Al-Qaeda has been somewhat broken. The resurgence of the Taliban has even caused some to ask if America and NATO should seek to cooperate with the Taliban and to allow them some rule over the country. While the Taliban has likely come under new leadership, with former leaders in hiding, one still has to question the idea of allow the Taliban to retake control of Afghanistan. The Taliban, while in control of Afghanistan, did stabilize a country that had been wrecked by fighting and corruption. Despite this positive spin on Taliban leadership the organization was strict in its Islamic rule and was oppressive against women’s rights. With America serving as a beacon of freedom and liberty can we afford to be seen as accepting and even cooperating with a regime that suppresses the rights of women?

Since the end of Taliban rule more and more Afghan children have been given the opportunity to attend school for the first time. This will provide a brighter future for Afghanistan. Without education and liberty the future of Afghanistan seems to be bleak and likely to continue down the violent and bloody path it has been on for several decades.

There are ways in which Taliban strength can be curbed. One of the factors that has led to the resurrection of the Taliban is the fact that Pakistan has not only allowed the Taliban a safe haven along its border regions but elements within the Pakistani government and society have provided support to the Taliban. It is obvious that Pakistani intelligence often aided the Taliban prior to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and still continues to do so. Now the Pakistani government faces Taliban forces looking to destabilize Pakistan itself. Pakistan seems unable or unwilling to stand against the Taliban which has allowed the Taliban to rebuild its organization. The U.S. and its allies must seek to help and persuade the Pakistani government to stand up against the Taliban.

The Taliban has also been able to regroup in part to the rise in opium production. The Taliban had once been against the cultivation of opium production in Afghanistan now uses funding from opium sales in order to fund its militia groups. Coalition forces have been fighting a losing battle against opium cultivation since the invasion in 2001. Many claim that opium production accounts for as much as half of the Afghan economy. In a land with few resources and little technology opium is one of the few reliable sources of income for many Afghan farmers. Instead of wasting resources in attempts to destroy opium production in Afghanistan in may be more efficient for the U.S. and its allies to redirect where the cash flow of opium production. For many years most of the opium used for medical purposes, like morphine and other drugs used to treat patients, has come from India and Turkey. The U.S and the World Health Organization should seek to incorporate Afghan opium into medical uses. This would allow Afghan opium farmers to continue to profit from the only product they are good at cultivating and still keep the money from flowing into the hands of the Taliban and other insurgents.

Many have already began to name the war in Afghanistan as “Obama’s Vietnam”. This war has lasted for several years and the end to American occupation is unlikely to end in the next twelve to eighteen months. What is clear is that a new strategy must be implemented and goals for withdraw must be met. I would agree with those who call for the accelerated training of Afghan military and police forces who can take on most of the security issues upon themselves. I also agree with those who call for the withdraw of most American ground troops while leaving behind special ops units that can quickly strike at threats posed by Al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups as well as leaving offshore forces in the event that a larger force might become needed to assist Afghan military forces. No matter what strategy the administration might come to take, Afghanistan is no doubt at a critical point and the future of the country hangs in the balance.

Friday last I had the honor of attendinding Grandpa Dine's Spiritual cleansing. I was in the circle with my grandpa and many wonderful Native brothers and sisters, whom made a special sacrifice to pray for grandpa all night long, from early evening untill the following day at sunrise.


ALL NIGHT LONG THERE WERE SACRED PRAYERS AND SONG FOR MY GRANDPA'S HEALTH AND WELL BEING. HE WAS ADMINISTERED THE MOTHER SEED PEYOTE AS THE PRAYERS AND SACRED SONGS WENT ON ALL NIGHT LONG. HIGH UP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE SANTA ISABEL RESERVATION.

Through the night until morning he took many teaspoons full of powdered mother seed and washed down with peyote tea. He was up all night on his ironwheeled horse. The experience for me was a highly memorable one. The sacred fire in the circle was kept going all night by the fireman, and the Roadman blessed him and I many times with Eagle feathers. As the Roadman prayed to Grandfather Spirit to cleanse the cancer from my Grandpa's body. The Roadman Glen Justky came all the way from a rez north of Casa Grande Arizona and he brought with him family members to assist with the entirety of the sacred ceremony.

I felt blessed just from being as one with our people and to have been under a beautiful starlit night on a mountain top as the coyotes serenaded us with their song, to have heard the crow of the roosters and see the birth of a new wonderful sunrise which became the first day of the rest of my Grandpa's life. He will live longer because the mother seed will cure him from his cancer, and Grandfather Spirit Creator of all will not allow my Grandpa to go home to Grandfather Spirit before his time.

I feel as if I have become one with all of our people and happy to be home.

Attention all Temecula Residents,
If you have any family members going to Vail elementry School, of Temcula Unified School District, you should be aware that there is a breakout of th swine flue and that it has been kept under wraps as far back as early June.
The first cases should have been reported to the CDC in Washington D.C. and Bethesda Maryland CDC.
It was not for obvious reasons. However since my little brother was exposed at the school and contracted the disease we are now all under order and guide lines from the CDC to stay Quarantined for the next 10 days. Two people have died from the disease in the County of Sandiego in the past month.
The Swine Flue is lethal if not treated.
The school district was not particularly in a hurry to make the report. Their main concern is to avoid a money loss from the federal subsidy they recieve for each child. My grandfather Dine' Warrior made a call to the CDC office in Washington DC and henceforth was passed on to the direction of the Bethesda Maryland office.
The School District of Temecula has not made it public to the parents of all the other students in the school.
Many of those children have brothers and sisters that go to middle School and Great Oaks Highschool. The disease can become a major epidemic if not properly handled. The sad part is that not all people have proper medical coverage and can not afford to take their children to the hopital emergency room to get treatment. The latter are the ones that may end up dead, and all because some money hungry school districts only care about the money and not the health of the students.
The Native American communities donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school districts in their areas every year, from Gaming on the Rez. I ask myself is it right for our people to be forking out money to the school districts if this is going to be their attitude. I do not think so. My grandfather Dine' Warrior will be going on a crusade to stop this practice, and to make it known to the shool districts that all children go there to recieve an education and not to be put in harms way by money grubbers, who do not care what happens to the children in their trust. No child should be exposed, Native American or other. I am writing this blog under guidance and direction of Grandpa Dine' Warrior.
The CDC is now aware and making sure that guide lines are being followed and will be watching closely that this type of behavior does not repeat, Grandpa Dine' Warrior is going to stay on top of this situation along with the CDC.

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Lofty Ideals are Only as Meaningful as the Backbone that Supports Them

Is it just me, or is anyone else curious about how the GOP managed to suspend the United States Constitution, thrust us headlong into a costly and unjustified war, ravage the global economy, and destroy America's moral credibility throughout the world, while the Democrats, even after being handed the White House and a huge majority in both houses of congress, can't even manage to pass a healthcare bill that would benefit every family in America?

If like me, you've been curious about this issue, scratch your head no more. The answer is screaming at us right before our eyes, but like the angry medicare recipient boisterously demonstrating against socialism, we simply refused to believe our lying eyes.   Read More »