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… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Healthcare: What's So Wrong with Having Government Protection?

Those in congress who are protecting the insurance industry from government intrusion are doing a great job - of protecting their campaign contributions. They've managed to so complicate t… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Why is President Obama Losing Momentum in the Polls?

President Obama is beginning to lose the politically essential enthusiasm of many independent voters. The primary reason for that is that he seems to be deviating from the message that got their support in th… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

It's Time for a Congressional Housecleaning

It's become increasingly obvious that simply taking away control of congress from the GOP wasn't quite good enough to disengage the corpo-congressional alliance. Self-service has now become an entrenched way of life… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

How to Protect Yourself When You Suspect Racial Profiling

Well, racial profiling is in the news again.

Prominent Black scholar and Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was recently arrested after a forced entry into his own home. Dr. Gates alleges that… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

I Had a Dream

I dreamed that I opened my eyes one morning and all of America was wide awake. I could hear the echoes of the Bush/Cheney consortium desperately proclaiming their innocence from deep within the Hague, but the world had long since… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

America: Are We Really that Exceptional?

Well, there's that arrogant, xenophobic, and divisive phrase again - "American Exceptionalism."

President Obama is being roundly criticized by many conservatives for refusing to go around the world promoting the conserv… Read full post »

Michael Jackson and America's Superstardom

I greatly admired Michael Jackson. I admire anyone who's the very best at what they do, and Michael Jackson was definitely that. I remember when I first heard him. He was doing a tune called "Who's Lovin' You?" He… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Healthcare: Why Can't We Get the Congressional Option?

There's at least one thing that Republicans do much better than Democrats, and that's marketing their initiatives. It doesn't matter how regressive the idea, Republicans manage to frame it in a way that if… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

The current situation in Iran is perfectly analogous to what's going on here in the United States. The vast majority of the people want a common-sense approach to domestic and world politics, while the old guard, stuck in the blind animosities of the… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

The Moral Strangulation of America

 In my last article I pointed out that the character of America is being fundamentally changed. In less than two generations we've gone from citizens who were politically engaged and socially aware, to zombies who… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Republicans: Stuck in Own Muck

With the Grand Old Party experiencing its most precipitous decline in modern times, the very last thing it needs is a rusty old anchor pulling it down even farther. But that’s exactly what it’s got as i… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Carrie Prejean: Are Progressives Becoming as Intolerant as Conservatives?

I've always been proud to consider myself a progressive, because being a progressive meant that I was open-minded, willing to assess every issue on its own merit, and I'm tolera… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

It was about 3 a.m. In the morning, and I found myself, as I am prone to do at that secluded hour, strollin' down the laid back and funky avenues of The Jazz Network.… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

GOP Underestimates Conservative America

While President Obama is going about his valiant and statesman-like attempt to rescue America and restore our image at home and abroad, the GOP's politics as usual, diehard operatives are acting like spoiled brat… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Bishop Joe Simon Sings the Blues Over Rappers and Ministry

I call this column "Beneath the Spin" because it's dedicated to an honest search for truth, an attempt to stimulate thought, and an earnest effort to clear up the trough of pure… Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

How Loyal is the Loyal Opposition?

From this point on I pledge to stop using the terms "conservative" and "Republican" interchangeably. I'm beginning to realize there's a big difference between the two. Conservatives are loyal and well-meaning Americans of good… Read full post »

The revisionists are out in force in an attempt to rewrite history regarding the rein of George W. Bush as president of the United States. But fortunately, the internet is brutally tenacious in recording how the vast majority of Americans really feel about this eminently corrupt and incompeten… Read full post »

ANTOINETTE

She walks alone, sweet woman-child,
her sobs flow warm against the dark;
Her need is love, not merely passion,
a mighty fortress, her broken heart.

Quivering bodies, and breathless moans,
she remembers  with great  delight,        … Read full post »

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

An Undying Love 

You know, people dismiss the love that we have in our youth as puppy love, but actually, it’s often the strongest love that we’ll ever experience in our life.

I fell in love for the first time when I was… Read full post »