United States

Submitted by Simon Black via SovereignMan.com,

If you’re not watching it purely for the entertainment value, sitting through a State of the Union speech ranks somewhere between a colonoscopy and a root canal.

Every year I opt for the former (entertainment value, not colonoscopy).

But because I live overseas, one of the added entertainment benefits is that I’m surrounded by foreigners who are seeing this highly ritualistic propaganda for the first time.

The absurdity starts almost immediately.

Update:

Couple of things: first of all, any discussion whether the US market is in a profit (or revenue) recession must stop: the US entered a profit recession in Q3 when it posted two consecutive quarters of earnings declines. This was one quarter after the top-line of the S&P dropped for two consecutive quarters, and as of this moment the US is poised to have 4 consecutive quarters with declining revenues as of the end of 2015.

US Government Drives Toward War With Russia

The arrogant stupidity of the US government is driving the West into war with Russia.
NATO members are enabling the drive toward war, and some of the more stupid ones such as Poland are egging on the momentum toward war.

Submitted by Gregory R. Copley via OilPrice.com,

Senior-level sources in numerous Middle Eastern governments have privately expressed bewilderment at recent and current U.S. government strategies and policies toward the region.

But a closer examination of U.S. policies, now almost entirely dictated by the Obama White House, shows no cohesive national goals or policies exist, but rather an ad hoc set of actions and reactions, which are largely dictated either by ideological positions, ignorance, whim, or perceived expedience.