One suspects the name of William Bradford is either not known at all or, if known, not well known by Americans. As someone who grew up in Massachusetts, Bradford’s story was taught to kids in public schools like mine. As time progresses, a more adult understanding of Bradford is had and appreciated. For those who came in late, Bradford was, of course, an Englishman. In his case, from Yorkshire, located in northern England. Bradford’s story begins in earnest with the religious persecution of his countrymen by the establishment church — the Church of England — and King James I.  As with his friends and colleagues, Bradford’s first step in seeking religious freedom was to flee England for Leiden, Holland. From there he was aboard the good ship Mayflower, the ship that famously took him and his fellow Pilgrims (as they came to be called), to the New World, specifically Plymouth, Massachusetts. He signed the Mayflower Compact, which set out the very first governing laws for the new Plymouth Colony. The Compact was handwritten by Bradford and, unbelievably, is still around. The original Bradford-written document is locked safely in a vault at the State Library of Massachusetts. As America prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Compact is worth reading in its brief entirety. It states: IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620. Three hundred years later, in November 1920, Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge, himself newly elected as vice president of the United States, called attention to the Compact, saying: The compact which they signed was an event of the greatest importance. It was the foundation of liberty based on law and order, and that tradition has been steadily upheld. They drew up a form of government which has been designated as the first real constitution of modern times. It was democratic, an acknowledgment of liberty under law and order and the giving to each person the right to participate in the government, while they promised to be obedient to the laws. But the really wonderful thing was that they had the power and strength of character to abide by it and live by it from that day to this. Some governments are better than others. But any form of government is better than anarchy, and any attempt to tear down government is an attempt to wreck civilization. Few realized this more than William Bradford himself. So highly was Bradford thought of by his fellow Plymouth Colony settlers that he was, astonishingly, elected governor for thirty — say again — thirty years. In fact, he served as governor for the rest of his life. Among other works, he wrote Of Plymouth Plantation, which told the tale of the founding of Plymouth Colony and the lives and exploits of his fellow colonists during the period from 1620-1646. It is decidedly worth reading if Americans have any quiet downtime amidst their family Thanksgiving traditions. Bradford’s writings are a reminder as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving of what exactly the first colonists of the New World endured for good and ill as they went about, to borrow a familiar current phrase, Making America Great. Happy Thanksgiving! READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: Draining the D.C. Swamp Picks Up Steam Trump v. Washington Three Cheers for Pete Hegseth The post Giving Thanks for Pilgrim William Bradford appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

If the trajectory of the war in Ukraine remains the same, Russia will win.  The only way that Ukraine could win would be for NATO to get directly involved in the conflict, and we are dangerously close to seeing that happen.  If Ukraine keeps firing long-range missiles provided by NATO into Russian territory, the Russian responses to those missile strikes will keep getting more intense.  Eventually, the Russians may do something so dramatic that it would give NATO justification to enter the war, and that is precisely what many among the western elite want.  But of course a direct conflict with Russia could spark a nuclear war that would kill hundreds of millions of people.  So by choosing to greatly escalate the war in Ukraine, the western elite are literally gambling with all of our lives. On Tuesday, it was being reported that Russia is gaining territory in Ukraine “at the fastest rate since the early days of the 2022 invasion”… Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine at the fastest rate since the early days of the 2022 invasion, taking an area half the size of London over the past month, analysts and war bloggers said on Tuesday. The corporate media in the U.S. doesn’t talk much about Russian victories, and so most Americans don’t even know that this is happening. So far this month, the Russians have captured approximately 257 square miles… Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with Finland’s Black Bird Group, said Russian forces had taken control of an estimated 667 sq km (257 sq miles) this month, citing data he said could include some October gains noted with a delay. President Vladimir Putin, who replaced his defence minister in May, has repeatedly said that Russian forces are advancing much more effectively – and that Russia will achieve all its aims in Ukraine, although he has not spelled them out in detail. The Ukrainians are outmatched, and they have been worn down by more than two years of relentless fighting. If things remain the same, the Russians will continue to march forward. At this stage, the Russians already control 18 percent of Ukraine… Russia controls 18% of Ukraine including all of Crimea, just over 80% of Donbas and more than 70% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in the south, as well just under 3% of the eastern Kharkiv region, according to open source maps. The western elite are absolutely determined to do something to change the momentum of the conflict, and so they have decided to allow Ukraine to launch long-range missiles that NATO has provided into Russian territory. But the Russians are promising that every time this happens, there will be a response… “Missile strikes deep inside Russian territory are an escalatory step,” Lavrov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. “All of our warnings that these unacceptable actions will be met with an appropriate response have been ignored.” Those behind attacks on Russian citizens and infrastructure will face “well-deserved punishment,” the minister warned. He added that “no escalation coming from the enemy would force us to abandon our goals” in Ukraine. The brand new Oreshnik missile that the Russians have unveiled is a game-changing weapons system. According to Scott Ritter, the Oreshnik is unlike anything that we have ever seen before… The Oreshnik was designed to carry between four and six IPBVs. The one used against Dnipropetrovsk was a six IPBV-capable system. Each war head in turn contained six separate submunitions, consisting of metal slugs forged from exotic alloys that enabled them to maintain their form during the extreme heat generated by hypersonic re-entry speeds. These slugs are not explosive; rather they use the combined effects of the kinetic impact at high speed and the extreme heat absorbed by the exotic alloy to destroy their intended target on impact. The military industrial target struck by the Oreshnik was hit by six independent warheads, each containing six submunitions. In all, the Dnipropetrovsk facility was struck be 36 separate munitions, inflicting devastating damage, including to underground production facilities used by Ukraine and its NATO allies to produce short- and intermediate-range missiles. The U.S. does not have anything remotely similar. In fact, the U.S. does not have any operational hypersonic missiles at all. The sad truth is that we are way behind the Russians in this area. How in the world did we allow that to happen? The Russians have begun mass production of the new Oreshnik missile, and according to retired MIT professor Theodore Postol we have absolutely no defense against it… None of the current missile defense systems worldwide can intercept Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik, Theodore Postol, a leading US missile technology expert and retired MIT Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy, told TASS. He dismissed claims that existing missile defense systems, including Aegis, Aegis Ashore, THAAD, Patriot, and Iron Dome, could counter the Oreshnik. “No, no, absolutely not,” said the expert, who is a former science adviser to the US Navy chief of staff and has also worked at Stanford University and Argonne National Laboratory. “There’s nothing available that can engage that system and offer any meaningful defense against it,” Postol emphasized. We are also being told that the Oreshnik can also carry nuclear warheads. In addition to the Oreshnik, the Russians have developed highly advanced ICBMs that are far superior to anything that we have. The Russians now possess the most advanced nuclear missiles in the world by a very wide margin, and meanwhile the U.S. is still relying on hopelessly outdated technology from the 1970s and 1980s. We do not want to fight a nuclear war with the Russians. It would not go well for us. Recently, FEMA issued an updated guide for how to survive nuclear war, and it contains some very questionable advice… FEMA’s guidance emphasizes three crucial steps: “Get Inside, Stay Inside, and Stay Tuned.” Citizens are encouraged to seek immediate shelter in a sturdy building, ideally in a basement or a central room away from windows, to reduce exposure to harmful radiation. Remaining indoors for at least 24 hours is essential unless authorities provide different instructions. Staying informed through official channels is vital; it’s empowering, ensuring you receive timely updates and directives and putting you in control of your safety. The agency highlights the severe consequences of nuclear explosions, which include intense heat, blast waves, and radiation, all of which can cause catastrophic damage and casualties. A particular concern is fallout—the radioactive debris propelled into the atmosphere, which can reach ground level within 15 minutes of the detonation. This fallout poses significant health risks due to the high levels of radiation it emits. First of all, if a nuclear war erupts most experts encourage people to stay inside for a minimum of 48 hours after the last nuclear detonation in your region of the country has occurred.  But personally, I would recommend staying inside for at least two weeks. Secondly, why are they telling us to stay informed “through official channels” when nuclear war will destroy our power grid and nobody will be broadcasting? If a nuclear war erupts, tens of millions of Americans will instantly die, and tens of millions of Americans are likely to die in the aftermath as a result of being exposed to nuclear fallout. Of course the famine that follows nuclear war would kill more Americans than anything else. It has been projected that more than 90 percent of the U.S. population will end up dead if there is a full-blown nuclear war with Russia. So why are the western elite gambling with all of our lives? Is it really worth it? Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a peace deal in the early days of the war, but the western elite vetoed that peace agreement. They told the Ukrainians to keep on fighting, and since then approximately 600,000 precious Ukrainians have been killed. Now the western elite are putting all of our lives on the line, and that should deeply concern us all. Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com. About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today. Get prepared for what is ahead by visiting some of our sponsors… The Jase Case is more than an emergency medication supply. The right meds the moment you need them: https://jasemedical.com/?rstr=22537 Protect your home and vehicle with EMP Shield: https://www.empshield.com/?coupon=snyder50 Ready Hour Emergency Food: https://www.readyhour.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=8&affid=109 My Patriot Supply: https://www.mypatriotsupply.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=1&affid=109 InstaFire: https://www.instafire.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=10&affid=109 AlexaPure: https://www.alexapure.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=9&affid=109 Camping Survival: https://www.campingsurvival.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=7&affid=109 The post Russian Forces Are Gobbling Up Territory In Ukraine At A Rapid Pace, And So The Western Elite Have Decided To Gamble With All Of Our Lives… appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

by Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit: Elon Musk’s X Corp. has formally objected to selling or transferring any X accounts maintained by Alex Jones or Infowars at auction. The Onion claims to have purchased Infowars in a bankruptcy auction earlier this month with plans to turn it into a satire website — but the judge […]

by Geoffrey Grinder, Now The End Begins: Germany is drawing up a list of bunkers that could provide emergency shelter for civilians, with NATO warning at a time of rising tensions with Russia. Donald Trump still has 56 days until he is sworn in as president of the United States, and by that time, he could […]

A quarter of a century after its original broadcast on Saturday Night Live, the Cowbell Sketch's ripples are still spreading