IT’S COBOL: Archaeologists Unearth a Secret Lost Language From 3,000 Years Ago.

SO HELEN AND I ATTENDED THE RALLY FOR ISRAEL AT MARKET SQUARE IN KNOXVILLE. Lots of local politicians spoke in support of Israel, and there were letters of support from Gov. Bill Lee, and Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Haggerty. It was a large crowd, mixed between Christians and Jews, and there were prayers of both varieties. Everything was peaceful and moving. There were Knoxville Police around, but not much need. Here are a few pics.

Rep. Tim Burchett.

The Insta-Wife with Tim Burchett.

VIRGINIA POSTREL: The Myth of Prometheus Is Not a Cautionary Tale: The Greeks didn’t think fire was a mistake. (P.S. You’re also getting Frankenstein wrong.)

MY NEW SUBSTACK ESSAY: 90 Seconds to Midnight: The Clock Ticks.

As always, if you like these please take out a paid subscription.

LEFTISM AND THE CRISIS OF LONELINESS: “Like most people, when you hear some pink-haired girl talking about how they identify as a dragon, it makes you roll your eyes, but I wanted to not focus on their words and instead look at what their body is telling me when saying something as ridiculous as that. There was a typical pattern that I would recognize: they were often alone, they had trouble making eye contact with the camera, were under the age of 26, and would have very blank expressions on their faces, even if their words were describing their pride or happiness. For many of these people, as much as they talk about ‘community,’ their facial expressions would often show signs of physical isolation & loneliness fatigue.”

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT [VIP]: Maybe the Guy Who Ruined Thor Is the Guy Who Can Save Star Wars.

OF COURSE THEY DO: National Transportation Safety Board Calls For Speed-Limiting Tech in Cars.

IT’S COME TO THIS: Osama bin Laden’s infamous ‘Letter to America’ after 9/11 promoted by TikTok influencers, goes viral.

A TikTok influencer went viral this week for promoting Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America.”

Online personality and pro-Palestinian activist Lynette Adkins urged her over 175,000 TikTok followers on Tuesday to read the words of the terrorist mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.

“I need everyone to stop what they’re doing right now and go read- It’s literally two pages. Go read ‘A Letter to America,” Adkins said the video. “And please come back here and just let me know what you think because I feel like I’m going through, like, an existential crisis right now and a lot of people are, so I just need someone else to be feeling this.”

Her video received roughly 800,000 views and over 80,000 likes on TikTok.

* * * * * * * *

Another TikTok user raeyreads posted the entire letter on her page which received over 640,000 views despite having only 1,300 followers.

“We’ve been lied to our entire lives,” raeyreads wrote Monday. “I remember watching people cheer when Osama was found and killed. I was a child, and it confused me. It still confuses me today. The world deserves better than what this country has done to them. Change must be made.”

The Guardian, which had bin Laden’s “Letter to America” published on its website since 2002 and was the first Google search result when searching for the document, quickly removed the letter amid the sudden traffic on social media.

A spokesperson for The Guardian told Fox News Digital, “The transcript published on our website 20 years ago has been widely shared on social media without the full context. Therefore we have decided to take it down and direct readers to the news article that originally contextualized it instead.”

Exit quote:

If you kids think Bin Laden made some good points, wait'll I tell you about a vegetarian former art student with an ironic mustache whose impassioned manifesto about the Zionist oppression of his people sparked a worldwide movement

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) November 16, 2023

UPDATE:

"whoa whoa the Bin Laden praise is just a bit too much for us" – Communist Chinese government run psyop entertainment app https://t.co/7oPYvo9aIy

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 16, 2023

More: Man Who Killed Bin Laden Responds To Viral TikTok Trend Praising The Terrorist’s ‘Letter To America.’ And:

Journalist Megyn Kelly zoned in on the parents of some of the younger people participating in the trend. “To the parents of all of these losers suddenly persuaded by the deranged musings of the man who murdered 3k American innocents: you failed,” she wrote. “You were likely boozing, marching for some L-wing cause and/or simply ignoring your kids. You failed to teach wrong from right, a proper moral code, a love of country and perspective on America’s role in the world. [Because] you failed, my kids and others are going to have to grow up battling these a**holes for the future of the United States. I have every confidence they can do it, but I resent and judge you for making it necessary as opposed to fostering a life in which they can focus solely on growth, joy, love, family, hard work and creation.”

“No point getting bogged down in it however, trust me when I tell you that the majority of Americans – this generation and the next – will fight to defeat the pernicious lunacy you’ve unleashed,” Kelly added. “And we will win.”

Well, let’s hope so. The news cycle since October 7th doesn’t instill me with confidence that she’s correct, though.

(Updated and bumped.)

HEH: Congressman Thanks Capitol Police for Keeping Lefty Dems Safe From Their Own Supporters.

Thank you @CapitolPolice for keeping Democrats safe from their own terrorist loving supporters. Stay safe out there. https://t.co/Ds2YnTQNFF

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) November 16, 2023

To be fair, as with the bonkers protesters during the Kavanaugh hearings, that’s very much their job.

UPDATE: A job that clearly has limits, of course:

It is amazing how the DC police will protect the DNC HQ office building but not the homes of GOP appointed Supreme Court Justices from protestors.🙄

I bet the SCOTUS & GOP controlled House noticed this too. https://t.co/RGHW7O7VBW

— Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) November 16, 2023

“I bet the SCOTUS & GOP controlled House noticed this too.” Yes, but will they do anything about it, beyond yet more failure theater?

(Updated and bumped.)

HOW MASS CAN THE APPEAL BE AT THOSE PRICES? Mercedes-AMG’s New GT63 Coupe Aims for More Mass Appeal: The Mercedes division toned down its dedicated sports car for its second generation.

RABBI MICHAEL BARCLAY: A Serious Invitation to Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. “Do you have the courage to take me up on this offer, see this footage, and have an honest, open, and private dialogue afterward? Not as a publicity stunt and not as a television ratings ploy, but as an opportunity for your own soul’s understanding.”

This is a powerful piece.

THE CRITICAL DRINKER: The Marvels Was Doomed From The Start (Video.)

SO ENDETH THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND: Rep. George Santos says he won’t seek reelection.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM: Projectile Performance for .50-Cal. Pistol Bullets.

HOT! HOT! HOT!:  The Supreme Court will soon have the opportunity to resolve a conflict in the Circuits about whether Title IX requires school to assign transgender students to the showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms reserved for the sex they psychologically identify with (rather than their biological sex).  Here is the amicus curiae brief that Joe Bingham, Pete Kirsanow, Dan Morenoff and I just filed.  This is a very winnable case (even in the face of Bostock).  Here’s hoping the Court takes the case.

READER FAVORITE: Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder Set. #CommissionEarned

DISPATCHES FROM WEIMAR AMERICA: Paul Pelosi attack suspect David DePape found guilty in federal trial.

MATT MARGOLIS: Nikki Haley Destroyed Her Campaign With Just a Few Words.

Oh, how painful this was.

Nikki Haley wasn’t exactly my first choice in the 2024 Republican primary, but her debate performances and her general election match-up polling made me think she was solid vice presidential material.

And then she ruined it.

During an interview on Fox News, Haley essentially came out against free speech on the internet.

While discussing internet speech, Haley argued that “every person on social media should be verified by their name.”

“When you do that, all of a sudden people have to stand by what they say. And it gets rid of the Russian bots, the Iranian bots, and the Chinese bots. And then you’re going to get some civility when people know their name is next to what they say, and they know their pastor and their family members are going to see it.”

Neo, Ace of Spades, and Comfortably Smug could not be reached for comment.

WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW: Nearterm 10X Aerogel Fission Fragment Rocket Will Lead to Interstellar Capability.

BLUE ON BLUE: Pro-Hamas Protestors Shut Down This Vital Bay Bridge.

I THOUGHT PEOPLE SNORTED IT: Research challenges traditional theory of mechanisms of cocaine self-administration.

GO AWAY, WINNIE, WE DON’T TRUST YOU: Xi Jinping faces a more skeptical US business community as he makes his case for investment.

AND YET, THEY NEVER LEAVE: Barbra Streisand says if Trump becomes president, she ‘can’t live in this country.’

—The Washington Examiner, yesterday.

Flashback:

A vocal democrat, Barbara Streisand voiced her fear for the political future after George W. Bush was elected. “I don’t think you’ll see me around here for at least four years,” Babs told People as President Bill Clinton was leaving office.

Current Status: The famed singer stayed in the U.S. and campaigned for democrats in the 2014 midterm elections.

— 15 Stars Who Threatened to Leave the Country Over Politics, Entertainment Weekly, March 7^th, 2016.

MOSTLY PEACEFUL: Chaos at DNC HQ When Pro-Palestinian Rioters Attempt to Break In.

MICROBIOME NEWS: A woman did more than 100 stool transplants to treat her ulcerative colitis — and it worked. What to know about fecal microbiota transplantation.