PJ Media

EMPIRE OF THE MULLAHS: Iran’s imperial project in the Shatt al-Arab

• Native Arab population of up to 500,000 "relocated."
• Resistance jailed, forced to confess, and executed.
• Most politically sensitive area in the Middle East.
• Controls oil shipments and trade routes
• Iranian zone is the launch point for Iranian covert operations in Iraq.
• Iran now controlling up to 40,000 agents in Iraq.

The a href=”http://drsanity.blogspot.com/2007/03/carnival-of-insanities_25.html”Carnival of the Insanities/a is up at Dr. Sanity’s place.

BREAKING: US Holds 300 Prisoners Linked to Iran

Exclusive to PJM by Richard Miniter, PJM Washington Editor American forces in Iraq now hold some 300 prisoners tied to Iran's intelligence agencies, PJ Media learned from both diplomatic and military sources.

Blog Week in Review: Bill Roggio on Iraq

Bill Roggio talks about the surge, security in Iraq, and holding our ground in Afghanistan with host Austin Bay in this week's podcast. Roggio says that even though "we lost a lot of ground" in 2006, "There's a very good chance of success for this plan." Bill is currently filing several reports a week on Iraq that can be found at the Weekly Standard. Produced by Ed Driscoll. Brought to you by Volvo USA.

Pajamas Weekend Review

The best of the week @ Pajamas:

IRAQ REPORT — Iran in Retreat

Zimbabwe Now: Dictatorship, Oppression and a Diet of Rats – An Interview by Richard Fernandez, PJM Sydney

Film: 300 Questions

Smashing Dissent in Egypt – Egypt Moves to Eliminate Freedom to Protest, Freedom to Assemble, Freedom to Speak

Blog Week in Review: Groupthink

The Cool Water of the Koran (Part IV)

Mario! Mario!> – Never trust a thin chef.

The Gospel of John & Yoko: The Origins of Mad Morality

Four Years In. 300? It’s Just a Movie. – by Jules Crittenden

BAGHDAD REPORT: Checkpoint and Double Checkpoint

Exclusive to PJM: Fred Thompson on “300″

Airbus A380, You Are Clear to Land

Sanity Squad: Killer Confession

The Calm Between the Storms – Allison Kaplan Sommer reports on the direction in which the winds are blowing in Israel

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Yon Reports on the Surge

Unions Sue to Save Illegal Aliens

by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Richard Miniter After the largest workplace immigration raid in American history, labor lawyers counter-attacked with lawsuits to save illegal aliens from deportation. Long opposed to illegal immigration, unions are now among its biggest defenders.

Cathy Seipp 1957-2007

"Wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail." -- Ezekiel 47 Cathy Seipp - journalist, blogger and frequent writer for this site passed away Wednesday at 2:05 pm Pacific time. She was surrounded by friends. PJ Media extends our heartfelt condolences to her family. Over 900 tributes from the blog world may be found HERE and HERE. Portrait by Roman Genn

Situation Normal. All Foxed Up in Nevada

Veteran political analyst Bill Bradley puts the Fox News / Nevada Democratic Party / MoveOn / Air America dust-up under the microscope. It's not pretty.

Politics @ The Half-Shell: The Corn & Miniter Show

Author and blogger David Corn and PJM Washington Editor and author Richard Miniter talk about what’s breaking and shaking in Washington, DC this week. First of a series.

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Yon Reports on the Surge

The surge is well underway in Iraq, and by some reports it's already making a big difference. Glenn Reynolds and Helen Smith contacted the blogosphere's man-on-the-spot in Baghdad, Michael Yon, by satellite phone, and got his take on how things are going. Click "More..." to listen. Brought to you by Volvo.

Podcast with Michael Yon

a href=”http://www.michaelyon-online.com/”Michael Yon /ais still in Iraq and we caught up with him to get an update on the Iraq Surge. We talk with him about the surge, the new tactics and rules of engagement, the Iraqi people’s attitudes, and what’s going on with the press.br /br /You can stream the file by a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2007/03/21/the_glenn_and_helen_show_micha_2.php”going here/a and clicking on the gray Flash player, or you can download the file directly by a href=”http://richmedia.pjmedia.com/audio/politicscentral/glenn_helen_show/20070321-MichaelYon.mp3″clicking right here./a There’s a lo-fi version suitable for dialup a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2007/03/21/the_glenn_and_helen_show_micha_2.php”here/a — select the lo-fi version — and, of course, you can a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=116559643s=143441″subscribe for free via iTunes./a br /br /This podcast is sponsored by Volvo automobiles ata href=”http://www.volvocars.us/” Volvocars.us/a.

Cathy Seipp

I am sure most of you know by now that a href=”http://cathyseipp.journalspace.com/?entryid=952″Cathy Seipp of Cathy’s World /ais in the hospital and her daughter, Maia, is keeping us informed on her condition via her blog. Cathy was gracious enough to do a a href=”http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2006/06/podcast-on-parenting.html”podcast with us on parenting /alast year and she was so lively and so much fun. I came away from our interview thinking about how much Cathy loved her daughter and what a terrific mother she was to have raised such a lovely young woman. Cathy would be very proud of how her daughter is handling her illness now with such grace and strength. I don’t have anything to add except that my heart goes out to Cathy and her family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers today.br /br /Update: a href=”http://cathyseipp.journalspace.com/?entryid=955″Cathy died at 2:05 pm today./a

The Calm Between the Storms

The spring forecast in Israel - utterly unpredictable. Cold, wind and rain one day, sunny and warm the next. Sun to thunderstorms to hail and even snow, all within hours. Oh, yeah, and possible war expected in coming months. PJM Tel Aviv Editor Allison Kaplan Sommer reports on the direction in which the winds are blowing in Israel

Sanity Squad: Killer Confession

KSM Khalid Sheikh Muhammed has been singing like a bird in Gitmo. Whether the product of braggadocio and waterboarding, or the real deal, why are we focusing on the context of his confessions rather than the content of his crimes? Get inside the mind of the media in this week's podcast.

The a href=”http://gottsegnet.blogspot.com/2007/03/carnival-of-homeschooling-celebrate.html”Carnival of Homeschooling /ais up at Principled Discovery blog anda href=”http://blogmd.samblackman.org/?p=305″ Medical Grand Rounds /ais up at Blog, MD.

AIRBUS A380, YOU ARE CLEAR TO LAND

Evolutionary but not Revolutionary -- with a really big and flashy tail fin. Yesterday, the Airbus A380 touched down in Los Angeles for the first time. PJM watched it roll in across the tarmac. An Exclusive Report to PJM by Frank Martin

FLASH: Iraqi Tribes Battle al-Qaeda. 39 Terrorists Killed

An Iraqi army soldier takes cover as he protects a police checkpoint. By Omar Fadhil, PJM editor, Baghdad The Al-bu Issa tribes in Amiriyat al-Fallujah, backed by local police and the MNF, clashed today with members of the al-Qaeda linked "Islamic State in Iraq" terror organization, according to al-Hurra TV.

Bumper Stickers–Personality Warning Signals?

Do you ever wonder at the bumper stickers people have on their cars and feel thankful that you have been warned about their thinking processes in advance? Yesterday, at the bank, the car in front of me had the tired old 60′s bumper sticker slogan, “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.” This bumper sticker owner looked exactly like you would expect a guy like that should look, long hair, young (of course, older boomers love these slogans also) and idealistic. br /br /I wondered if he had ever thought through the gist of the bumper sticker or had ever read Jay Greene’s book,a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0742549771?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0742549771″em Education Myths: What Special-Interest Groups Want You to Believe About Our Schools and Why it Isn’t So/em./aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0742549771″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / Greene a href=”http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-greene052203.asp”points out /a that “despite nonstop whining to the contrary, the truth is that public schools receive a fairly large amount of money for each child. And that amount has been rising steadily for the last few decades, easily exceeding the dollars spent on defense.” But idealistic guy probably doesn’t give a damn about this fact and drives around feeling superior that he is an educated twit whose freedom is preserved by the very Air Force he belittles on his bumper sticker. br /br /My favorite bumper sticker as of late is one that states, a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E17IL4?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B000E17IL4″”Bumper Stickers Are Not the Answer.”/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B000E17IL4″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / I bought a bunch of them just because I thought it was funny. However, sometimes bumper stickers are the answer, they can tell you oodles about the person in front of you and warn you to avoid the person or just make you laugh. A good laugh is nothing to sneeze at and frankly, neither is an early warning system that tells you that the driver in front of you lacks critical thought, a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002U6HXM?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B0002U6HXM”is emotionally fragile,/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B0002U6HXM” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / or just has a wicked sense of humor when you see a bumper sticker that says something like this: a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002U5WEW?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B0002U5WEW”"Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?”/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B0002U5WEW” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / So, love them or hate them, bumper stickers tell us a lot about the driver’s personality and thoughts, unless, of course, you have borrowed your hippie dad’s car and are reluctantly shouting to the world at the bank that you despise the U.S. Air Force.

Exclusive to PJM: Fred Thompson on “300″

by Fred Thompson The comic book movie "300" about the Spartans and the Persians in 480 BC is still breaking box-office records. Now it seems the rulers of modern-day Persia, Iran, are not amused.

BAGHDAD REPORT: Checkpoint and Double Checkpoint

When Arabs or westerners ask me about the situation and I answer that hope remains and that we're looking forward to a better future most would say 'Are you living in this world?' I answer, 'Yes, it's you who live in the parallel world the media built for you with images of only death and destruction'. If it surprised some of them that a poll found Iraqis optimistic, then I'm surprised that someone finally bothered to ask Iraqis how they feel. by Mohammad Fadhil

What Happens When Political Correctness Goes too Far?

Filmmaker Evan Coyne Maloney a href=”http://www.indoctrinate-u.com/intro/”tells us in his new documentary/a, emIndoctrinate U,/em a film that looks at political correctness on campus and the suppression of free speech. I wonder when the film will be a href=”http://technocrat.net/d/2007/2/2/14259″forced/coerced /ainto middle and high schools for viewing by young minds, kind of like emAn Inconvenient Truth?/em The kids, it seems, would certainly benefit from getting some exposure to the political correctness they will be expected to uphold at a number of universities in a few years. It just might make them decide to actually think through their college choices a little bit harder, and who would want that? Young people thinking for themselves? Heavens, no! So, I won’t be holding my breath waiting for the doc to be shown in any high school classrooms–its seems free speech in many institutions only exists for the exalted members who toe the line of liberal dogma.

Four Years In. 300? It’s Just a Movie.

The first one in. The last one gone. I'll be the rock to stand upon. For you. by Jules Crittenden John Eade hasn't seen a war movie in more than 40 years, but he's thinking about seeing "300." I kind of get that. There is something about the Spartans' simple illogical willingness to die at Thermopylae that I suspect speaks across the centuries to a lot of combat veterans. It is possible to understand how glad they felt about the opportunity that presented itself. But it's the kind of thing that, if you try to discuss it with people who haven't experienced it, places you at risk of being considered seriously disturbed.

Presidential Straw Poll 2008 – Week 9

The ninth week of the PAJAMAS MEDIA PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL has officially begun. Bill Richardson and Rudy Giuliani were again winners in the eighth week. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney (gaining) were runners-up on the Democratic and Republican sides respectively. And now... with over 75,000 votes cast in the PJM poll... it's time for some interpretation of the results... Forget Hannity & Colmes - it's Corn & Miniter ... or is it Miniter & Corn? In any case, premiering later this week, PJ Media Washington Editor Richard Miniter and Nation Magazine Washington Editor David Corn will be duking it out weekly over the poll and the candidates on Pajamas Video from their soon-to-regular-table at Johnny's Half Shell on Capitol Street in the nation's capitol.

The Gospel of John & Yoko: The Origins of Mad Morality

Peace demonstration, Hollywood, March 17 "Why is it morally rewarding to hate this country's leaders and embrace its enemies? What makes it feel so good? The answer is in your definition of what "good" is, otherwise known as morality." by Oleg Atbashian of The People's Cube

Mario! Mario!

If you should "never trust a thin chef," Mario Batali's new line of industrial strength cookware will give you trust by the trainload. How can you resist? Your eyelids are getting heavy.... heavy.... by Nancy Rommelmann With special bonus video features.