Bahrain Propaganda 101: A Washington Times Editorial, Brought to You by Lockheed Martin and The Regime's US PR Firm (Elliott)

Lockheed Martin Radar System, Supplied to Bahrain from 2004A top executive at Lockheed Martin recently worked with lobbyists for Bahrain to place an Op-Ed defending the nation’s embattled regime in the Washington Times — but the newspaper did not reveal the role of the regime’s lobbyists to its readers. Hence they did not know that the pro-Bahrain opinion column they were reading was published at the behest of … Bahrain, an oil-rich kingdom of 1.2 million people that has been rocked by popular protests since early 2011.

The episode is a glimpse into the usually hidden world of how Washington’s Op-Ed pages, which are prized real estate for those with interests before the U.S. government, are shaped. It also shows how Lockheed gave an assist to a major client — Bahrain has bought hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons from the company over the years – as it faces widespread criticism for human rights abuses against pro-democracy protesters.

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Iran Snapshot: Are US Politicians Giving Support to "Terrorist" Mujahedin-e-Khalq? (Duss)

Maryam Rajavi, head of People's Mojahedin of IranAn article in today’s Wall Street Journal looks at the considerable support that the exiled Iranian Islamist-Marxist cult Mujahideen-e Khalq — which is designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization — has been able to cultivate, both in European capitals and in DC, getting people like Rudy Giuliani and Howard Dean to speak at their events.

The article notes that these speakers “wouldn’t disclose their speaking fees, but many of them charge between $25,000 and $40,000 per appearance.” Dean also said that “he has made both paid and unpaid speeches for MeK.”

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US Security: When Grandma --- and She's Not a Muslim --- is Strip-Searched, Then It's TIme to Protest (Serwer)

The Transportation Security Agency's new airport passenger-screening procedures, which force airline passengers to submit to a full-body scan or an invasive frisk, is turning Dick Cheney’s biggest fans into latter-day Ben Franklins.

The conservative, torture-friendly Washington Times, declared that "a balance must be struck between reasonable security measures and the maintenance of a free society." Abu Ghraib was a fraternity prank, but getting frisked at the airport is a sign of, to quote the Times, "Big Sister's police state." Hatred of the TSA makes for strange bedfellows, with some conservatives now sounding like card-carrying members of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"We're giving Americans two unpalatable options now," says ACLU legislative counsel Chris Calabrese. "They can either submit to a virtual strip search or a very aggressive grope. We've never seen that before."

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US Politics: Your Latest "Islamic Flag Over the White House" Campaign Alerts

The conservative non-profit West Virginia Conservative Foundation has put out an ad attacking West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall, who is third-generation Lebanese-American, for his involvement with the Arab-American community.

The WVCF was founded by Mike Stuart, who is now chairman of West Virginia's Republican Party. Stuart claims he is no longer linked to the Foundation.

An opinion poll this week shows Rahall 25 points ahead of his Republican opponent, Spike Maynard.

Meanwhile, The Washington Times, the number-two newspaper in the nation's capital, declares in an editorial, "Islamic Flag Over the White House: Radical Muslims Want America Ruled by Shariah". It explains:

Islamists say the Koran is destined to rule America. In fact, the Muslim takeover of the White House is not just an unfolding action plan but a directive from Muhammad himself....

Many Americans believe this conquest is well underway, if not already secretly completed. President Obama was concerned enough about perceptions of his faith to address the question at one of his recent "backyard discussions" in New Mexico. Mr. Obama said he is "a Christian by choice," which may or may not assuage the concerns of those who believe he is a Muslim by birth.