We're all a little jumpy about strangers in this post-9/11 world, and nowhere is tension over immigrants more pronounced than in the Valley, where immigrants run the world (and wash its dishes).

A concerned reader noticed, leafing through Wired Magazine, that one of the role-playing terrorists in a story on military training camps resembled a local Valley PR figure. Could outspoken blogger Jeremy Pepper be an Iraqi collaborationist?

This image was lost some time after publication.

The evidence seemed damning. Pepper is known for popping up suddenly at gatherings full of self-important Valley figures with a backpack similar to the one the man above sports.

But Pepper's defense comes in the form of a recent self-portrait. Like any good Valley geek, and unlike his lookalike, Pepper never shows up without his iPod headphones securely in place.

This image was lost some time after publication.

The only terror this man's spreading is the tinny leaked sound of his Black Eyed Peas mp3s.

Baghdad, USA [Wired]
Pop! PR Jots [Pepper's blog]