Marc Cooper details how the Democratic candidates for California governor are so lame and so indistinguishable they’re arguing between themselves about cows, yes cows, rather than about anything substantive. That kind of bare knuckles, lets-engage-the-public campaigning will be sure to knock Schwarzenegger out of office, you betcha.

Meanwhile, Arnold is moving back up in the polls. This is hardly surprising given the nonentity personas of the Democratic candidates who, like D.C. Democrats, have no issues they feel passionate about. Cowed by the task of sending Arnold out to pasture when they should instead be coming on like a stud bull, they’ll probably just trip over their own hooves and fall in a cow patty instead.

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He was forced to give the talk, wasn’t he? He had to specifically say he didn’t favor amnesty. This is because millions of people have been in the streets these past few months marching for immigrant rights.

The neocons thought the Sensenbrenner Bill was a slam-dunk. They got it smashed in their faces instead. Now they and the pretend opposition of the Democratic Party favors a “guest worker” program which will create three tiers of immigrants, all with no rights, all subject to be sent back at any time. Oh yeah, that’ll sure be workable. Fair and equitable too. Some of you, we’ll send back immediately, others can work for a predetermined number of years, then be sent back. All under strict monitoring. These will be pliable, scared employees who won’t dare, say, join a union.

At least corporate America gets one thing. Without immigrants, the economy will slam to a halt. However their solution is a new set of laws that will codify the exploitation of immigrants.

Those marching in the streets aren’t chanting “we want a guest worker program”, they’re chanting “amnistia.” The people are way ahead of the ‘leaders’ on immigration rights. The leaders are baffled and scared by this, the hugest outpouring of protest in decades. The marches have already been bigger than anything in the civil rights and Vietnam War eras, and the movement is only two months old.

A past client of mine lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. He has a bank account in a U.S. bank in Maine. I asked, so what’s the border security like? He laughed, it’s a country road, there is no security. So why isn’t Dubya militarizing the border there? The racist implications are obvious.

Dubya sure likes to militarize, doesn’t he? That’s his solution to everything. Send in the troops. Git tough. But their bullshit macho approach hasn’t worked in Afghanistan and Iraq, has it? In fact, it’s backfired.

And it will backfire at the Mexico border too.

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He’s been traveling - and speaking. A lot…

The Guardian interviews Chavez

Some critics have accused him of cosying up to the military regime in Burma. “That is the first time I have heard about Burma - they say I support Bin Laden or ETA, but never Burma. But … if you say so. Many things are said about me, so many things both inside and outside the country. This is a well-orchestrated, worldwide campaign. Now what is the purpose of this campaign? Simón Rodriguez, Bolívar’s tutor, used to say 200 years ago - the idea is to destroy the model and by doing so you prevent it from becoming contagious.”

At an enthusiastic rally in London’s Camden Centre on Sunday afternoon, Chávez delighted the crowd during his marathon three-and-a-half-hour speech by taking the same metaphor further. A few years ago, few people dared to call themselves socialists, he says. Now it is different. “We have to marshal our ideas for a better world. We have to infect people. Let’s have a badge, saying, ‘I’m a socialist. I will infect you’.”

MSNBC

Mr Chávez said he was insulted by a comparison suggesting he was interfering in elections in other Latin American countries, such as Peru or Bolivia, just as he accused Mr Bush of meddling in other countries’ affairs. “Have we invaded a country? Are we bombing cities? Are we killing presidents?” he asked.

Oil Would reach $100 if Venezuela ends U.S. Sales, Chavez says, something that could happen if the U.S. invades Iran (according to the MSNBC article.)

Pricing oil in euros, not dollars

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that he would consider pricing his country’s oil in euros instead of dollars in line with a similar declaration made by Iran.

Iran

Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said here on Thursday in case of a military attack against Iran, no country in the world would have access to crude oil.

Chavez made the remark at a press conference, adding, “as Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has reiterated, if Tehran would come under attack, oil would get scarce for everyone.”

He also said that the American President George W. Bush should be put to trial at the International Court of Justice for having launched genocide in Iraq.

Greg Palast on Democracy Now

As you’ll see in next week’s Harper’s coming out, which is basically an excerpt from the book, Hugo Chavez on June 1st is going to ask OPEC to officially recognize that he has more oil than Saudi Arabia. This is a geopolitical earthquake. And the inside documents from the U.S. Department of Energy, which we have in the book and in Harper’s, say, yeah, he’s got more oil than Saudi Arabia.

(Thanks to Sue for finding the links!)

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