This Google doodle, celebrating the birthday of veteran Chicano labour organizer Cesar Chavez, appeared today on Google.com. It would have been a safe prediction that American right-wing nutjobs would get their polyester knickers in a knot. And so they did. Ouch!

Hilariously, Michelle Malkin’s perpetual rage machine at Twitchy.com initially couldn’t even tell the difference between Cesar Chavez and the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. And they weren’t alone. For the bigots, all Hispanics look alike.

March 31, as it happens, was Cesar Chavez’ birthday, and that day is a declared annual holiday in Texas, California and Colorado. His considerable legacy and achievements are marked by processions and other observances, there and elsewhere. His recognition in a Google doodle is hardly surprising, then, but apparently this is the opening salvo of a War on Easter.

Bonus hilarity: a conservative grassroots campaign to boycott Google. Heh. Good luck with that.