Mike Pence Said A Nice Thing About Black People

This is old news, but it's new to us, so fuck you, read it. Speaking at West Point during the Henry O. Flipper Dinner last week, Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech and -- hold on to your Klan hoods! -- he said nice things about black people! Here, have a hella blockquote! 

[T]onight marks the 40th Annual Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper Dinner [....] It commemorates a man who we just heard overcame extraordinary adversity — demonstrated leadership, self-discipline, and courage in service to this country.

The year 1877, only twelve years before, the horrible evil of slavery, that great stain on our experiment in self-government, had finally been eradicated in the fires of the Civil War. And out of those ashes emerged hope — hope that America’s founding promise of equality and freedom would finally be made real for all Americans.

It was in this hope that spurred Henry Flipper to write his congressman, James Freeman, to request an appointment to the finest military academy in the world. Henry’s skill with the written word impressed Freeman, we are told, who determined that he was indeed worthy.

So came Henry Flipper to where we stand today. All who attend West Point face many trials, butHenry Flipper faced many more that we all understand by virtue of his willingness to challenge the status quo, challenge the injustices of his day.

He persevered through four years, making history as the First African American ever to graduate from the United States Military Academy. But as we just heard his struggles would continue.He was ejected from the Army only four years later after being accused of a crime he did not commit.

Okay, gonna pause this for just a second to say that has happened to other people too! People Mike Pence did not care so much to help! But we will let him continue, because it is sounding good.

After Henry passed away, a band of patriotic Americans took up his cause. Andthanks to their efforts, the Army righted this wrong by retroactively awarding Henry Flipper an honorable discharge in 1976.And you heard that President Clinton pardoned him in the years that followed.

The following year after he was honorably discharged, his alma mater began to celebrate his accomplishments with the first installment of the dinner we have here tonight. Fittingly, I’m told the first Henry O. Flipper Dinner was held 100 years after his groundbreaking graduation from West Point. Altogether fitting.

But the purpose of tonight, I’m told, is not just to remember Henry Flipper and his extraordinary courage and accomplishment, but it’s held every year in the midst of African American History Month.

A week ago today, President Trump signed a proclamation honoring this occasion and declaring that “the history of African Americans exemplifies the resilience and the spirit that continue to make our Nation great.”

We need only look at Henry Flipper’s life to see this truth in this statement. Butwe should also look back to the generations of African Americans who have defended and died for this country as far back as the very hour of our nation’s birth.

When I think of these brave men and women, I can’t help but think of that famous painting, it’s known as Washington’s Crossing. It depicts George Washington and his band crossing the Delaware. If you look closely, if you haven’t looked at that painting, and it’s one of my favorites, you’ll see someone who is sometimes overlooked.Next to General Washington himself, immediately to his left, is a young African American soldier.

The symbolism is profound.The painting was rendered by a German abolitionist who was determined to recognize the countless African Americans who fought side by side with our Founders in the pursuit of a free America — of liberty and equality for all.

Men like Crispus Attucks,who perished in the Boston Massacre, orLemuel Hayes,who fought at Lexington and Concord, or thedozens who enlisted in the First Rhode Island Regiment, just to name a few.

In New England, some African American patriots rose as high as the rank of colonel. Yet no matter their rank, they were, all of them, every bit as freedom-loving and dedicated to independence as George Washington himself.

Tonight I think of them — but, of course, not only them. I think of thenearly 200,000 African Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War and for the new birth of freedom that followed it.

I think of the Buffalo Soldierswe learned tonight that Henry Flipper was among them who actually helped tame the West.I think of the Tuskegee Airmenwho flew for freedom in World War Two — men like General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., whose strength of character carried him through four difficult years at West Point, and who is now honored for his resolve with a barracks that bears his name. I think of all these heroes in this month, and many more I haven’t mentioned, because they are the best of us.

And during this month, African American History Month, but not only this month, we remember them and we thank them for what they did. Their names and their sacrifices will never be forgotten. For they understood the promise of America — the timeless ideals that bind us together as a people, and give us purpose as a nation.

That’s why we are here tonight. We know in our hearts that America is extraordinary and that our sacred birthright must be defended, no matter the cost. This gift has always inspired our fellow Americans to step up and serve, and I believe it always will.

Did you read it? Did you notice that he not only gave props to this Henry O. Flipper fellow, but also specifically name-checked the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Buffalo Soldiers, and Crispus Attucks, and said that African American men and women have been fighting for our freedom since before we were a nation?

Now let's compare that with what his boss, "President" Donald Trump, said to commemorate Black History Month:

Well, the election, it came out really well. Next time we’ll triple the number or quadruple it. We want to get it over 51, right? At least 51.

Well this is Black History Month, so this is our little breakfast, our little get-together. Hi Lynn, how are you? Just a few notes. During this month, we honor the tremendous history of African-Americans throughout our country. Throughout the world, if you really think about it, right? And their story is one of unimaginable sacrifice, hard work, and faith in America. I’ve gotten a real glimpse—during the campaign, I’d go around with Ben to a lot of different places I wasn’t so familiar with. They’re incredible people. And I want to thank Ben Carson, who’s gonna be heading up HUD. That’s a big job. That’s a job that’s not only housing, but it’s mind and spirit. Right, Ben? And you understand, nobody’s gonna be better than Ben.

Last month, we celebrated the life of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., whose incredible example is unique in American history. You read all about Dr. Martin Luther King a week ago when somebody said I took the statue out of my office. It turned out that that was fake news.Fake news. The statue is cherished, it’s one of the favorite things in the—and we have some good ones. We have Lincoln, and we have Jefferson, and we have Dr. Martin Luther King. But they said the statue, the bust of Martin Luther King, was taken out of the office. And it was never even touched.So I think it was a disgrace, but that’s the way the press is. Very unfortunate.

I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things.Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I noticed. Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today. Big impact.

I’m proud to honor this heritage and will be honoring it more and more. The folks at the table in almost all cases have been great friends and supporters.Darrell—I met Darrell when he was defending me on television.And the people that were on the other side of the argument didn’t have a chance, right? And Paris has done an amazing job in a very hostile CNN community. He’s all by himself. You’ll have seven people, and Paris. And I’ll take Paris over the seven.But I don’t watch CNN, so I don’t get to see you as much as I used to. I don’t like watching fake news. But Fox has treated me very nice. Wherever Fox is, thank you.

We’re gonna need better schools and we need them soon. We need more jobs, we need better wages, a lot better wages. We’re gonna work very hard on the inner city. Ben is gonna be doing that, big league. That’s one of the big things that you’re gonna be looking at. We need safer communities and we’re going to do that with law enforcement. We’re gonna make it safe.We’re gonna make it much better than it is right now. Right now it’s terrible, and I saw you talking about it the other night, Paris, on something else that was really—you did a fantastic job the other night on a very unrelated show.

I’m ready to do my part, and I will say this: We’re gonna work together.This is a great group, this is a group that’s been so special to me. You really helped me a lot. If you remember I wasn’t going to do well with the African-American community, and after they heard me speaking and talking about the inner city and lots of other things, we ended up getting—and I won’t go into details—but we ended up getting substantially more than other candidates who had run in the past years.And now we’re gonna take that to new levels. I want to thank my television star over here—Omarosa’s actually a very nice person, nobody knows that.I don’t want to destroy her reputation but she’s a very good person, and she’s been helpful right from the beginning of the campaign, and I appreciate it. I really do. Very special.

So I want to thank everybody for being here.

So our point here, and we do have one, is not that Mike Pence is awesome, because Mike Pence is not awesome! Nor are we saying he loves black people, because he's a Republican so we're GUESSING he DOESN'T.

But we can appreciate that -- like Eddie Haskell before him -- he understands that he is SUPPOSED to pay lip service to being polite to parents ("gee, you look lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver"), and not being a fucking idiot to black people, and explaining that you should not in fact go to jail for booing Mike Pence. 

Which is a hell of a lot more than we have at the moment.

Just saying Mike:  Article 25. You know you want it.

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