Doubletake: Remarks by President G.W. Bush at Grand Opening of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site

Doubletake: Remarks by President G.W. Bush at Grand Opening of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site

by Il Ragno

4 June 2004

[Original: here.]

TAKE ONE:

Remarks by President G.W. Bush at Grand Opening of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks a lot. Please be seated. Thank you all for coming out today. Cheryl, thank you very much for your kind introduction. I appreciate all the Brown family who are here. Justice Breyer. Governor Sebelius is with us today -- Governor, thank you for being here. Leader Frist; Senator Brownback and Senator Roberts from the great state of Kansas. (Applause.) Congressman Jim Ryun -- (applause) -- Congressmen Tiahrt, Moran, and Moore, as well, from Kansas. (Applause.) Congressman Elijah Cummings -- thank you for being here, Congressman. Proud you're here. (Applause.) Secretary Norton, and Secretary Paige, distinguished guests; and ladies and gentlemen:

I'm honored to join you at this historic place, to mark a day and a decision that changed America for the better, and forever. (Applause.) Fifty years ago today, nine judges announced that they had looked at the Constitution and saw no justification for the segregation and humiliation of an entire race. Here at the corner of 15th and Monroe, and at schools like it across America, that was a day of justice -- and it was a long time coming.

For millions of African descent, the experience of segregation began in chains and darkness beneath the deck of a ship. A terrible civil war ended their slavery, but did not end their oppression. Generations of African American citizens grew up, and grew old, under laws designed to demean them. Under the rule of Jim Crow, almost no detail of life escaped the supervision of cruel and petty men. The color of your skin determined where you could get your hair cut, which hospital ward you could be treated in, which park or library you could visit, or who you could go fishing with. And children were instructed early in the customs of racial division -- at schools where they never saw a face of another color.

This was codified cruelty, at the service of racism. Segregation dulled the conscience of people who knew better. It fed the violence of people with malice in their hearts. And however it was defended, segregation could never be squared with the ideals of America.

The legal challenges to school segregation began more than 100 years before the Supreme Court heard the case of Brown v. Board of Education. In 1849, African American parents brought suit against Boston's divided schools. Here in Kansas, segregation was challenged in several cases between 1881 and 1949. These early efforts did not bring victory; yet they inspired words and warnings that have spoken across the years. As Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote in his dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson: "In view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant ruling class of citizens. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man, and takes no account of his surroundings, or of his color."

The fulfillment of that vision decades later fell to a small group of earnest and tenacious lawyers. Two of them would travel thousands of miles together in a 1929 Ford, driving from courthouse to courthouse, with Charles Hamilton Houston and young Thurgood Marshall typing briefs in the car. They documented the often poor conditions of black-only schools -- the holes in the roofs, and dirt floors that ran with mud when it rained. And they pursued a strategy to bring down the whole sorry structure of segregation, case by case.

Eventually, in December of 1953, Thurgood Marshall stood before the Supreme Court as counsel in a consolidated action involving four states and nearly 200 plaintiffs, including 13 families from Topeka, Kansas. Many legal arguments were advanced in the case. Yet the stakes were summarized in the brief Marshall presented to the Court. It stated, "Separate but equal is legal fiction. There never was, and never will be, any separate equality." The Court agreed. As the decision was announced, some were waiting to see which justices would be in dissent. The answer came when Chief Justice Warren declared that the opinion was unanimous. (Applause.)

The decision in Brown versus Board of Education did not end all segregation; did not even end school segregation for many years. The civil rights movement was still waiting on other heroes and cases and laws. Yet, all sides of the equation knew that on May 17th, 1954, a line had been crossed in American history. The system of racial oppression in our country had lost its claim to legitimacy, and the rising demand for justice would not be denied. Putting the Brown decision into effect would take presidential orders, and the presence of federal troops and marshals, and the courage of children. One of the children who integrated Central High School in Little Rock was Melba Patillo. She recalls white students after gym class turning her shower to scalding. Others broke a bottle and tripped her on the glass, leaving scars that remain today.

Yet, Melba has other memories, as well. She says, "I went in not through the side doors, but up the front stairs, and there was a feeling of pride and hope that, yes, this is the United States; yes, there is a reason I salute the flag; and it's going to be okay." (Applause.)

In the years after Brown, many would know the fears and insults this young woman had faced. A court can make an order, but it was a child that had to walk the gauntlet of slurs and jeers into a school. And America is still grateful to every child who made that walk. (Applause.)

In many ways, the events of those years seemed long ago. We tend to think of them as the distant dramas of a different country. Yet, segregation is a living memory, and many still carry its scars. The habits of racism in America have not all been broken. The habits of respect must be taught to every generation. Laws against racial discrimination must be vigorously enforced in education and housing and hiring and public accommodations. Many African Americans with no inheritance but their character need access to capital and the chance to own and build for the future. And while our schools are no longer segregated by law, they are still not equal in opportunity and excellence. Justice requires more than a place in a school. Justice requires that every school teach every child in America. (Applause.)

America has yet to reach the high calling of its own ideals. Yet we're a nation that strives to do right. And we honor those who expose our failures, correct our course, and make us a better people. On this day, in this place, we remember with gratitude the good souls who saw a great wrong, and stood their ground, and won their case. And we celebrate a milestone in the history of our glorious nation.

Thank you for having me. May God bless America. (Applause.)

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TAKE TWO:

[translation of above article from bushspeak into English ragnese]

Almost-Remarks by President G.W. Bush at Grand Opening of the Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks a lot. Moochus grashus to our undocumented friends. Please be seated. Thank you all for coming out today. Please remember to deposit all chicken bones in a proper trash receptacle, people. Cheryl, thank you very much for your kind introduction. I appreciate all of the Brown family who are here...from high-yaller all the way to field-hand. Little diversity joke there, no harm meant. Please notice I said field-"hand", media. We welcome Justice Breyer. That's some good ice cream, Breyer. Governor Sebelius is with us today -- Governor, thank you for being here. Leader Frist; Senator Brownback and Senator Roberts from the great state of Kansas. (Applause.) Congressman Jim Ryun -- (applause) -- Congressmen Tiahrt, Moran, and Moore, as well, from Kansas. (Applause.) Congressman Elijah Cummings -- thank you for being here, Congressman. Say it clear: you're black and you're here. (Applause.) Secretary Norton, and Secretary Paige, distinguished guests; and ladies and gentlemen:

I'm honored to join you at this historic place, to mark a day and a decision that changed America for the better, and forever. (Applause.) Because that's what we conservatives believe in: changing things forever. Fifty years ago today, nine judges announced that they had looked at the Constitution and saw no justification for the continued existence of the white race. Here at the corner of 15th and Monroe, and at liquor stores like it across America, that was a day of justice -- and it was a long time coming.

For millions of Anglo descent, the experience of social segregation began in a choice of indentured servitude made in the shadow of a gallows pole. A terrible civil war thinned out their ranks, but did not end their oppression. Generations of White American citizens grew up, and grew old, under laws designed to demean them. Under the rule of The Company Store, almost no detail of life escaped the supervision of cruel and petty men. The calluses on your hands, the cut of your clothing, and your familiarity with social niceties often determined where you could get your hair cut, which hospital ward you could be treated in, which park or library you could visit, or who you could go fishing with. And children were instructed early in the customs of social division -- at schools where they never saw the 'respectable' white children who came from the RIGHT side of the tracks.

This was codified cruelty at the service of the ruling class. But at least racial segregation helped ease the misery of these people who deserved better. But it offended the sensibilities of the privileged, who hated the common white folk with malice in their hearts. Yet until our brave Jewish-Americans courageously took control of the media and the courts, segregation remained the last and best safety net ensuring that the lives, the families and the dreams of ordinary white America need not have six locks and a deadbolt on the door.

The legal challenges to school segregation began nearly 100 years before the UN helped bring Israel into being with the famous words, "5000-year old bill of sale? Heck, that makes it legal then". In 1849, African American parents brought suit against Boston's divided schools. These were poor and uneducated folks, however, who actually brought a coat and two pair of pants into court, and their motion was denied. Here in Kansas, segregation was challenged in several cases between 1881 and 1949. These early efforts did not bring victory; yet they inspired Zionist planners at party cell meetings that have spoken across the years. As Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote in his dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson: "In view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant ruling class of citizens. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man, and takes no account of his surroundings, or of his color. Now let me know when the limo's here - I've got a 10am tee-time."

The fulfillment of that vision decades later fell to a small group of earnest and tenacious lawyers who saw a suicide gene in the white man that only needed to be properly cultivated. Two of them would travel thousands of miles together in a 1929 Ford, driving from courthouse to courthouse and pausing only to spit in front of the churches they passed, with Charles Hamilton Houston and young Thurgood Marshall typing briefs in the trunk. They documented the civil order and effectiveness - despite the often poor conditions - of white-only schools; the holes in the roofs, and dirt floors that ran with mud when it rained. And they pursued a strategy to bring down the whole sorry structure of white society by gambling that its elites would rather congratulate themselves for their civic nobility by feeling sorry for Sidney Poitier than see the white trash who worked with their hands and picked their teeth at the dinner table ever sitting next to them in church.

Eventually, in December of 1953, Thurgood Marshall stood before the Supreme Court as counsel in a consolidated action involving four states and nearly 200 plaintiffs, including 13 families from Topeka, Kansas. Many legal arguments were advanced in the case, whose stakes were summarized in the brief Marshall presented to the Court. It stated, "Separate but equal is legalismic trickeration. There never was, and never will be, any separate equality. The shit is wack." The Court agreed. As the decision was announced, some were waiting to see which justices would be in dissent. The answer came when a court clerk announced they'd long since left the building, disguised in wigs, babushkas and Groucho glasses well before any decent-sized mob could form. (Applause.)

The decision in Brown versus Board of Education did not end all segregation; did not even end school segregation for many years. The civil rights movement was still waiting on other heroes, other cases and laws, other hebes. Yet, all sides of the equation knew that on May 17th, 1954, a line had been crossed in American history. A new system of racial oppression had arrived in our country - one that would soon have little white girls in the first grade solicited for oral sex by ineducable pint-size predators - and the rising demand for white blood, like the ambient jungle sounds in a Tarzan movie, would not be denied.

Putting the Brown decision into effect would take many man-hours, and as many Jew-hours, shaping presidential orders; it would take the presence of federal troops and marshals, armed to the teeth; and the fear of death at the hands of those troops and marshals. One of the children who integrated Central High School in Little Rock was Melba Patillo. She recalls white students after gym class turning her shower to scalding. Others broke a bottle and tripped her on the glass, leaving scars that remain today. One fat kid with a drawl, who later became President, kept hounding and hounding her for a hummer behind the bleachers.

Yet, Melba has other memories, as well. She says, "I was on tv evvy day an' whatnot, yo, an' there was a feeling of pride that we was livin' in the United Stizzates; that now I gots a reason to salute the flag cuz, yo, check it, I'm gettin' paid what I'm owed for, you know, slavery an' whatnot; an' mostly they can't say we stoopit no mo' cuz now evvybody know a nigga done invented the refrigamator." (Applause.)

In the years after Brown, many would know the fears and insults this young woman had faced. A court can make an order, but an entire race of people had to walk the gauntlet of Negro crime and social collapse which that order would create over time. In the end, even the race traitor elite found themselves infected with the scourge they'd thought themselves above contracting. And America's dual citizens are still grateful for every white assaulted and murdered in the past 50 years since, compared to a "shine", a "Scheinblum" seems downright benovelent. (Applause.)

In many ways, the America destroyed in this building seems so long ago. We tend to think of it as a distant dream we once had about a different country altogether. And that makes it easy for the jew in your living room to convince you that everything you know is wrong and that America was a lawless, ugly country back then, where no family picnic was complete without Dad opening a wriggling canvas sack to reveal a bound-and-gagged darkie, ready for lynching, to delight Mother and the kids. For the segregation that made America the greatest of nations is a false living memory that MUST be deprogrammed, round the clock, with rap videos and John Grisham novels. Yet our task is far from completed. The spirit of every white person in America has not yet been broken. "Bow down before Jew and nigger both" must be taught to every generation. Racial discrimination must be vigorously enforced in education and housing and hiring and public accommodations: there must be not only unqualified Negroes present in every area of American life - there must also be unqualified Negro supervisors. Many African Americans with no inheritance but their pigment, their stench and their foot-long tootsie rolls need access to capital - your capital - and the chance to own and build for the future without working OR saving. And while our schools are no longer segregated by law, they are still not equal in opportunity and excellence. Justice requires more than a place in a school. Justice requires a Glock 9mm, a Benz with orange-fur interior, and your daughter on his lap. (Applause.)

America has yet to reach the high calling of its Jewish ideals. Perhaps that is because they all lead to an empty elevator shaft behind a door marked ENTER. Yet we're a nation that strives to feel good about ourselves right this minute, and hopes we're dead by the time the bill marked "Final Notice" comes. The white working class is almost finished now - marginalized and downsized and exiled to strip malls and video poker and low-priced generic cigarettes and watching MAURY twice a day and, of course, dying in Iraq. Yet there is much work still to be done.

And so today we honor those who author our failures, exploit our weaknesses, correct our common sense, chart our doomed course, and make us an ex-people. On this day, in this place, we remember with gratitude the Chosen People who saw a great wrong - yet who stood their ground and perpetrated it anyway. And we celebrate a millstone on the history of our glorious nation.

Thank you for having me. May God bless America. Strategery! (Applause.)

IL RAGNO