Needed to be said.

Mike Myers: [dutifully reads canned plea for charity on teleprompter]

Kanye: [abandons teleprompter] "I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. And, you know, its been five days because most of the people ARE black. And even for me to complain, I would be a hypocrite because I would turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right to see what is the biggest amount I can give. And just to imagine, if I was down there and those are my people down there. If there is anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help about the way America is set up the help the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. Red cross is doing as much as they can. We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And now they've given them permission to go down and shoot us.

Mike Myers: [stands frozen in horror, decides to pretend nothing happened and stick with the teleprompter]

Kanye: GEORGE BUSH DOES NOT CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE.

Mike Myers: [descends into complete panic]

From John Darnielle on LPTJ:

If you saw it, you know it was the best television moment since Prince kicked over the microphone stand at the 1985 American Music Awards. Almost immediately, the kind of people who can't tolerate actual people expressing actual dissent in real-time began to put spin on Kanye West's impassioned, emotional, and most importantly accurate outburst on NBC earlier this evening: they hauled out their abusive epithets as they always do. They're especially fond of the word "disgusting"; I'd wager they've done some focus-group research on it. These are the same people who're all for shrinking government until it comes to your bedroom, at which point they're all about legislation. Whatever. If you saw it, and you feel like I feel, please post this banner on your site, or your LJ, or wherever you got space. Control-click the image and upload it to your favorite server, and then go nuts. Let's show love to a guy with the guts to go off-script and say it out loud.