Posted on 07/28/2008 7:49:59 AM PDT by SmithL
Parents of children with autism, along with politicians and other protesters, convened Sunday in front of a San Francisco radio station and renewed calls for the firing of talk show host Michael Savage, who recently suggested that most autism diagnoses were fraudulent.
A crowd of 50 to 60 people gathered in front of KNEW radio's Townsend Street offices Sunday to protest the decision by KNEW and Talk Radio Network, the company that syndicates Savage's shows, to keep him on the air despite his controversial statements.
"Michael Savage's remarks were hurtful to the safety and the well-being of vulnerable children and we want him off the air," said Evelyn Ain, president of Autism United in Long Island, whose 8-year-old son has autism. "If this (KNEW) and other radio stations don't stop carrying Savage's signal, then we will pursue every advertiser until they drop him."
Ain was joined at the protest by Craig Johnson, a New York state senator from Long Island, who has advocated for spending on autism issues and education, and by Alice Lai-Bitker, an Alameda County supervisor, and others.
As part of his July 16 conservative, nationally syndicated talk-radio show, "The Savage Nation," Savage said that autism is being over-diagnosed and actually is a result of parental failures.
"They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life,' " Savage said during his show. " 'Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, you idiot.' "
Representatives of Talk Radio Network could not be reached Sunday. In a statement, the company said it would not fire or suspend Savage and was satisfied that he did not mean any disrespect to autistic children or their families
...Savage has not apologized.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It's the conservative bell curve. On the low end you have the 10% who listen to Savage, worship Larry Sinclair, hate science, and think Limbaugh is God. On the other end you have small government constitutionalists that actually read books. In the middle are you and I.
I’m not sure I’m all that in the middle on this one since my job involves working with children with Autism, and their parents. I’ve read a lot on the subject, and am involved in the assessment of these children.
Then you know Savage is a cretin?
I’ve known this for quite a while, actually. He might have been able to make a case that there is an over-diagnosis of Autism (and other disorders of childhood) had he refrained from his claim that Autism is a fraudulent diagnosis. I state this from the position that many of the characteristics of Autism are often observed in children who ultimately have fairly normal development. My grand-daughter is one of these children. She exhibits atypical sensori-motor mannerisms (flapping) when excited, but that is the only characteristic she exhibits. A parent that was unfamilar with this disorder might be led to accept a school-based diagnosis, which could lead to an improper diagnosis by the child’s pediatrician. But, I do not believe these cases are the rule, but are rare.
“Make no mistake, he offended me and everyone in my family. “
Well...didn’t you try applying Savage’s wise advise?
Have you tried calling your grandchild a moron?
Have you told him to quit with the act?
Give it a try and let us all know how that turns out!
(do I really have to add a sarcasm tag?)
I’m sure Michael Weiner will back up his claims with solid proof.
When he says most of these children don’t have fathers, I’m sure he is referring to studies proving most “autistic” children live with single moms.
I’ll be waiting for him to publish that study.
When he says autism is overdiagnosed, I am sure he has concrete proof of this as well. I’m sure he can cite many cases where children were diagnosed after a battery of tests, but were actually found, later, to not have the disorder.
And when he says these children only need to be called “moron” or “retard” - I am sure he has conducted his own study using this technique and has miraculously cured several children with this fake “disease.”
I’ll be waiting for his book on that too.
“I will never listen to savage again, nor purchase a product from a company that supports this jerk....”
The beauty of capitalism....the market will determine if he keeps his job or not.
“This is like trying to deny that Ritalin is being overprescribed by TEACHERS who are classroom failures.”
If you know of any teachers who are prescribing ritalin, please call the police as they do not have the legal right to do so.
My computer is on the other side of the basement from his and he forgets I'm here. I get to hear the hissing and see the skipping and hand flapping when he gets excited. Ignorance is excuseable, but Savage glories in his.
Savage has been cancelled on WHK Cleveland in favor of Mark Levin.
While Savage may have overreached saying that 99% of those diagnosed with autism don’t have it, but the reasons he has been taken off are not truthful IMHO. A large percentage are overdiagnosed for political and monetary advantage.
I think they are looking for any excuse to get rid of Savage, both Right and Left.
The Left doesn’t like Savage because he opposes coddling terrorists and illegal immigrants and other Left Wing demographic groups.
The Right doesn’t like Savage because he doesn’t tow the Republican line.
They want to replace him with Mark Levin. Much as I like Levin too, the agenda is obvious.
We saw the same kind of thing happened to Chuck Harder in 1996. Savage can be depressing, but let’s tell the truth about his detractors.
That's right, stupid liberals.
He didn't say autism was a fraud. He said MOST OF THE DIAGNOSES were a fraud.
There is money to be made by diagnosing ailments that bring money to school districts, therapists, psychologists, counselors, special ed teachers, pharmaceutical companies, and lawyers. THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE. You are a fool if you think people are not going to go profit themselves at someone else's expense.
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