When I heard Michael Wiener Savage was going to appear on "Larry King Live" Monday night (with Glenn Beck guest-hosting) to "defend" his horrific remarks about children with autism -- "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is." -- I knew to expect at least two things: (a) he would claim that he was "taken out of context", and (b) he would attack MediaMatters for bringing it to the public's attention. What I didn't expect, however, is that he would attempt the PR equivalent of a quadruple axel.
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Download Beck: It seems pretty clear that you don't really believe autism exists.
Savage: No, no, no, no, no. Again, you took what they gave you. But you didn't take the entire preceding material. [...] This was in the broader context of the overmedicalization, the over-diagnosis of disease, using our children as profit centers. I've spent all day saying what a shame it is that I -- as a man who has spent his entire life defending the defenseless, mainly children -- should have to defend myself from charges leveled at me from men who specialize in hating families and children, namely MediaMatters -- who probably come after you as well -- by ripping things out of context and making me look like the monster that they are.
You see, Michael Savage is a humanitarian who's always looking out for the kids! When he says children diagnosed with autism are "brats" who just need a father to smack some sense into them, he's actually defending them. How dare anyone "take him out of context" when all he's trying to do is speak candidly about the epidemic of over-medicating children?! What do those so-called "experts" know about autism, anyway?
Here are a few other examples of Savage's humanitarianism and "defense of the defenseless":
Savage: "We're getting refugees now who have never used a telephone, a toothbrush, or toilet paper. ... [T]hey never assimilate. And then their children become gang-bangers."
Savage accused former page of "gay-baiting" Foley and added: "Maybe he's a Democrat."
Savage advocated "militarization of our children" to respond to terror threat.
You can use MM's form to find your local Savage station and make your voice heard. AFLAC has already decided to pull their ads.
