He's probably 90% right. I am sick and tired of the "Disorder of the week syndrome" The kid's ADD, ADHD, Bipolar, Depressed, Hyper, Autistic, blah, blah blah. All of which, of course, require a potent psychoactive pill to fix. Funny, the one thing never addressed, is poor parenting. No limits, no punishment, no duties, and all rewards. We have time outs, share your feelings, and no spankings. Here's a Wii for Christmas, that will be your babysitter. You don't wanna clean your room Johhny? Oh, ok. Sorry I asked. No wonder these little twirps are growing up the way they are. It's sad, and disgusting. Look in the mirror, instead of looking for excuses. For the truly mentally ill kids, I feel awful. I was one, and I managed to survive. For the rest, it's an excuse, and a scapegoat. Plain and simple.

Think before you speak! Kyle your comments just plain and simply make me sick! Do you know a kid or adult with autism? I am sure you don't. Well I do and he is not only one of the smartest kids I know he is by far the least bratty! You can't take a pill and cure autism (again think before you speak) I dare you for just one day hang out with a kid with autism, and you will realize just how stupid your comments are. As for Michael Savage you’re a true blue dumb ass freedom of speech baby! If I had you here with me right now I would slap your face! Research the things you talk about before you talk about them that way next time your getting ready to make a fool of yourself you can do it will a little more dignity!
Shock Jocks leave kids out of your jokes no one laughs!

Savage did not say ALL children diagnosed with autism are "spoiled brats". He is using hyperbolic langauge to make a larger point, which is ultimatly the overdiagnosing of disorders and overmedication of children, which IS rampant in this country. Of course their are many legitimate cases of autism. Dont forget Savage is a highly educated man, hes not the typical doltish blowhard on the airwaves. People are way to quick to get offended in this country, listen intelligently to what the guy is actually saying before you allow yourself to get pissed off and righteously indignant.

is just unreal he would call autism a fraud and a racket...i wish he would have spent a day in my classroom...then he'd have some insight as to how these children act, react...what a nasty, nasty commentary. Michael please read all about Autism at TRCB so you know what are the main causes for autism.
http://www.trcb.com/Health-and-Fitness/Autism.htm

I work with kids with developmental disabilities. Kyle is just uneducated and so is everyone else who shares his opinion.

jcoliver3: Savage said "99 percent" of autism cases were phony. He says outrageous things in the interest of getting attention and getting ratings, and idiots like you swallow it all as if it's the Holy Gospel.

Meanwhile, he laughs all the way to the bank at the stupidity of his followers.

I work with autistic kids during summer school, I am a Special Olympics asst. coach, AND I have a sister and nephew with autism. If you truly believe that these children just love to be called "retard" everyday then walk a mile in their shoes. Be mocked and made fun of by individuals like yourself. The kids I work with struggle to do everyday things like how to tie their shoes and going to the bathroom by themselves. Oh, and about the bad parenting comment, my mother was told to put my sister in a home when she was diagnosed, lets just say my mother chose to ignore the doctor's advice and now my sister is a very happy 22 year old autistic person who currently lives AT HOME. Now, if you think that's bad parenting, then you just need Jesus.

I am a consevative Mom. I don't like Michael Savage. I believe there is an epidemic in America of spoiled, bratty, over-induldged, under-parented children. I do NOT believe that my autistic son is one of them.

I am a stay at home mother who uses corporal punishment (smack on the tush or hand) when necessary. Thankfully, it is not often as my two boys (5 & 8) have become VERY acquainted with the concept of "consequences." My husband and I are tough parents. Rules abound in our home.

All of these efforts and my little guy continues to have autism. So many folks, Mr. Savage & Kyle among them, paint with such broad strokes that very many people with very many REAL problems feel pain and suffer society's scorn for judgements that often are wrong.

Autism is a real developmental disorder. Over-indulged, under-parented children are an epidemic in America. Is there overlap between the groups....probably! Are these group one in the same - certainly NOT!!!!!!

autism is highly over diagnosed, plain & simple. Some parents use it as an excuse for their poor parenting or lack of parenting. NUFF SAID

jcoliver3,

>Savage did not say ALL children diagnosed with autism are "spoiled brats".He is using hyperbolic langauge to make a larger point<

Didn't the Dixie Chicks do the same thing? Did you excuse them?

Anyone who believes that autism is an excuse for poor parenting has never been in the presence of a child with autism. As a parent of a child with autism your day involves taking part in occupational therapy sessions, speech therapy sessions, Integrated Play Therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis I. Most of which I may add is not currently paid for by insurance companies. I have a four year old son who is anything but a brat. He has autism and struggles with the things all typically developing individuals take for granted i.e verbal communication and eye contact and just understanding the value and for that matter the point of human interaction. To this day my child has never been on any form of medication for his autism. Behavioral intervention and a modified diet excluding Gluten and Casein are what we are using to help our son. For a man with extensive education, Michael Savage clearly has no understanding about this disorder. Most people don't. I was one of them until my child at the age of two years two months was diagnosed with the disorder. As a parent your world is changed forever. These children are valuable individuals who have a different way of learning and processing information than we do. Chalking up their complex disorder to being "brats" is a sad and simple way to look at these individuals.

What do you think of his comments? I think he's entitled to his opinion, even if he's wrong, clueless and ignorant. It's smart publicity stunt. Look at all the media attention he's getting. His views are non scientific. People who have no idea of what Autism is or have children with this disorder will maybe agree with him, but anyone who has a child with this disorder KNOWS how way off-base he is...just as I would not reward my child for negative or bad behavior, neithor should this man. Ignore him and it will die off. Some of his remarks actually sound like what I've heard people in scientology make. Maybe he's a scientologist. (sarcasum)

I agree with michael they are just little braty kids who get there way. I had a freind who has autism his dad was a teacher at his school. He did things he should have been suspended for but did he no. Instead i was the one who got suspended. I dont think all kids that have autism are brats.
Yes i do think most of it is because the parents are not doing there job.

Being a brat has nothing to do with autism. People don't bring their children to the doctor for autism because their child is a brat. When a child is first observed specialists and doctors are looking at the following areas:

The child does not babble or coo by twelve months.
The child does not use gestures to communicate and the child does not wave.
The child does not grasp objects or point to objects by twelve months.
The child does not say single words by the age of sixteen months and does not say two-word phrases on his or her own by 24 months.
The child has a loss of any language or social skills at any age
(These are some of the first signs... there are others that may or may not be displayed)

These are typical milestones children meet. If you notice none of these area have anything to do with "being a brat".
In my experience children with autism can act our because they lack the conventional methods of communication and socialization that the vast majority of us had. If you had no way to get a need met don't you think you may become a little frustrated.

If a person doesn't want to learn about the disorder that is their choice but to keep saying these children are brats is riduculous.

Savage is right except not all the fathers who are left to parent their kids are wimps. They are brow beaten by their spouse. If the fathers want to exercise discipline they face the liberal loony laws which will have them out of the house and lose their kids just on the say so of their spouse. I have an X wife who claims and gets money for a variety of syndromes including Autism and Asthma for her five kids and herself. She has made these claims to the UW Seattle Multiple Autism Study which gets their money from the duped Bill Gates Foundation. To continue to receive funding they do not question her or any body else-es ridiculous statements. By the way my "autistic" kids have 11 national sporting gold medals, honours BSc at 20 years of age and much more. There is not one who is autistic and only one who gets mild exercise induced asthma. This autism epidemic is a money making racket. It is politically incorrect to say a person is retarded so they say Autistic. Don't forget these wonderful syndrome happy physco's say Michelangelo and Einstein were Autistic. Maybe they said they had Asperger's, but that is not where the money is. Cheerio

Well last time I checked Autism is a neurological development disorder. Not just some brat who hasnt been told to behave.So Mr. Savage what do we call adults with this disorder? Brats or just idiots? I have Epilepsy another neurological disorder, Now do I flop on the ground like a fish because my parents and the people around me never called me a idiot and a stupid brat? If that would make me stop having clonic tonic seizures then I would be a brat everyday. I recieved Traumatic Brain Injury and now have Epilepsy for serving my country OEF3&4 and what for again? Oh yea to let you freely speak your ignorance

You know, it sounds like as if this man just doesn't care about people. Here, he had a T.V. show where he told somebody(that called in)to get AIDS and die and now, he does this.

I don't like it! Get rid of him.

I also believe autism is highly over diagnosed. Dr. Savage is right on....

Your station should include Dr. Savage's other comments:

During his broadcast yesterday, Savage urged his critics not to rush to judgment, "because the truly autistic child needs as much help as he or she can get, the truly autistic child needs the funding."

"It is the falsely diagnosed, the misdiagnosed and the outright fakers who want the benefits, who must be found out and must be turned out, so that the money can go to the truly needy in this particular field," he said.

Savage explained that argument "was the essence of my conversation last week."

"Why would I have chosen to attack defenseless children when I've never done so in my entire life?" he asked. "Think about that. What would I have gained by doing it? Nothing. I didn't do it. The fact of the matter is the enemies of the truth did it, using you, the parents of the injured child to turn on me, the defender of the child."

I thought that Autism was the case where a kid has little to no interaction with others and does things like sits on the floor and spins plates for hours on end. Now it seems like everyone and their dog has Autism.

I listened to Michael Savage's show and it wasn't bad at all. He basically just called it like he saw it. If you're going to go after Savage than you need to go after Limbaugh and all the rest of the idiots on Talk Radio!

Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means there are different severities of the disorder. It takes a lot to get the diagnosis on a child. And not all types of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Autism Spectrum) can be treated with medication. It would be very difficult for a child age 3 years or older to fake the signs of the 8 disorders on the spectrum. Michael Savage should do some research before talking about such a sensitive subject. There are people in this world trying to deter the stigma that mental health disorders come with and then someone unaware of all the facts makes comments like this. He should really think about researching all the facts before blurting out ignorant remarks like he did. There were several things about his comments that were not factual. I have a son on the autism spectrum and my husband, HIS FATHER, has been with him since he was born. Not all parents medicate their children either. My son was diagnosed at age 3 and has never taken medication. Yes we should have freedom of speech and yes everyone has their own opinion. However there should be some facts behind the comments made. Then there are the people agreeing with him and not looking at all the facts. Anyone who has ever meet my child says he is very polite and the best acting child they have seen. No it is not poor parenting. I am very strict with my children. I don't treat one different than the other. Only one is on the spectrum.

he is right!!

I have twin 20 year old boys with autism who were diagnosed at the age of two. They were not "bratty" then or now. Their symptoms were lack of speech, eye contact, and generally not hitting milestones. They could walk and "looked" normal to someone casually observing them, and I think it is this looking normal which fools many people into thinking autistic people are faking it or it is a "made up" disorder. We tried almost every treatment, which cost us tens of thousands of dollars over the years, and as someone mentioned above, it was not covered by insurance. Nothing really worked and they now live in a group home, still with the same basic issues. They have never been in a classroom with their same age peers, always in special education.I believe my husband (who was there the whole time--no absent father here) and I did all we could and to have someone like Michael Savage say that this is all just poor parenting or phony in 90% of the cases is just ludicrous. And to you others who agree with him,find out what you are talking about before you speak. Maybe spend some time with an autistic child and their parents. You will find you were wrong all along, and end up thanking God that your own children do not have this very real disorder.

I remember when my son was very young and I would catch the eyes of people when he began tantruming in public, because he couldn't tolerate the sounds, sights and other sensory stimulation children without autism accept as a normal part of life. As their faces stared back at me, I saw reflected in them the gamut of human emotion - disgust, anger, revulsion, and pity.

I didn't have much time to educate them. My time was spent teaching a child who lived in his own little word to become a part of the larger society around him.

So, although it was painful to take him out in public, I was willing to risk the stares, nasty comments, "good parenting advice" etc. because parenting him was my number one job. I knew that if I didn't teach him how to cope in those situations, he would be shut away for the rest of his life. They only way he could learn those things, was by doing them.

Now, 25 years later, he still has autism, but he has a job, pays taxes and is able to have a semi-independent life. He can go out in public, eat in a restaurant, and do many of the things in life that others take for granted.

Perhaps Mr. Savage, and those who think as he does, need to "walk a mile in my moccasins" before they start making uneducated judgments and making offensive comments

My son is a precious gift, and I feel blessed to have been chosen as his mother.

I remember when my son was very young and I would catch the eyes of people when he began tantruming in public, because he couldn't tolerate the sounds, sights and other sensory stimulation children without autism accept as a normal part of life. As their faces stared back at me, I saw reflected in them the gamut of human emotion - disgust, anger, revulsion, and pity.

I didn't have much time to educate them. My time was spent teaching a child who lived in his own little word to become a part of the larger society around him.

So, although it was painful to take him out in public, I was willing to risk the stares, nasty comments, "good parenting advice" etc. because parenting him was my number one job. I knew that if I didn't teach him how to cope in those situations, he would be shut away for the rest of his life. They only way he could learn those things, was by doing them.

Now, 25 years later, he still has autism, but he has a job, pays taxes and is able to have a semi-independent life. He can go out in public, eat in a restaurant, and do many of the things in life that others take for granted.

Perhaps Mr. Savage, and those who think as he does, need to "walk a mile in my moccasins" before they start making uneducated judgments and making offensive comments

My son is a precious gift, and I feel blessed to have been chosen as his mother.

to the ass who attacked me: I do not believe everything I hear Savage say, but in this case I think he is right and I think he often makes very good points. You have heard this "sound bite" from his show taken out of context, which is how "right wing" talk show hosts ( especially Savage) are deliberataly misrepresented by their enemies in the "left wing" media almost all of the time, effectively deceiving people like you. He admitted the " 99%" comment was an exaggeration, which is obviously a stretch.

Do not insult, and impune the intelligence of, someone in an anonymous internet forum simply because he/she listens to a radio personality you dont like. It makes you look like a coward.

mr. savage is entitled to his opinion without retaliation from those that disagree...he should not lose his job over his opinion. i disagree with a good percentage of what I see, hear, & read. this is america and he is entitled to speak his mind. it's what our founding fathers wanted and what we all should still want today. political correctness needs to go away. most times outrageous comments are taken totally out of context anyway. just because you don't like what his views are, doesn't make them wrong or that they should be banned, or that he should have some kind of punishment...freedom of speech is where it's at!

Michael Savages comments, no matter what you think of his political views are just that, his comments. He has a right to say them just as we have a right to label him as we see fit. I don't see that it is a news story.

Mr. Savage is entitled to his personal comments , But to be as public with his remarks as he was, was indeed not fair to the parents and or caregivers or sibling's and any other care person that has to deal with children like this. rather it's a severe disabilitie or a mild case. I would like to challenge Mr. Savage to sit in one of our positions for 1 day. Mine being a parent of 2 severally disable'd children and 3 other's that have been diagnosed with ADHD. And have him repeat his comment's as publicly as he did. And tell me I am a bad parent and my kid's are spoiled brat's. I think all of us in this situation should be given an apologie by Mr. Savage. And a very big Apology to all those who deal w/mental issues. On a daily basis.

micheal exhibits a distressing lack of any sense of understanding, compassion, and intelligent appreciation for the reality of autism. I suppose in his perfect world everyone is orderly , polite, and follows the rules, and anyone who does'nt fit this mold should be punished. Like others who resemble him he is the Brat, refusing to accept that life , and people aren't simple and uniform, but diverse, and sadly at times tragic. He is afraid to have heart, because his hurts so much. If he could remember it.

Its not a news story. What is happening here is simply that Savage has enemies in the media (who are the real fascits in this country) that are attempting to silence him by misrepresenting his comments to millions of people who are conditioned to be "politically correct", thus provoking their outrage, thus causing them to behave, unwittingly, like fascits by calling for his job because HE SAID SOMETHING THEY DONT AGREE WITH.

The only people who are getting offended by these autism comments by Savage are either people who already hate Savages' guts because they disagree with him, or parents of autistic (and many misdiagnosed) children who are being fed misrepresentations of what he said.

Dr. Michael Savage is right. His point in this comment is the over medication of kids in this case. Dr. Savage made the point, if you listened, that their are kids who have autism and can be helped and should be. The other 99% need need a good talking to behind the woodshed like I got when I got out of line growing up! Not fraudulent pedeatritrions putting these kids on powerful chemicals like prozac and other garbage.

Its called freedom of speech! And thats what he's all about!

@Dick

It's called using your freedom of speech to spread hate. This guy is a joke. You two should get together to punch each others lights out.

@Steve

Where do you get your numbers from? You must be a very educated doctor and a perfect parent. Maybe you can show us how great of a parent you are and maybe teach us a class. Bring you kids so that we can see what a great job you are doing.

I am a mother of a 6 yr old son that has Autism along with a variety of other diseases including Crones disease, Tumors in his colon bowls and intestines and IBS IBD are just a few. He has no idea what Autism is. My son suffers everyday. And the comment about them being spoiled, I am not a movie star or any thing like that I work everyday and I know about the disease. I just hope people who have children never have to fight this disease. When one day you totally normal child changes and he lives in a different world from we do. I have 4 children and my ry is the only one who suffers from this disease. All my children are raised the same and no one knows why this disease strikes but DON'T JUDGE UNTIL YOU HAVE WALKED A MILE IN MY OR MY SONS SHOES. IF YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE DISEASE AND HAVE NEVER BEEN AROUND A CHILD THAT SUFFERS FROM THIS PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOURSELF.

WOW!! Talk about setting off an emotional firestorm! Let's settle down, ladies, and Toby. Take a nice deep breath, and have a valium, or two. Can I get you a glass of wine, or some sandwiches? Ok, now that you are feeling better, let's review my post, in reverse. This time, applying logic, instead of irrational emotion, and cries of "Ignorance" "For the truly mentally ill kids, I feel awful. I was one, and I managed to survive." Did you somehow miss that? Were you already flapping your wings, preparing for takeoff from the handle, and it slipped by? Have you noticed that Autism is the "Disease de jour" for this year? Last year what was it? Oops, I can't recall, in the mind numbing blur of overblown conditions, that make millions for drug companies. "Broad brush strokes" I love that one! That's where people with no position live! I think it's right next door to "Gray areas", and two blocks over from "Glittering generalities" If you take a stroll down to the local Wal Mart , you will see what I am talking about. 300lb Sandy Sweathog, pushing a stroller, while little Johhny tears up the merchandise, and screams for more candy. (He's 9 now, and only 135 pounds, he needs it!). Sandy "Just can't handle this" and takes Johhny to the doctor. The doctor looks at little Johhny, and say's "We need to start him on (Name your drug)" Now Sally Sweathog has her quick fix, and is absolved of all responsibility for raising a little monster. That's the reality of that. Prove me wrong, I dare you to try. You will make a fool of yourself in the process. As for being "Insensitive" to autism, I have a friend who's son has this condition. He almost never speaks, but he sure can draw! I have taken him flying. An amazing experience. He learned to control the aircraft in an amazingly short amount of time for anyone. Singing to me in my headset, the whole time. (That was a little unnerving!)After we landed, and chut down, the singing stopped again. His Dad had tears in his eyes, said he hadn't heard him sing like that in a long time. Now, I wonder how many of you who flame me, would have let him fly the aircraft? Takes guts, folks. Something many in this great country lack now, and are looking to replace with a pill. I think I'll go eat a healthy breakfast now, and then head for the gym. Won't do a thing to help autism, but for a majority of those now plugged into pills, it would replace them nicely. Oh, wait, it takes WORK! Sorry. Kyle

Savage is a Moron. I'm very conservative, but being a conservative father with Christian values and also, I might add, a father with two autistic children, I would say he is an idiot; and not an Idiot savant. That would give him too much credit. I am a regular listener and he does spew a lot of sensualistic rants. I think he has a point that doctors today will slap a label and give you a pill before they actually try to fix what is wrong. Sometimes, they give pills to both the child and the parents. My children do not take drugs. The do go to special education and they are retarded. (Special needs are for people with an alternative sexual lifestyle). Autism is tough, but so is diabetes, cancer and a whole slew of real problems. Michael should stick to calling out the medical corruption and leave the real experts of autism (parents) to make expert opinion. His view is it’s the parents fault they are autistic, and that is like saying it’s the parents fault kids have cancer, or diabetes, or down’s syndrome. It’s a sick world, it was sick before we were ever born.

Kyle is an idiot too...

This is to all of you out there who think that children with Autism is a joke.

I hope one day you have the pleasure to know a child with Autism and see how truly gifted and wonderful they are.

As a parent of a child with a DISABILITY, I do have to say that it is alot of hard work, but, it is the most rewarding job in the world, and, I wouldn't change it for anything.

Shame on you!

Savage is not ridiculing children with autism or their parents. Why can't some of you see that? What is comical here is how hordes of people are getting offended when their nothing to get offended at.

D. Riley...Is that how you work to get your point across? What a vapid soul you must be, if the best you can muster is a one line insult. Let me spell it out, so you don't have to repeat the third grade. I'd hate for your cranial-rectal inversion to flare up, and cause an embarassing social faux pas. Legitimate cases of ANY mental disorder,(including autism) should be treated with everything available. Therapy, medication, whatever gives the patient relief. The key word there, is legitimate. Too many Oprah watching, donut slurping vidiots simply go to the doctor, and demand pills. "I am fat, fix me" "I am depressed, I need pills" "I am stressed out at work, I need pills". Hmmm, how about getting off your obese glutes, and getting in shape. Eat a healthy diet, put down the whisky. Make your children go outside to play. Let them get bug bites, and bandaids on their knees. We did. Has it occured to you that this may be the primary reason so many kids are messed up? Take away the Nintendo, it's rotting their minds. Lead by example. Enough said. Some of you get what I am saying, others are lost. Happy trails.

this was taken from talkradionetwork website concerning Michael Savage, and it makes good sense:

STATEMENT BY TALK RADIO NETWORK
ON MICHAEL SAVAGE'S AUTISM COMMENTS

There have been numerous calls in recent days for Michael Savage, who hosts "The Michael Savage Show" for Talk Radio Network (the "Network"), to be fired or suspended for his brief 84 seconds of commentary concerning autism during the July 16th broadcast of the Show.

Promptly after the Network's management learned of the comments in issue, the Network commenced an investigation into the particulars and the circumstances of those comments. This investigation began with the Network's CEO, Mark Masters, personally contacting Dr. Savage to address the concerns and obtain an explanation of the comments directly from Dr. Savage.

In that conversation, and other subsequent conversations between Mr. Masters and Dr. Savage, Dr. Savage explained the circumstances and intent of his statements in considerable detail. The Network also carefully monitored subsequent broadcasts of the Show, on Monday, July 21st and Tuesday, July 22nd, which were devoted to the subject of autism and further explanations by Dr. Savage of his views on the subject.

Dr. Savage has clarified that his July 16th statements concerning autism were not directed at those who are in fact challenged by this horrible affliction, but were instead criticizing efforts to broaden the concept of autism beyond those who truly are autistic to a broader "autistic spectrum" of behavioral symptoms which are also manifested by persons who do not suffer from autism, and his concern that many children are being misdiagnosed as autistic due to the subjective nature of autism diagnosis (due to the lack of known biomedical indicators, such as blood tests, to definitively confirm or deny the actual existence of autism). Dr. Savage has also explained his belief that there have been efforts by certain professionals and professional organizations to expand diagnoses of autism more broadly, for various reasons, and his concern that this victimizes and stigmatizes children who are misdiagnosed as autistic. On multiple other occasions Dr. Savage has expressed his concerns that other conditions, such as ADD and ADHD, are overdiagnosed and result in improper medication of young children, which Dr. Savage regards as abusive.

In the context of his broader concerns, it is clear that Dr. Savage's comments were intended to suggest his opinion that, in the vast majority of cases, most children throwing tantrums, or refusing to communicate, are not autistic. Unfortunately, by condensing his multifaceted concerns into 84 seconds of commentary, the necessary context for his remarks was not apparent, and the few words he used to express his concerns were, in this instance, inartfully phrased.

As a result, Dr. Savage's comments did facially appear to be directed at children who suffer from autism, and clearly could be perceived as such. This has, in turn, caused understandable pain and distress to those who have a child or family member who is challenged by autism. This was not Dr. Savage's intent, and, on behalf of the Network and all persons associated with the Network, we wish to note that our hearts go out to all families who are forced to face the realities of autism every day of their lives, and to sincerely apologize to these families for any increase in these burdens resulting from inartful commentary appearing in the Network's programming.

While the phrasing of Dr. Savage's remarks was inartful, after the aforementioned investigation, as well as personal knowledge of Dr. Savage's strongly held views towards children and through dealing with special challenges the Network is satisfied that he did not mean any disrespect to autistic children or their families but was instead reiterating his longstanding concerns on public health issues. Indeed, on these points, Mark Masters, the Network's CEO, notes that:

"I have known Michael Savage for nine years now. Over those nine years, we have had occasion to disagree on many issues. However, I have always respected Michael as a man of conviction, and I have noticed throughout our relationship that he has always been passionate and intense in his opposition to persons who he perceived to be disrespectful of persons dealing with special challenges.

I once asked him about his passion in this area, and he noted that it was because he had a brother who was disabled, but that he did not want to discuss it. Michael never shared any particulars on this with me until he shared with his audience on Monday that his brother never spoke during his lifetime, was institutionalized at 5 or 6 years old, and died in that institution in his 20's.

My observations of Michael's consistent opposition to what he viewed as abuse or disrespect of person dealing with special challenges, and of his interest in children, as well as his 1982 book, Healing Children Naturally, are completely inconsistent with Michael attacking children who are truly autistic. In contrast, his belief that misdiagnosing children with autism will damage those children who are misdiagnosed and stigmatize them for life, his aversion to what he sees as improper medication of young children, and subjecting them to a lifetime of chemical straight jackets, and his recent sharing of his belief that the medical profession failed to properly care for his brother prior to his brother's death, do explain his passion in challenging what he sees as improper efforts by some in the health care industry to brand and treat as autistic persons who are not."

In this context, for multiple reasons, the Network does not believe that it is appropriate to take adversarial action to suspend or terminate Dr. Savage for not phrasing his comments in this instance more carefully.

First, the Network recognizes, and those who are calling for action against Dr. Savage should recognize, that live talk radio is unscripted. Hosts do not read from prompters. Regardless of the abilities of any individual host, it is impossible to expect that hosts can in all instances avoid any instances of failure to provide full context and caveats for every statement made in three hours per day, five hours per week, of a live talk program.

The Network also believes, as a policy matter, that it is not appropriate to censor the opinions of its hosts on legitimate issues. Neither the Network nor its management personnel agree with all positions asserted by all hosts on each of the Network's shows.

As a policy matter, the Network neither supports nor rejects individual policy statements asserted by its hosts. It does, however, support the rights of its hosts to express their views on public policy issues.

The purpose of talk radio is to raise the level of public discourse by introducing commentary on controversial issues. If the Network were to require hosts to refrain from stating views which others disagree with, or discipline hosts for holding unpopular views, its hosts would be intimidated from exercising their freedom of expression. Should this ever become the standard for talk radio, the interchange of ideas and debate which is the lifeblood of talk radio would be destroyed, and the freedom of expression which is a hallmark of American democracy would be eroded.

The Network is particularly concerned with respect to efforts to remove Dr. Savage from the airwaves by persons or organizations who disagree with his political views. In the case of the underlying July 16th autism clip comments now in issue, the Network must be cognizant of the fact that the initiation of a campaign to remove Dr. Savage from the air for those comments was instigated by Media Matters, an organization which regularly tapes broadcasts of The Michael Savage Show for the purpose of finding sound bites which could be used in an effort to remove him from the airwaves, for their own political ends.

In this case, the Network does believe that there has been an effort by Media Matters to take advantage of an inartful lapse on the part of Dr. Savage in failing to supply full context, caveats and explanations in the 84 seconds of comments at issue. While the Network and Dr. Savage regret any pain to families of autistic children as a result of inartfully phrased comments intended to enhance the welfare of children, it does appear to the Network that Media Matters and others now seek to cynically exploit this particular sound bite, out of context, to harness the pain of parents with truly autistic children, for their own self-serving agenda, in a broader political effort to remove a voice they politically disagree with from the airwaves.

In this context, the Network does question, if such efforts were to be successful with respect to Michael Savage, which other hosts will be the next targets. This is not the first, nor will it be the last, attempt by Media Matters to exploit any issue for their own self -serving political and social agenda.

Despite the concerns on the Network's part as to the motivations of Media Matters and other organizations which seek to remove those hosts they disagree with from the airwaves, and its belief that no action against Michael Savage is warranted under all applicable circumstances of this situation, the Network does want to take some positive action to address the fact that inartful statements concerning autism were made on one of its programs. As a result, the Network will begin broadcasting public service announcements with respect to legitimate autism issues, subject to spot availability, without charge, and will be encouraging other networks to do the same. In this regard, the Network invites organizations which would desire to submit public service announcements to forward them by email to PSA@TALKRADIONETWORK.com, or by mail to P.O. Box 3755, Central Point, OR 97502.

In contrast to the cynical efforts of Media Matters to manipulate 84 seconds of commentary out of context, for its own ends, the Network does believe that the issue is about the children. While the 84 seconds at issue has created intense controversy, the Network welcomes the opportunity to broaden the discussion on the important issues relating to autism, the "autism spectrum", the validity of autism diagnoses, and the ever-expanding drugging of America's children.

The Network commenced this discussion in the July 21st and 22nd broadcasts of The Michael Savage Show. For those who believe that the 84 seconds cited by Media Matters defines Michael Savage's views on autism, the Network recommends going to (or clicking) http://66.186.16.152/savageonautism.jsp to view a representative sampling of Dr. Savage's views, as well as the applicable issues, in true context.

MR. SAVAGE HAS SHOWN HIS UN-EDUCATED AND RADICAL OPINIONS MANY TIMES, FINALLY THEY ARE TWEAKING OTHERS NOSES VERSUS JUST US INTELLIGENT PEOPLE'S. HE IS A MAD MAN, WHO SHOULD BE FIRED. HE PREACHES HATE AGAINST 95% OF ALL AMERICANS, JUST LIKE HIS CON-MAN-SERVATIVE CHRISTIAN ALLIES. HE AT LAST CAN BE SINGLED OUT AS THE IGNORANT HATE MIZER HE IS, AND ALL WHO LISTEN TO HIM ARE THE SAME, WORTHLESS!!

THOSE WHO ENCOURAGE AND SPONSER HIM ARE TRAITORS TO AMERICA. DOWN WITH RIGHT WING HATE MONGERS!! LONG LIVE EDUCATION AND AMERICA!!

Any of you who support the insensitive comments made by this buffoon scare the piss out of me! There is mislabeling and misdiagnosis of a whole host of illnesses, but to belittle and berate one of the most vulnerable groups of people in the world is reprehensible. The damage done, to promote the misperception of some wonderful children that truly experience heart-wrenching challenges, as well as their parents, is inexcusable. For an encore, perhaps he should rant about children with Downs syndrome, and how about adding how their mothers should have know better than to get pregnant after 30? Or even better, how the parents of children afflicated with mental retardation should have known better than to breed? Or take another path, like a "Kick the Puppy" campaign!
And as for there not being a medical diagnosis, perhaps he should go back to school. There are indeed biological markers that make a diagnosis indisputable. What a self-serving bastard. He should send his salary for the next year to the Autism Society of America. Or better yet, just take a hike and get lost ....

This is the problem with Radio talk show host these days they are starting to pick on people and groups of people just so they can get the Rating. too me this is poor way to run a radio station. I guess Mr Savage has gotten tired of yelling about politicians and decided to pick on the people who listed o talk radio. Autism is not a joke and I am getting tired of people like Mr Savage getting away at picking on regular folks. The hate Radio talk shows have got to stop. Heck on a Boston Radio station a talk show host called my city (Lynn, MA) a dump this person has not lived in my city I don't even think he has came to my city. Well a one of the city politicians got stick of his remark and challed him to a Boxing match I hope the city poll knocks this guys head off. ALlot of Radio talk show host have gotten out of line and need to stop picking n the people who visit advertisers. They you wonder why people are starting to stop listening to talk stations.

I can only hope that Mr. Savage has the chance to have an autistic grandchild. Then (and only then) will he understand them. I have a 4 year old grandson who is autistic. At the age of 2, he knew every single letter of the alphabet but sight, every single number by sight, every single shape, every single color and yet he could not talk well enough to name them all plainly. He is very bright and is not spoiled in any way. Some would think so if they saw him in large crowds. He gets over stimulated by all of the noise and people and some would say he is throwing a fit. It is not his fault. Mike Savage should be ordered to go spend some time with autistic children in a classroom setting. I think he would have a much different opinion. I have seen spoiled children and I have see autistic children and there is no comparison. I have also seen the stares when my grandson gets overwhelmed. It is time for people to not be so judgmental. Everyone's handicaps are not always obvious. Mike Savage has proven that point. We now know what it is tho

Hey J Coliver,
Stop defending this idiot! Calling those children brats,and putzs without fathers isn't ridiculing? C'MON!! Give me a break! The guy is a complete *ss.

Molly, so you are wishing autism on someone's grandchild?

K. Ragosta, I defend him because think their is a tremdendous over reaction to this matter of basic free speech being exercised by a member of the media who holds un-politically correct views on controversial issues, compound that with the fact that his statements on this issue are being misrepresented and in many cases deliberatly misunderstood by ( actually hateful)people who really dont want to understand the points he is trying to make anyway

HEY JCOLIVER3, THERE IS NO OVERREACTION TO HATE MONGERS AND THEY'RE MINDLESS FOLLOWERS LIKE YOU!
I RESPECT THE SAVAGE'S FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND AM NOT UPSET THAT HIS TRUE SELF SHOWS THROUGH, BUT YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY DEFEND THESE COMMENTS OR SIMPLY CLAIM THE "MEDIA" OVERBLEW THEM, NOT ON THIS ONE FELLA. THOSE ARE WELL BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF DECENCY AND ARE EXTREMELY INSENSITIVE & UNEDUCATED COMMENTS, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE THAT ARE AFFLICTED WITH THAT DIAGNOSES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY TO THOSE THAT CARE FOR THEM, FOR THEY ARE THE TRUE PATRIOTS OF AMERICA.
BUT YOU AND YOUR RIGHT WING HATE MONGERER SAVAGE ALLIES AGAIN REAR YOUR UGLY HEAD AND SHOW THE WORLD YOUR IGNORANT SMALL MINDEDNESS AND THIS TIME YOU OFFEND TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOTS.

Whether you like Mr Savage or not .. there is still something in this country called Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Press.

If this is considered insulting .. why didn't anyone cry foul of a frontpage cartoon showing Mr Obama as a Muslim to cause controversy ?

Michael Savage didn't say ALL kids, he had a brother who was mentally challenged back before they threw drugs at everyone. So If your a good parent? Great, Keep it up. But, if the shoe fits? we know who you are, cause you were the ones taking offense to what you THINK he said....Shame on you..