Radio host Michael Savage incites protests with autism comments
BY EDGAR SANDOVAL AND HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Monday, July 21st 2008, 3:40 PM
Michael Savage
WOR Radio talk show host
Michael Savage, who makes a good living being outrageous, found himself in the middle of a new firestorm Monday after he branded autistic children fakers who just need a little discipline.
"In 99% of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is," Savage said last week in remarks that lit up the internet over the weekend.
"They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz."
A few dozen parents of austistic kids protested outside WOR Radio Monday afternoon, demanding Savage be fired.
They called it ironic that the loudmouth radio host would - known for his vicious indictments of immigrants, muslims, gays, Jews and non-whites - would go after innocents who often can't even talk.
Ed Moffitt, 75, proudly showed a picture of his 8-year-old grand-nephew, Bob.
"Bob can't speak. He never called Savage any names," Moffitt said.
"We are dying to hear him say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy.' And (Savage) says that he is just acting out?" said the boy's grandfather, retired
NYPD officer
Bob Moffitt. "It hurts me."
Evelyn Ain, who publishes Spectrum Magazine for the parents of autistic children, said of 8-year-old Matthew: "I would trade my son being autistic for being a brat any day."
Maria Maffucci, 46, who has an autistic 13-year-old son, said Savage also insulted her husband,
James Maffucci, 46.
"He is a terrific father, not a wimp," she said.
WOR Radio said they couldn't be held responsible for what Savage says because he is a syndicated host broadcasting out of
San Francisco.
"Unfortunately, it is impossible for WOR Radio to know the subject matter in advance of airing," the station said in a statement. "We regret any consternation that his remarks may have caused to our listeners."
Savage's syndicator, Talk Radio Network, did not return calls for a reaction to demands for Savage's head.
The shock jock, who is the country's third most popular radio host after
Rush Limbaugh and
Sean Hannity, lost a TV show on
MSNBC in July 2003 when he told a listener to "get AIDS and die you pig."
His outbursts also periodically lose him an advertizer or two, but his radio show has not been seriously threatened.
Savage, who is due to address the matter on his show tonight at 6 p.m., issued a statement with an unusual backpeddling attempt at clarification.
He said he was actually referring only to those children who were "misdiagnosed."
"My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as 'autistic,' he said.
"Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free."
It's not the first time Savage has gone on a tear about autism.
Last month he called the brain disorder "a racket" to get disability payments dreamed up by "poorer families who have found a new way to be parasites on the government."
Studies have actually showm there are many more autism diagnoses in affluent communities, where kids often get more attentive care in school.
hkennedy@nydailynews.com
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