Is this Weiner's idea of an apology?

Update: Savage has responded to Media Matters' inquiries by saying, "I stand by my words." Fine - I stand by my objections and resolve to contact all of his advertisers, with your help.

If this is Michael "Savage" Weiner's idea of an apology, he'd better go back to the drawing board. Wiener (right) made some highly offensive, insensitive remarks about autism last week, and now it appears he's backtracking. Last week, autism was "a fraud, a racket," and now, it's "overdiagnosed" by doctors. Hmm - that's not what he said last week, and the clarification that he's posted on his Website (see below) is simply not good enough. I was getting ready to write more letters to the advertisers of Talk Radio Network (TNR), the company that employs him, when I thought I would check his Website first. Below is what I found - a half-baked attempt to quiet a controversy, with no sign of an apology.

The Autism Controversy

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."

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an "illness" which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York "snake-pit" of a "mental hospital," I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

In other words, now Wiener is doing a full retreat from what he said last week by attempting to curry favor with the public by making an "it's us against the pharmaceuticals" argument. I'm not buying it. This guy owes the autism community an unqualified apology, period.

And what's more, his pseudo-apologies aren't enough anymore. I'm sick to death of people like Wiener saying whatever it is they want to say, and when a controversy ensues, they apologize to get themselves out of trouble. In other words, they aren't really sorry, they are just sorry that their career and livelihood might be threatened, thanks to their big mouths. (The late Jerry Falwell comes to mind here - how can you say one day that 9-11 happened because of gays and abortions, and the next day you say, "Whoops! Sorry" and have people really believe it to be real?)

My prediction is that eventually Wiener will probably be forced to apologize. But, if it does happen, it will only be because his bosses and/or his advertisers have forced it on him. Again, not good enough - this guy needs to be put in the street. Let him hawk his books to the hate mongers of America, but no radio station is under any obligation to provide him with a forum to spew his venom.

To reiterate, this is not a free speech issue. There's no question that Wiener has the right to express his opinions, however repulsive they may be (and they certainly are). It's about advertisers making his hateful program possible. As I wrote this past weekend, with our corporate media, our purchasing power is about the only thing we have left, and I'm making it abundantly clear to the organizations that advertise on his show that my money's going elsewhere.

Let the letter writing continue. ...

Subway Franchise Headquarters
Attn: Mr. Fred De Luca, President
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06461-3059

Dear Mr. De Luca:
I have been a customer of Subway for many, many years. I flat-out love your food and I've rarely had a bad experience in your restaurants, and I've been in dozens of them in many different parts of the United States.

However, recently I noticed that you advertise on Talk Radio Network, including the program of Michael Savage, who is nothing short of a hate-mongering disgrace. In the past few years, he's made intolerant remarks about Muslims, African-Americans and now people suffering from autism, a disease that Savage last week called "a fraud, a racket." Since your advertising dollars partially make his show possible, I will no longer frequent any Subway Restaurants until your support of his show stops entirely. As much as I love your sandwiches and your restaurants, fortunately I have many fast food choices these days.

I strongly urge you to consider the social implications of where you send your advertising dollars. Savage might have a sizable audience with a great deal of reach, but companies should stand for something. What does Subway stand for? Calling autism a "fraud"? Your regular and potential customers deserve better.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours in democracy,
RJ
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Again, I openly encourage all of you to get involved in writing letters to Talk Radio Network's advertisers. A partial list is Here. As I mentioned over the weekend, I certainly don't mind if you use my letter above as a template, but I strongly recommend that you alter the letter somewhat - companies and organizations tend to ignore chain letters. The more you can personalize your letter, the better.