Radio talker Michael Savage told WND he was “stunned” by the quick decision by incoming United Kingdom [...]]]> As a followup to a a previous story here on Blogging Blue, where I noted conservative talk radio personality Michael Savage had been banned from entering the United Kingdom, that ban has now been lifted:

Radio talker Michael Savage told WND he was “stunned” by the quick decision by incoming United Kingdom Home Secretary Alan Johnson to scrap his predecessor’s list of people banned from Britain – a list that included Savage along with Islamic hate preachers and terrorists.

Savage had sued outgoing Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for libel for listing him, along with 15 others, as “least wanted” visitors in the country. Meanwhile, Smith’s successor, Alan Johnson, called the move a terrible blunder and told the London Daily Mail he would scrap the policy of maintaining such enemies lists.

While I dislike most of what comes out of Michael Savage’s mouth, he certainly has a right to say what’s on his mind, and so I’m glad he’ll no longer be banned from entering the United Kingdom simply for speaking his mind.

I’m not if you’ve heard, but conservative radio host Michael Savage has been banned from entering Great Britain because, according to the British Home Secretary, Savage is, “someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting [...]]]> I’ve got a lot of video today, because that’s just the kind of mood I’m in.

I’m not if you’ve heard, but conservative radio host Michael Savage has been banned from entering Great Britain because, according to the British Home Secretary, Savage is, “someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting hatred, of such extreme views and expressing them in such a way that it is actually likely to cause inter-community tension or even violence if that person were allowed into the country.”

Here’s some video of Savage responding to the news he’d been banned:

McCain has thrown the election. It is clear now with his choice for Vice President [...]]]> Obviously I’m not a fan of conservative radio talker Michael Savage, but I found it interesting to hear what he had to say about Sen. John McCain’s decision to choose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate (emphasis Savage’s):

McCain has thrown the election. It is clear now with his choice for Vice President that he has no desire to win in November. Why else would he chose an inexperienced woman, whose only apparent qualification is that she won a beauty pageant in the 1980s? Why else would he refuse to say Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name? Why else would he run an ad praising Obama and congratulating him for winning the nomination?

If McCain had chosen Mitt Romney, a man with real leadership ability, real charisma, and real experience, he might have stood a chance. He could have made up for his lack of energy in confronting his opponent, his useless pandering to liberals, and his refusal to expose Obama’s leftism and inexperience. Instead he trumped inexperience with more inexperience. Obama, for all his far-left socialism, picked a running mate who is perceived as giving the ticket more experience. McCain, in defiance of all logic, undermined his strong suit by selecting a political neophyte who waters down his key advantage over Obama.

Of course, I can hear the calls already. Mike, you should give her a chance, she’s a real conservative. Mike, he’s just doing this because he knows he has to pander to win. Mike, isn’t it great that he picked a woman. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Picking someone because of their sex instead of their ability is the same kind of affirmative action insanity that the Democrats have shoved down our throats. We don’t want a panderer, we want a president. If he had chosen a woman who was a real nationalist with a real resume, I would have said, “Right on, John.” But McCain has dropped the ball, thrown in the towel, and raised the white flag. And a generation of Americans will pay for his mistake.

Now I’m loathe to say I agree with Michael Savage, but I do agree with one point he made: picking a running mate simply because of their sex is pandering, plain and simple.

H/T to James Rowen at The Political Environment.

Happily, there’s some good news to report. FOXNews.com is reporting that Aflac, an advertiser on Savage’s radio show, has pulled all their advertising [...]]]> You’ll have to excuse my focus over the last few days on conservative talk radio host Michael Savage, but his comments about autistic children and their parents merit some attention.

Happily, there’s some good news to report. FOXNews.com is reporting that Aflac, an advertiser on Savage’s radio show, has pulled all their advertising from Savage’s show, with the following comment from a company spokeswoman: “We understand that radio hosts pick on any number of targets however we found Michael Savage’s recent comments to be both inappropriate and insensitive.” It’s good to see a company like Aflac taking a stand against the kind of ignorant and inflammatory garbage that Michael Savage is spouting. In addition to news that Aflac has pulled their advertising from Savage’s show, the FOXNews report also includes a statement from WOR-AM, which broadcast Savage’s remarks in New York City:

“The views expressed by Michael Savage are his views and are not those of WOR Radio. As Michael Savage is a syndicated show, the content is the responsibility of the syndicator, which is Talk Radio Networks. Unfortunately, it is impossible for WOR Radio to know the subject matter in advance of airing. WOR is in the business of serving the community in which we broadcast. That is our stated goal, and we will continue to do so. We regret any consternation that his remarks may have caused to our listeners.”

Curiously enough, Tom Parker, the Program Manager from 620 WTMJ is sticking to his guns, because in his opinion complaints are really only important to take a look at if they come from “loyal listeners,” while complaints from liberals just aren’t worthy of his time.

At any rate, I’m glad to see Aflac and WOR-AM did the right thing, and hopefully more folks will stand up and voice their disgust with Michael Savage.

EDIT: As pointed out by a commenter, the statement released by WOR-AM isn’t really an apology; it’s more a statement of regret.

“[a] fraud, a racket. … [...]]]> Today’s a special day here at Blogging Blue, because we’re unveiling a new weekly segment titled “Idiot of the Week.” The first winner of the “Idiot of the Week” award is none other than right-wing squawker Michael Savage, who claimed during his July 16th syndicated show that autism is:

“[a] fraud, a racket. … I’ll tell you what autism is. 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. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? 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. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’”

As anyone who knows a little about me knows, I’m the proud parent of an autistic child, and I’m absolutely disgusted and outraged that someone like Michael Savage would stoop so low as to attack autistic kids. Further, his insinuation that autism is a product of the absence of a father shows just how ignorant and uninformed is, and I’d encourage Mr. Savage to do a little reading about Autism. In fact, if he’d bother to do a little reading, he’d know scientists recently identified five new autism-related gene defects to go along with the more than a dozen genetic defects have been found to be associated with autism spectrum disorders. If Michael Savage would bother to do a little reading about autism, he’d know it isn’t something a child has control over; it isn’t simply a child being difficult or throwing tantrums, nor is it the result of a child not having a father.

If anyone’s interested, here’s the audio of Michael Savage’s rant about autism:

Tom Parker
Program Director
Phone: 414-967-5207
Email: tparker@620wtmj.com

H/T to John Michlig at Sprawled Out.