Hosed by Denis Leary

Lordy be, sometimes it's exhausting having three children with autism. Oh, I don't mean my actual day to day life with Mia, Gianna and Bella. That's tiring of course, but parenthood wipes most of us mothers out by 9:00pm -- whether you're running to and from soccer practice or speech therapy, motherhood = tired. What's exhausting is this seemingly acceptable anger and bitterness toward parents of kids with autism, as evidenced by Michael Savage a few months ago and now by Denis Leary's rant (does he have another mode of communication?) in his new book titled... Nah, I'm not going to use the name of the book here. You can search Google for the title.

Here's a quote from it: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a [bleep] what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."

Whattsamatta, Denis, my fellow Bahstonian, did you get a bad clam at Kelly's? When did we autism parents and our "junior morons" become the punching bag of the week? Or did you just include this particular rant because you know autism is prevalent in the news and it would generate publicity for you? That's what I think. I can see you sitting at your desk, well, maybe pacing anxiously back and forth, ruffling your hand through your thick hair, "I need a hook! I need to piss off people who will write about me. Autism! Those parents aaah crazy, rabid dahgs! I'm a freakin' GEEEN-ius! What a wicked awesome idea! Now, what the hell is autism? Who ce-ahs!"

I care, Denis. I care that your words imply that my three girls aren't seriously disabled like your good friend Michael J. Fox or worthy of respect. I've always enjoyed your brash, in your face humor. I love that you're a Boston Irishman. I think firemen are hot. But Denis, don't turn the hose on me and my kids. Please.

(PS) Click HERE to read the scorching letter just sent to The Leary Firefighter Foundation by a retired FDNY veteran who left his career to stay home and care for his son with autism.

(PS2) You should know that Denis Leary has issued a statement through PR Newswire: HERE.

Comments

[JeanneCant]

Kim, nicely done. Denis Leary, not so much.

I've been in a bit of shock today, as a (now former?) fan of Denis Leary. I recently read an interview where he was talking so lovingly about his children, his wife, and his friend M.J.Fox. He just seemed like a pretty good guy (not that you can judge from an interview, I'm just sayin'...).

It is shocking to me that we still have to hear this kind of crap. I would have thought the world was paying attention when Savage opened his mouth and spewed his verbal diarrhea. Apparently not.

I'm getting real tired of this shiz.

And...Wow...What a strange feeling waking up at 5:30 a.m. as a Denis Leary fan, only to find out an hour later that I may no longer be one. After all this time. It's just weird.

[Salome]

Yahoo! Very well said! Between your post & the FDNY letter, I feel 1000% better. Thank you so much for saving me the time and angst of writing a hand-wringing letter to DL. I have a feeling that he feeds off misery and so I knew that my letter would end up backfiring.

You rock!

[dpowell]

How sad - Mr. Leary should be thankful he's not one of us who has to deal with autism daily. His son was born premature at 28 weeks in 1990 in Britain (his wife Ann wrote a book about it - called An Innocent a Broad). A high percentage of preemies end up with neurological disorders (of which I include autism). Its far better to count your blessings instead of throwing stones...

[htbenz]

Ironically, the Worcester, Massachusetts fire department ... IAFF local 1009... Denis Leary's hometown and the site of one of the worst warehouse fires in US history where sadly Denis Leary's cousin died...has raised close to $2000 for the Elias Tembenis Walk for Autism/ National autism Association's Helping Hands program to give grants to families with Autism. Let's not forget the wonderful work THEY have done:

http://www.firstgiving.com/iafflocal1009

One of the firefighter's nephews, Robert Williams is one of the 2 walkers doing the cross country journey.

http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/eliaswalk

[ByrdtheStampede]

Umm... no.

Every joke needs an exaggeration, and this is obviously an exaggeration. I object to it as a comedian because it's not funny, but it certainly isn't a slam on the parents of autistic kids.

Aside from the worst offense here (not being funny) I think he meant ADHD, which is overdiagnosed, and Leary has directed his anger towards in his oeuvre.

"Calm down... have some dip." - George Carlin

[Kim Stagliano - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm with you on the not funny part. I love funny. I love irreverent humor. I can be raunchy, ribald and ridiculous. He's hosing me and my kids. And don't go making me smile with a George Carlin quote!!

Hmmm, Onion or ranch? Thanks for commenting.

Kimbally (as my mutha in Bahstun calls me.)

[ObjectiveAutismDad]

Kim, very nice post. I very much liked the letter that Timothy Dwyer wrote as well.

I know a Doctor who has been doing AIDS research for almost 30 years (seriously, he started work on AIDS back in 1980)... He told me once that AIDS would continue to be a serious problem until everyone knows somebody who died from it (kind of sad, but there is some truth to that thought). I think the same is true for autism. We will continue to have idiots like Leary make comments like this, and idiots like Offit, Gerberding, Pisani, etc. try to make us look like crazy parents until everyone knows somebody close with autism.

One of my favorite quotes that I first came across in the first book on autism that I read ("The Ultimate Stranger") seems apropos:

It is one of the most painful experiences of my entire scientific career that I have seldom -- in fact,
I might say never -- succeeded in obtaining universal recognition for a new result, the truth of
which I could demonstrate by a conclusive but only theoretical proof. . . . A new scientific truth does
not triumph by convincing its opponenet and making them see the light; but it triumphs because its
opponents finally die off, leaving a new generation that is familiar with the new idea.
-- Max Planck

[KFuller]

If indeed Leary is using Autism to gain publicity for his book well then *Whose lazy?*
Shame on anyone involved with this book.

[sleeplessmom]

I second that, shame on everyone involved!

[kellianndavis]

Hey Kim,

Spot on!

The issue, IMHO, is that his asinine (oops, did I just say that) remarks cut at the very core of our argument regarding what happened to our kids: moms and dads go "fishing" for a diagnosis = bogus label = no real increase = no environmental trigger = no problem with vaccines = same status quo (a.k.a. take head-insert in sand)

It's one thing to be totally ignorant on what our children go through in terms of dealing with everyday life (most people cannot relate unless they experience it for themselves) and so yeah, he's just one guy shooting off his mouth and demonstrating his true character. BUT, it's totally another story when he makes wild, baseless accusations regarding the *REAL* increases in autism.

To me, that is the most *dangerous* aspect of his statements.

Denis, do me a favor? Take foot - insert in mouth - and leave it there for good.

Kelli Ann Davis
DC Political Liaison
Generation Rescue

[crzymma]

PERFECTLY WRITTEN! BRAVO!

[Barbara Fischkin - Huffpost Blogger]

Good going Kim. Leary's ignorance is showing. He knows nothing about autism not even where we "throw" our money. It's not the shrinks we consult for the legitimate and numerous children of this epidemic. It's the bio-medical doctors who can show with their data that there is something physicially wrong with our kids. Lazy people - and I have never seen an autism parent who was lazy - would never get that far. Merely finding the right doctor takes work.