At least we are according to leader of the Canadian Green Party, Elizabeth May.

 Last year on TVO’s the agenda with Steve Paikin, Elizabeth May stated that Canadians were stupid for not embracing the concept of a carbon tax that she supports.

 Blogger Steven Taylor put together a little YouTube video with audio directly taken from May’s rather insulting rant and posted it on his blog. You can hear the clip here. Despite the twisting and turning of some dogged Green Party supporters on this one, upon listening one can clearly hear Elizabeth May saying that she feels that Canadians are stupid for not supporting the idea of a carbon tax.

 May’s statement made some small ripples when it was first uttered but had pretty much ended up forgotten by most. Canadians have learned to disregard and forget the inane mutterings of Elizabeth May. I guess we are not all that stupid.

 What has brought May’s arrogant insult of Canadians at large into the spotlight again was not Steven Taylor’s posting of the clip on YouTube, it was John Bennett’s (communications director of the Green Party) reaction to a blogger who dared link to Taylor’s video.

 Bennett called the clip slander, threatened legal action and claimed that the clip was doctored. Bennett also claimed that TVO was threatening legal action.

 Well it would appear that Bennett is as inept as a communications director as a national party leader who calls the electorate at large stupid.

 To begin with, directly quoting somebody is hardly slandering them. Elizabeth May certainly did do some nasty damage to her image in stating her profoundly arrogant and insulting views on the intelligence of Canadians. May only defamed herself (and Canadians) however. Nobody else is under any kind of legal threat. In other words, John Bennett is full of crap with his threats.

 TVO has confirmed that the clip was not modified in any way. Elizabeth May really did say something that rude and stupid. In other words Bennet lied in a sad attempt to defend May’s words.

 TVO also has stated that they are not and have not been considering any kind of legal action. The legal action on the part of TVO was simply another blatant lie from John Bennett.

 Had this audio clip been ignored, it likely only would have been under discussion by a handful of bloggers and would have faded away. John Bennett’s brilliant work however has turned the clip viral. There has been 13,400 views of the clip as of this posting and it has been played on radio stations across the country.

 All that can be concluded is this; Elizabeth May holds Canadians in contempt and considers us stupid in her own words. May’s communication director holds free speech in contempt and assumes that the bloggosphere is stupid enough to cave under his hollow threats in hopes of stifling speech.

 It is ironic but not surprising that while May screeched that her expression and speech was infringed upon when she was not initially included in the election debates, May has appointed as head of her communications a man who uses lies and threats in hopes of stifling the speech of others.

 I suspect that after the federal debates many Green Party supporters will wish that their leader had never gained entrance. One can only imagine what May will say on the national stage. I look forward to it.