600 Conservatives attend barbeque with Prime Minister Stephen Harper

James Wood The StarPhoenix
Wednesday, August 30, 2006 REGINA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first visit to Saskatchewan since the Jan. 23 federal election seemed like a prelude to the next national vote.

In a stump-style speech to an excited crowd of about 600 Conservative supporters at the Sherwood Forest Country Club just outside Regina Tuesday night, Harper bashed the Liberals and reeled off a laundry list of his minority government actions since it took power, ranging from child-care money for parents and the one-point GST cut to a more aggressive foreign policy approach.

"We want a Canada that leads instead of follows, a Canada that decides instead of dithers. That will be the choice my friends, that your friends and neighbours and relatives will face in the next election regardless of when that next election comes. The choice will be clear -- do Canadians want to move forward with a new government that gets things done for families or taxpayers or do they want to turn back the clock?" saidHarper, who did not take questions from the media but pressed the flesh for an hour and a half with Conservatives who had spent $25 each to attend.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS: It truly was a wonderful event and the Prime Minister gave a very inspiring and awesome speech. As I have said before --
I very much admire Canada's Prime Minister.

John McCain to speak at British Conservative conference

The US senator and frontrunner for the Republican presidential candidacy, John McCain, is expected to help the British Conservative party restore its international credibility by appearing at its annual conference.

The Arizona senator is believed to have agreed in principle to attend the conference in Bournemouth next month, according to today's Financial Times.

Read complete article from THE GUARDIAN -- click here.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

John McCain is truly a genuine American hero and statesman -- and it is absolutely wonderful news that Senator McCain is going to England to help out British Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Regina

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be in Regina, Saskatchewan today for the first time since the Jan. 23 federal election.

Harper will attend a Conservative party barbecue at the Sherwood Forest Country Club just outside of Regina this evening and on Wednesday will tour the RCMP Training Academy.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

I very much admire Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is truly a very remarkable and outstanding prime minister.

I am looking forward to attending the barbeque at Regina's SHERWOOD FOREST COUNTRY CLUB where Prime Minister Harper will deliver a speech.

US Senator Joe Lieberman ahead in major poll

BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a three-term Democrat now running as an independent candidate, leads the man who beat him in last week's primary vote by 12 points in a three-way race, a poll released on Thursday shows.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll, conducted between August 10-14, shows Lieberman leads Democrat Ned Lamont, a wealthy businessman with little political experience who has played on anti-war sentiment, by 53 percent to 41 percent among likely voters in November's election. The Republican candidate Alan Schlesinger drew 4 percent, the poll shows.

Democratic voters selected Lamont as their candidate on August 8 with 52 percent of the vote after an increasingly bitter race dominated by Lieberman's support for the Iraq war.

Lieberman vowed to stay in the race as an independent candidate in order to face Lamont and Schlesinger in the general election in November.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

Go Joe Go .... keep up the momentum.

Colin Powell praises the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper

MONTREAL -

Former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell praised Stephen Harper's government Tuesday night for its strong support of Israel in its fight against Hezbollah.

Powell told a Montreal audience that Canada has stood out with its unequivocal backing for Israel during its campaign to defeat Hezbollah's forces in southern Lebanon.

"I thank Canada for standing firm with Israel and the United States in this time of difficulty,'' Powell told 700 people at a fundraising dinner organized by the Montreal branch of the Jewish National Fund.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

Colin Powell is a genuine statesman and patriot. A truly great leader. I admire him very much.
Colin Powell is respected around the world for his honor and integrity -- and that is why his praise for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is indeed very powerful and positive.

President Clinton praises Stephen Lewis

TORONTO --
President Bill Clinton paid tribute Tuesday to Stephen Lewis, the UN special envoy on AIDS, and all the others who have joined in the battle against HIV/AIDS around the world.

In a moving address to the International AIDS Conference, Clinton said the world and the people at the conference owe Lewis a debt of gratitude for his passion and no-nonsense approach.

"I always love sharing the stage with Stephen Lewis, although he is a hard act to follow," Clinton said after Lewis eloquently introduced him. "I thank him for a lifetime of public service."

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

I agree with President Clinton. Stephen Lewis is truly a great Canadian.

President Bush places blame squarely on Hezbollah

WASHINGTON DC—
President George W. Bush offered a vigorous defense of his Middle East policies today as he described the struggle in Lebanon as part of a historic clash between the forces of freedom and those of terror and denounced Iran and Syria for siding with Hezbollah militants.

Mr. Bush, who conferred this afternoon with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department, said they had had valuable discussions about “the global war on terror.”

Click here for entire NEW YORK TIMES news article.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

Three cheers for President George W. Bush for having the courage and leadership to stand up for freedom and democracy in the war against terrorism.

Israel has a very loyal and great friend in President George W. Bush. I am proud of his foreign policy leadership.

Bill Clinton and Bill Gates at World Aids Conference

TORONTO, CANADA

Most of the strategies that allow people infected with HIV in the developed world to live productive lives can work in poor countries as well, the International AIDS conference in Toronto was told on Monday.

Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president, and philanthropist Bill Gates made the point while outlining their priorities to end the epidemic. Both talked about successes, and the challenges, of bringing antiretroviral therapies to people in developing countries.

"It's a breathtaking human tragedy," that most people in rich countries who are infected with HIV live, while those in poor countries die, Clinton told the conference. "It's unacceptable."

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

I admire and respect what President Bill Clinton and Bill Clinton are doing in the war against AIDS. They are an example of courage and leadership.

I have not but heartfelt admiration for President Clinton and Mr. Gates in all they are doing to fight this heartbreasking human tragedy.

They are truly modern days heroes and are a living example of what it takes to do what is right.I respect and admire the courage and leadership of President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates

United Nations Peace Resolution

UNITED NATIONS --
The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Friday that calls for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and authorizes the deployment of 15,000 foreign troops to help the Lebanese army take control of southern Lebanon.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

Let us hope the United Nations Peace Resolution actually works. All too often the United Nations has literally been very ineffective -- and biased against Israel.

Those who value freedom and democracy will be watching the Middle East very closely.

Republican Jewish Coalition newspaper ad

 

Joe Lieberman - a great US Senator.

 

Joe Lieberman - a statesman and friend of Israel

Experts say Lieberman, not Lamont, will drive Senate race
By STEPHANIE REITZ
Associated Press
August 9, 2006

HARTFORD, Conn. -- As Democrats welcomed their newly minted nominee for Senate at a noisy rally Wednesday, the vanquished senator who's held that seat for nearly two decades quietly sat in a hotel room a few blocks away, surrounded only by a few key advisers.
Many of Sen. Joe Lieberman's strongest political allies have changed camps, celebrating Greenwich millionaire Ned Lamont's 10,000-vote primary victory instead of joining Lieberman's independent campaign for re-election.

But Lieberman, experts say, is firmly the driver's seat in Connecticut's three-way Senate race.


CLICK HERE to read entire Associated Press article about Joe Lieberman.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:

Joe Lieberman is an outstanding United States Senator. A great American Democrat in the traditions of John F. Kennedy,Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton.

Senator Lieberman is also a solid defender and friend of Israel.

It is my hope that Senator Lieberman is re-elected as an Independent to the US Senate.

The State of Israel is under attack. Stand up for Israel

Israel is a liberal democracy. Hezbollah is an outlaw terrorist organization that openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

Stand up for Israel and freedom and democracy !

Here is what you can do -- click here.

Japan marks 61st anniversary of Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA, Japan — The mayor of Hiroshima on Sunday called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons as he marked the 61st anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, which killed more than 140,000 people in the Japanese city.

Expressing concerns over the global proliferation of nuclear weapons, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba urged the government of Japan — the only nation to suffer atomic bomb attacks — to take a leading role in the effort to eliminate nuclear arsenals.

"Sixty-one years have passed since radiation, heat rays and an atomic blast created hell on earth," Akiba said in a speech at Hiroshima Peace Park, near the bomb's epicenter. "But the number of nations enamored of evil and enslaved by nuclear arms has increased. The only role nuclear weapons have is to be demolished."

A bell rang at 8:15 a.m., marking the time when the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. It was the first atomic bomb ever used in war.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS -

I pray that never again in world history will there be another Hiroshima. The world is a dangerous place and that is why we must stand up to dangerous nations like Iran and North Korea. Let us learn from the lesson of Hiroshima.

Prime Minister Harper says Canada's Middle East policy will not be determined by polls or protests

Michael McCafferty shaking hands with Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

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CORNWALL, Ont. (CP) - Prime Minister Harper says his policy on the Middle East won't change because of polls and protests.

Speaking in Cornwall after a party caucus meeting, the prime minister said any ceasefire in Lebanon must be permanent and lasting.

Harper said Canadians are not neutral on terrorist groups and they want the government to work with the international community to develop a strong position that can lead to a durable and lasting peace.

He said conditions have to be in place to make a ceasefire possible and stable.
And that isn't going to happen as long as there is a terrorist organization that's initiating violence and won't cease its attacks.
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MICHAEL McCAFFERTY says:

I am proud of Canada's Prime Minister for his strong and solid leadership. I am proud to support the Prime Minister because I very much respect and admire him.

Saskatchewan's new Lieutenant Governor takes office

 

Saskatchewan gets new lieutenant-governor

Saskatchewan's new lieutenant-governor says he's worried about the decline in voting and wants to see people get more involved in the political process.

It's one of several interests Gordon Barnhart said he'd like to pursue following his installation Tuesday as Saskatchewan's 20th lieutenant-governor.

The Queen's new representative in Saskatchewan, who was born in Saltcoats, Sask., 61 years ago, is quite familiar with politics, having spent 20 years as clerk of the legislative assembly.

He was also clerk for the federal senate, has authored books and has been university secretary at the University of Saskatchewan.

MICHAEL MCCAFFERTY says:

I know and very much much admire Saskatchewan's new Lieutenant Governor,
Gordon Barnhart. He is a very remarkable man with great honor and integrity.

It is my heartfelt hope that Lieutenant Governor Barnhart will enjoy much hgappiness and success in his official capacity as the Queen's representative in Saskatchewan.

Canada's Foreign Minister defends Israel

 

Canada's Foreign Minister defends support for Israel

OTTAWA (CP) - Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay struck back at critics Tuesday, calling Hezbollah a cancer-like group of "cold-blooded killers" that provoked the chaos and carnage in the Middle East.

There can be no peace in the region until the militant group and Israel agree to uphold a lasting ceasefire with clear conditions, he told a packed special meeting of the Commons foreign affairs committee. "This has to be a lasting peace," he said. "It cannot be simply a temporary solution to allow for the rearmament of the terrorist body and simply begin the violence again."

MacKay repeatedly expressed dismay over the deaths of hundreds of Lebanese civilians - many of them children - in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

"Lebanon's being held hostage by Hezbollah," he said, noting the group was declared a terrorist body by a former Liberal government.

He called Hezbollah "a cancer on Lebanon" that's destroying democracy and stability in the country.

MacKay cast the situation as a no-brainer choice to support a democratic nation - Israel - as it defends itself against unprovoked attacks by Hezbollah, "a group of
cold-blooded killers."

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY SAYS:
I very much respect and admire Foreign Minister Peter MacKay. To date Minister MacKay has demonstrated outstanding and remarkable leadership as Canada's Foreign Minister.