Right Truth

Rationing Begins: States Limiting Drug Prescriptions for Medicaid Patients

Note, this is for Medicaid, apparently not Medicare, yet.  As to individual private insurance policies, time will tell.   Arkansas, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia

(CNSNews.com) – 

16 states have set a limit on the number of prescription drugs they will cover for Medicaid patients, according to Kaiser Health News.

7 of those states, according to Kaiser Health News, have enacted or tightened those limits in just the last two years.

In Alabama, Medicaid patients are now limited to one brand-name drug, and HIV and psychiatric drugs are excluded.

Illinois has limited Medicaid patients to just four prescription drugs as a cost-cutting move, and patients who need more than four must get permission from the state.  [snip]

Medicaid is a federal program that is carried out in partnership with state governments. It forms an important element of President Barack Obama's health-care plan because under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act--AKA Obamcare--a larger number of people will be covered by Medicaid, as the income cap is raised for the program.

With both the expanded Medicaid program and the federal subsidy for health-care premiums that will be available to people earning up to 400 percent of the poverty level, a larger percentage of the population will be wholly or partially dependent on the government for their health care under Obamacare than are now.

  (continue reading at CNS, hat tip Yael)

 

Romney Praises Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Tuesday that Poland's economy is a model of small government and free enterprise that other nations should emulate as they struggle with recession, an unspoken criticism of President Barack Obama's policies in the wake of the worst recession in decades.

Wrapping up an overseas trip, the former Massachusetts governor said that "rather than heeding the false promise" of a government-dominated economy, Poland sought to stimulate innovation, attract investment, expand trade and live within its means" after the end of the Communist era. He made the observation in remarks as he neared the end of a week-long trip marred by his own stumbles on the world stage. [snip]

He said that in his talks on Monday, one unnamed Polish leader "shared with me an economic truth that has been lost on much of the world. 'It is simple. You don't borrow what you cannot pay back,' " said Romney, who frequently criticizes Obama at home for the growth of the U.S. debt over the past four years.

"The world should pay close attention to the transformation of Poland's economy," Romney said. "A march toward economic liberty and smaller government has meant a march toward higher living standards, a strong military that defends liberty at home and abroad, and an important and growing role on the international stage."  (YahooNews)

 

 

JABOTINSKY REMEMBERED AT YAHRZEIT COMMEMORATION

BY: FERN SIDMAN

 

On Wednesday evening, July 25th, over 400 people gathered at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan to commemorate the 72nd yahrzeit of legendary Revisionist Zionist leader, Ze'ev Vladimir Jabotinsky. Sponsored by the Americans for A Safe Israel (AFSI) organization and members of the Nordau Circle (the Jabotinsky fraternal order), the attendees listened to informative addresses from an eclectic group of speakers who offered their personal paeans to the "most prescient and brilliant of all modern Zionist thinkers."

 

Serving as the evening's emcee was renowned Jewish activist, Helen Freedman, executive director of AFSI, who said, "This event was initiated many years ago by AFSI's beloved chairman, Herbert Zweibon, ZT"L and we are proud to say that the Jabotinsky ideology is alive today. AFSI's guiding principles as outlined by Jabotinsky in his prolific writings and speeches are the belief in the Jewish biblical, legal, and historic rights of ownership of the entire land of Israel."

ROMNEY STIRS CONTROVERSY AT $! MILLION FUNDRAISER IN JERUSALEM

BY: FERN SIDMAN

 

While visiting Israel on the second leg of his overseas tour, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney held a political fundraiser at the storied King David Hotel in Jerusalem on Monday morning, July 30th. The breakfast gathering featured casino magnate, Sheldon Adelson, who has emerged as the most magnanimous of Republican donors; with a reported $10 million contribution to  "Restore Our Future", the Super PAC supporting Romney. Other notable personalities in attendance were New York Jets owner Woody Johnson; Detroit developer John Rakolta; and Lisa Spies, who is Romney’s finance chair. The Romney campaign garnered over $1 million in pledges from the 45 donors who paid anywhere from $25,000 -$50,000 to attend.

 

The fundraiser followed a day in which Governor Romney visited Jerusalem's Western Wall (the Kotel HaMaravi) on the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar, known as the 9th day in the month of Av (Tisha B'Av). Donning a "Kippah" (traditional Jewish male head covering), Romney stood pensively at Judaism's holiest site and stopped to pray as he placed a note in the cracks of the wall.

Initially, Romney’s campaign had intended to make the lucrative fundraiser off limits to the press; abrogating a generalized agreement with the media on how such events would be covered, however within 24 hours, Romney's staff reversed that decision and allowed a small pool of reporters to cover his remarks. Romney also took several questions from the donors after reporters left.

Court finds Obama appointees interfered with New Black Panther prosecution

Via The Washington Examiner:

A federal court in Washington, DC, held last week that political appointees appointed by President Obama did interfere with the Department of Justice’s prosecution of the New Black Panther Party.

The ruling came as part of a motion by the conservative legal watch dog group Judicial Watch, who had sued the DOJ in federal court to enforce a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents pertaining to the the New Black Panthers case. Judicial Watch had secured many previously unavailable documents through their suit against DOJ and were now suing for attorneys’ fees.

Obama’s DOJ had claimed Judicial Watch was not entitled to attorney’s fees since “none of the records produced in this litigation evidenced any political interference whatsoever in” how the DOJ handled the New Black Panther Party case. But United States District Court Judge Reggie Walton disagreed. Citing a “series of emails” between Obama political appointees and career Justice lawyers, Walton writes:

The documents reveal that political appointees within DOJ were conferring about the status and resolution of the New Black Panther Party case in the days preceding the DOJ’s dismissal of claims in that case, which would appear to contradict Assistant Attorney General Perez’s testimony that political leadership was not involved in that decision. Surely the public has an interest in documents that cast doubt on the accuracy of government officials’ representations regarding the possible politicization of agency decision-making.
…
In sum, the Court concludes that three of the four fee entitlement factors weigh in favor of awarding fees to Judicial Watch. Therefore, Judicial Watch is both eligible and entitled to fees and costs, and the Court must now consider the reasonableness of Judicial Watch’s requested award.

The New Black Panthers case stems from a Election Day 2008 incident where two members of the New Black Panther Party were filmed outside a polling place intimidating voters and poll watchers by brandishing a billy club.  (continue reading at the Washington Examiner)

 

 

Mitt Romney Angers Palestinians

Mitt Romney called Jerusalem the capital of Israel, angering the Palestinians and receiving cheers from Israelis. The Palestinians said Romney was undermining peace prospects.  What peace prospects? 

There are no peace prospets when your enemy wants you removed from existence.  The Palestinians said Romney was ignoring their own claims to the city and most world opinion.  Good for him ignoring their false claims to Jerusalem.  As to world opinion, only the Muslim world and looney people who have bought the lies believe the Palestinians.   

The Palestinians said:

"We condemn his statements. Those who speak about the two-state solution should know that there can be no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters on Monday.

"What this man is doing here is just promoting extremism, violence and hatred, and this is absolutely unacceptable," he said. "His statements are just rewarding the occupation and aggression."  (Yahoo News) 

 

Whew!  That's rich.  That's fantasy. 

Barack Hussein Obama's administration will not take a stand, they will not say that Jerusalem belongs to Israel. 

Romney did not bow to anyone.  Yesterday Gaza terrorists fired mortars at IDF soldiers.  Now who is extreme, violent and hateful?  Who is unacceptable?  Not the Israelis. 

 

MITT ROMNEY REMEMBERS TISHA B'AV IN JERUSALEM ADDRESS

BY: FERN SIDMAN

 

Speaking in Jerusalem before the Jerusalem Foundation on Sunday, July 29th, presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney recalled the painful history of the Jewish nation as he took note of the catastrophes that occurred on the 9th day in the Hebrew month of Av (Tisha B'Av).

 

"It's remarkable to consider how much adversity, over so great a span of time, is recalled by just one day on the calendar. This is a day of remembrance and mourning, but like other such occasions, it also calls forth clarity and resolve," he said. Remembering the words of late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on the meaning of Tisha B'Av, Governor Romney, said, "We remember that day," he (Begin) said, "and now have the responsibility to make sure that never again will our independence be destroyed and never again will the Jew become homeless or defenseless." "This," Prime Minister Begin added, "is the crux of the problems facing us in the future."

 

Arriving in Israel on Saturday evening, Romney marked the second leg of his overseas tour which has included a trip to London where he and his wife, Ann, were spectators at the opening ceremonies of the 30th Olympiad. Governor Romney will also be visiting Poland following his departure from Israel on Monday. While there, he is expected to meet with anti-Communist leader, Lech Walesa.

The Dark Knight Rises

Sweet Hubby and I saw The Dark Knight Rises today staring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy  Michael Caine and Gary Oldman .  We wanted to see the movie plus we wanted to support the writers, directors, actors and all involved in the making of the movie.  What happened in the theater in Colorado was a horrible thing, but the movie is not to be blamed, the shooter is to be blamed.

The Dark Knight Rises is written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, who also directed.

As Christian Toto at Breitbart notes, "The conservative themes coursing through "The Dark Knight" were no accident.":

"The Dark Knight Rises," the third and final installment in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, pushes the ideological envelope even further than before. It's impossible not to feel Nolan's disgust at Occupy Wall Street, a movement the film paints as both incoherent and violent courtesy of a class warfare villain armed with nuclear weaponry.  [snip]

"Rises" never mentions the 99 percent or other overt Occupy Wall Street slogans. But Nolan clearly summons the spirit of the ragtag movement with a propensity for violence. Bane's henchmen literally attack Wall Street, savagely beat the rich and promise the good people of Gotham that "tomorrow, you claim what is rightfully yours." The Catwoman's gal pal (Juno Temple) assures her at one point, when they enter a swanky abode, that "this is everyone's home" now – in perfect Communist fashion.

We haven't even mentioned how Bruce loses a good chunk of his fortune by investing in a failed clean energy program.

But that's the beauty of Nolan's Bat trilogy. It simultaneously sends the kind of socio-political messages rarely seen on screens big or small without diminishing the craft or the imagination on fanciful display.

Daniel Greenfield notes:

The Dark Knight, the previous Batman film, contained an elaborate analogy to the War on Terror, a shadow version of the real war fought out by men in costumes....

The actual enemy rarely shows up in movies. There have been more movies made attacking the War on Terror than movies showing American soldiers and law enforcement officers fighting terrorists.

Art is more than aesthetics, it is the stories that a culture tells itself, it is the loves and hates, the hopes and fears, the bright dashes of color and the oppressive tones of shadow, it is the note that lifts and then sinks reenacting the drama of life. It is the space where even the unspoken things can be spoken indirectly. It is a place where hunters slay fell beasts, maidens drown themselves for love and where the tribe reminds itself of its strengths and fears. It is a place of many lies concealing a few dangerous truths. The dangerous truth that our culture's art conceals and reveals is the truth that we are at war.

H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" begins by drawing a picture of a complacent world of men who give little thought of what might be out there, who pay no attention to the "envious eyes" of the invaders that "slowly and surely drew their plans against us". We are aware and unaware of being at war, of passing men and women on the street who are slowly and surely drawing up their own plans against us. In the movie theater, we revisit that terrible knowledge that we are engaged in a war with no natural end under a hundred disguises. We recreate September 11 in our ten-dollar nickelodeons every summer and look to the sky. But it isn't aliens we are watching for. It's planes.

Yes, we have warnings of evil-doers within out government and our politicians reprimand those who ask questions.  We have those in places of power and leadership who hate this country and work against it, who support groups like Occupy Wall Street.  But we have some who are willing to stand up and make a movie revealing how empty and repulsive those people are.

  When you visit the official site for the movie you will be greeted with this message from writer-director Christopher Nolan:

"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."

-Christopher Nolan

Support this movie, the actors, the writers and director.  We need more like them.

Samuel Truett Cathy says, “Eat Mor Chikin!"

By Karen Hold, the Historic Examiner

Armed with a work ethic forged during the Depression and keen business sense coupled with a personal and business philosophy based on biblical principles, restaurant entrepreneur S. Truett Cathy and his brother Ben opened The Dwarf Grill (later Dwarf House) in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. They named resulted from the fact the restaurant was so small, it contained only 10 stools and four tables; however, it was a start and the restaurant prospered through the years. Sales at the end of the first day totaled $58.20.

Born on March 14, 1921, Samuel Truett Cathy is one of America's most generous philanthropists, sharing his fortune primarily with disadvantaged children. A Sunday school teacher of thirteen-year-old boys in the Baptist church for more than fifty years, Cathy and his wife, Jeannette has taken in 150+ foster children over the years.

Truett was eight years old when his business entrepreneurial journey began in 1929 during which time he operated a Coca-Cola stand in his front yard. By 1935, the Great Depression placed the Cathy family in dire financial straits. They move into Techwood Homes in downtown Atlanta, the country’s first federally funded housing project where they paid $67/month for rent. During this time Truett helped the family’s income with money earned from a paper route.

Cathy started his first franchise when he opened the second Dwarf House in Forest Park in 1951. When it burned down in 1960, Truett decided to pioneer the idea of a fast-food restaurant instead. Experimenting with a sandwich featuring a boneless breast of chicken, Cathy perfected the recipe for his "Chick-Fil-A" over a period of four years using cooking techniques his mother taught him when she worked in a boarding house kitchen.

NBC Edits Out Tribute To Victims Of Islamic Terrorism

Via the Jawa Report:

If you are watching the Olympics in the States, there's a part of the opening ceremony NBC chose to leave out. While the Olympic Committee opted not to have a moment of silence for the Israeli athletes murdered in 1972, they did have a tribute for the victims of the 7/7 Islamic terrorist attacks.

The tribute included the Christian hymn, "Abide With Me" performed by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. NBC opted not to air it.

From Deadspin via Pat Dollard:

The major transitional element of today’s London Olympics opening ceremony was a downtempo performance of adoptive sporting anthem “Abide With Me” by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. The song and accompanying dance were a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 terror attacks in London that claimed 52 victims days after the 2012 Summer Olympic hosts were named. (It’s also been suggested the performance was a memorial to the war dead.)

Regardless, it was a rather significant and emotional moment in the opening ceremony, coming just before the parade of nations—and it wasn’t aired in the United States. Instead, viewers were treated to a lengthy and meaningless Ryan Seacrest interview of Michael Phelps.

Here's the tribute NBC didn't want you to see:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=278_1343526996. 

..

The song is very beautiful. I've included another recording of better sound quality below the fold, alongwith the lyrics.

  ...

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

 

Be sure to read the comments at LiveLeak also.

Thanks to  DMartyr at The Jawa Report for this.