Post # 10 - First Amendment Rights, part 2

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In case anyone was asleep, the Supreme Court of the United States is adjudicating a case wherein the father of a fallen soldier is suing the Westboro Baptist Church for protesting at his son’s funeral. Without going into how vile and reprehensible it is to protest any funeral, much less the funeral of a soldier who fell defending our country, there are some things I need to prepare everyone for.
Once, I thought that the only conclusion to be reached in this case was for the church. They were exercising their right to freedom of speech, and the free exercise of their religion. But there’s another clause in the amendment that could cause the argument to go another direction.
Did they assemble peaceably? Or was their intent to provoke or incite to riot? In nearly every jurisdiction, the incitement to riot is not an excuse to actually riot, but that selfsame incitement is against the law. So, the question then becomes, what did they intend to do? What did this church hope to gain from this? Did they act peaceably? Did they act responsibly?
I could go into a huge discussion about how a church is “supposed” to act and what they’re “supposed” to believe and to preach. That just comes down to opinion and how I was raised versus how they were raised. It’s a no win discussion.
I’m going to follow this closely to see how it turns out.

UPDATE: HA! I posted this to the wrong blog! Sorry!

Cider Braised Pork Chops

This recipe only works with very thick pork chops, or else with a LOT of thin pork chops, but I'd go with the thick ones. I learned of this recipe on the PBS show Test Kitchen and thought it sounded fantastic. Turned out, it was! When it was done, I served it with croissants and a sweet asian salad and the meal was amazing! This one takes a long time, so plan for that. Prep time is about 20-30 minutes, but cook time is about 90 minutes. I can see serving this with either rice or potatoes. I can also see adding fresh or frozen vegetables during the last half hour, but that's only if you want the apple flavor to be consistent through the entire meal. Your call. It may seem complicated at the start, but it's really very easy to do, and the results are fantastic. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you try this once as it's written so you know what you're dealing with, then start making modifications. Whenever I'm dealing with cider recipes, I do this. Enjoy!


3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-2 pounds pork chops (cut thick or thin)
1 medium onion roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons apple butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup apple cider
1 sprig thyme
1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 (more) tablespoons apple butter

Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a dutch oven, or a pan with a cover that is both oven safe and stove top safe, heat oil until almost smoking. Pat pork chops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry chops in oil to brown depending on thickness of chops 2-4 minutes each side. Remove chops to a plate and continue until all chops are done. Remove all oil from pan except 1 tablespoon trying to retain all pork solids for flavor. Cook onions over medium heat until soft, then add garlic, flour, and first 2 tablespoons of apple butter. Cook until aromatic. Add one cup of cider and herbs (thyme or sage/basil mix) and stir until smooth, scraping pan to release "flavor bits" in the pan. Put chops back into pan with any juices that have accumulated on the plate, cover, and put in oven. Bake thoroughly. This can take 2-3 hours, but the meat must reach the "falling off the bone" stage. When the meat is done, remove it to a platter being very careful not to shred it. Strain the juices left in the pan and return to the heated pan. Add the last two tablespoons of apple butter, and 1 tsp of apple cider and stir until thouroughly blended and completely heated. Serve each chop on a plate with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Like I said, AMAZING!

Enjoy!