Honey!

Honey is an awesome tenderizing and flavoring ingredient. Too many people are afraid to add that little bit of sweet that really brings out the savory, especially to most meat dishes. The enzymes in honey can really help the tenderizing process. Try playing with ingredients such as ginger (which people seem afraid of), or different flavored vinaigrettes- or all of the above!  I used orange honey and a sun-dried masala vinaigrette, with all my favorite spices, rubbed it all in to a pork shoulder roast, poured in some beef broth over the veggies in the bottom, and popped it in the Crock-Pot. Pack the remainder of the veggies around the meat. Simply lightly pour a little more honey and masala twice more throughout the cooking and have at when done. The roast turned out almost buttery, it was so melt in the mouth. Play with your food!

Ground Zero Mosque

RE: "Let us never forget that we are AMERICAN, a proud and Christian nation." Part of a comment on a 'news' sight about Obama's support of building the mosque near ground zero, at:

http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/president-obama-supports-ground-zero-mosque/19593492?ncid=webmail

That is part of a narrow, ignorant, overly-simplistic, and utterly self-righteous statement that I would expect only of a lip-service Christian who would twist the Word to suit his needs and prove his superiority, instead of changing himself to truly live the Word and face the world with humility. It is also one of the least offensive statements I have found of those who are breathing hate every bit as bad as our enemy, in the commentary for the report. I choose to believe it is the passion of the moment and that the writer is not this person. Just because it is hard and we're angry and we're wounded (our behavior proves it) doesn't mean that we get to just ignore what we were adjured to "Do unto others" (for those who seem to be throwing the Christianity card around, even as they spout hate and every other unchristian thought, word, and deed).

It may have been by Christians, of whatever faiths, but this country was settled and founded with the ideal of freedom from religious persecution, the right to believe and worship as one chooses. For all. Not just for Christians. That we ARE "One nation, under God, indivisible; with liberty and justice for all." This is not a country where only Christians matter. "PRIDE cometh before a fall" (again for those who like to throw the bible at the topic).

9/11 remains a horror to this day, but the perverted offshoot denomination that perpetrated it is a minority whose actions are as strongly abhorred by the Muslim community as everyone else. Blaming the Muslim religion in general is as ignorant as blaming the Crusades on all denominations of Christians; as ignorant as blaming all and only Caucasian people for all of slavery through all of history. It is a reaction of hate that is causing the people of this great nation to start to reflect the perverts' mind-sets. How many AMERICANS of Arab descent have been attacked in this country? Some who were not even Muslims and had never been? Who were born in this country of people born in this country? This is the victory for the Taliban. They have sown hate, fear, and divided us one from the other- because WE have allowed it. They have caused us to allow our rights to be abridged and justice to be set aside in favor of vengeance and paranoia. WE have handed them that victory by our actions and our willingness- no, our NEED to be able to have someone we CAN reach to blame. Even if they are innocent.

So, the majority says it is wrong to build a mosque here. At one time, the majority thought it was acceptable to beat a wife or child. At one time, a majority thought it was okay to kill, rape, and maim 'blacks.' At one time, a majority thought that slavery or indentured servitude was right. Anybody ever hear the truism that, "two wrongs don't make a right?" A majority does not always mean right. That is one of the reasons to have a government and a basis of rights that are inviolate and that the government is charged to uphold- regardless of how a majority may think taking rights from any particular group is the thing to do. Having one set of rules and rights (including the purchase of, and use of purchased, property) for one group; faith, race, sexual orientation, or gender; and a different set for another is NOT what this great nation is about.

This Mosque should be built; NEEDS to be built. Actually, we should consider putting facilities for all religions around ground zero to create a Unity Zone and SHOW the perverts that religions, cultures, and races can live together in symbiosis. That they can not break that unity through fear. That Terror can not rule over OUR faith, whatever the religion or belief. That we are not so ignorant as we are showing ourselves to be.

But, no. It is easier to react the way the majority of the country has and I am disheartened and disgusted. So, while so many of us are patting ourselves on the back for this "righteous cause," maybe we ought to stop and consider what KIND of righteousness we are really showing. Knock Obama for trying to deal with the results of OTHER PEOPLES' decisions if you really feel you must, but the man is acting in a more 'Christian' manner than most of the so-called Christians who are acting contrary to every teaching of Christ.

This is our country, ALL of ours, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Amish, Agnostic, Atheist, Sufi- WHATEVER;  the United States of America. I love my country and hate to see the mockery of the founding principles that has taken over, in the public as well as the government. God bless America and may we truly start behaving like a nation of Faith and Unity.