The Gloves Come Off

When first I joined that elite company of ConservaBabes known as The Cotillion, I confess I was did not know quite what to expect. But one thing was certain: the Villainous Oink Cadre (otherwise known as the local knavery) would soon have the snark cannon primed and at the ready.

A lady's only recourse at such times is to take refuge in her unique brand of gentle but bracing wit, her unimpeachable dignity, and that intellect which fears not to contest with the ruder elements of human society. So in answer to the question, "Does this mean white-glove blogging from now on?", I fear the answer must be:

"Gentlemen, prepare yourselves. The gloves are off."

This week, hostesses Janette of Common Sense Runs Wild, Christina of Feisty Repartee and Sissy of Sisu join with me in serving up a saucy mix of opinions on topics ranging from the terrorist attack in London, the G8 summit, political correctness and racial profiling, Live 8, family, and the proper expression of patriotism. There's something for every taste from fiery to icily satirical to sweetly sentimental. And so it is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us over at The Cotillion for the week's festivities.

With delicately arched eyebrow and poison pen, Ilyka Damen deftly skewers the loathsome "I could not criticize Amerikkka so harshly, did I not love her more" meme :

Beloved, know you not how my heart aches for you? Whence this distrust and uneasiness on your part?

Indeed, have I ever in the course of our love--a course which has seldom run smooth, alas -- given you reason to doubt my intentions?

For perhaps what grieves me most is to see your beautiful eyes cloud over with wariness, fear, and doubt.

My fairest angel! I cannot bear to see you in such distress and to sense--nay, to know--that you suspect me of causing it!

Just A Girl poses a question that's as American as apple-pie. In today's world, can two kids have fun with their family in the middle of Nowhere?

Away from their friends. No computers. No video games. Very limited access to television.

Can they actually have a good time ... TOGETHER ... when they aren't at home trying to be cool around all of their buddies??

A picture's worth a thousand words.

If sassy's more your style, try Knowledge is Power. Tired of those sappy Precious Moments posters and their saccharine sentiments? Sick of Doing unto Others? SondraK has the perfect antidote...

Little Miss Attila offers some perspective on the London bombing:

It was a failure. The terrorists brought a knife to a gun fight. We know that their ability to pull these things off depends upon their resources: they will always go for the biggest target, the greatest symbolism, and the highest body count. It was a tiny bloodbath, not even in the same league with 3/11 in Madrid.

The 9/11 attack was supposed to kill tens or hundreds of thousands, not several thousand. And the U.S. government was supposed to be decapitated, with both the Capitol building and the White House in ruins.

These guys are far from defeated, but they grow weaker every year. It will take many more years, but we are winning.

We are.

But MaxedOut Mama warns against being too complacent:

Appeasement of Hitler only made the eventual and inevitable confrontation far more costly, while leaving us with the eternal stain of guilt for not preventing the massacres of the political and social opponents of the Nazis, the Gypsies, the disabled, the Jews and the Poles.... Because we did not act decisively and quickly, millions died. We can't undo that. Because we did not act decisively and quickly, when we finally began to fight we faced a much stronger enemy. We can't undo that.

We can avoid repeating that particular error, which was rooted either in the failure to read what the Nazis had written or to believe it.

Merri Musings wonders whose side the ACLU is taking in the war on terror?

Who said the fairer sex are bad with numbers? Sadie at Fistful of Fortnights can't forget the roll call of the dead - she's keeping a dead accurate tally. When we think of terrorism, we remember bodies in silent free-fall from the World Trade Center.

But this stopped being just our fight a long, long time ago.

They Also Serve: don't miss this beautiful and inspiring photo essay from Florida Cracker. You'll never guess who was guarding you the day London was attacked. I'm still smiling.

The recent terrorist attack on London aroused a variety of reactions. Beth at MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy wonders what it will take for people to get serious about the war on terror? And she's asking some hard questions:

All over the news, people are saying "they knew" some terrorist attack would happen in London sooner or later. (Need I link? Just look around.) Why is it, then, that so many British so bitterly oppose the war on terror? Will they look at it differently now, or will the people try to "understand" the terrorists and place the blame elsewhere? When will stupid political correctness take a back seat to security-meaning YES, profiling.

I'm not suspicious of all of them, but the fact is that I'm suspicious of those I don't know. In fact, my daughter had an Afghani babysitter when we lived in Northern Virginia, and this was AFTER 9/11. I trusted her and her family, more than some of my other neighbors.

Extremely politically incorrect, with a language warning (as usual)...Beth's tired of the language of "tolerance," which to her is just another code for IGNORANCE.

The savagery of the attacks has a Girl on the Right questioning the value of diversity and political correctness during wartime. Is it time for some straight talk?

But for another blogger, the attack brought a testimony to the healing power of words. Christina at Feisty Repartee asked her readers to send prayers and good wishes to a London blogger whose best friend was in the ICU after the blast. She got a lovely note back - just one more way blogging is changing the way we communicate.

And a few ladies keep an eye on world events during the silly season. e-Claire takes a snarky look at the G8 summit:

The G8 leaders pledged their solidarity with the United Kingdom and resolved to improve rail and subway safety by strip searching each and every Norwegian grandmother attempting to ride mass transit.

While Stacy at Not A Desperate Housewife is fed up with wealthy celebrities telling us to dig deep to help Africa:

Africa has a multitude of problems, it is not limited to what the performers of Live 8 claim it to be. My sister has spent time there on humanitarian missions to help orphaned children. AIDS and hepatitis are rampant and the children will most likely not make it to adulthood. Where she has been the only people living were the very old, and the very young. If you are between these ages, you cannot find work, you cannot receive health care, you cannot attempt to live any sort of a normal existence. It is assumed by the elderly that you're infected and will be dying shortly.

What is causing the problem?

Her answer may surprise you.

Written by Cassandra
Cross-posted at Villainous Company

Posted by Cassandra

Posted by JanetteS at July 12, 2005 12:49 PM