Gotcha!

As my long-suffering friends and relations will tell you, I'm kinda tedious on the subject of how the Internet is changing politics.

Well, look who agrees. Antonia Z.

Call it the hive mind, swarm intelligence, maybe collective consciousness.

Really, what’s happening online with the so-called “robo-call” scandal is all about crowdsourcing the story.

Posts and comments on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, alternative websites and even corporate media are bouncing off each other, adding to the mass of allegations of election wrongdoing by the Conservative party.

And it's not just what's happening now.

She pointedly points out that bloggers have been on this since the minute the polls closed, citing the Essential Alison and in particular, her blogpost on the margin of victory from May 5, 2011.

Continuing on with how the story is now being amplified, she quotes -- ooooo! -- DJ!'s own deBeauxOs.

For example, when news of Elections Canada’s investigation of the “deceptive robo-calls” hit the headlines, it took over Twitter.

“Those of us who had tried to flag these U.S.-styled tactics (last year) responded with tweets linking to previous news stories and our blogs,” says Ottawa blogger DeBeauxOs of Dammit Janet.

Each fed off the other and boom. The story exploded.

And the feeding continues. Antonia has the grace -- a substance lacking in most MSM stenographers -- to credit the indefatigable Sixth Estate for his excellent ongoing compilation of reports and commentary thereon.

There is a quibble from Alice Funke of the Pundits' Guide. She says that all this yammering on the Tubz may be 'muddying the waters'.

Um. No. We are propelling the War Canoe.

Funke worries that muddying and confusion is playing into the Stevie Peevie's evil plans.

Plan? This is planned?

Ha. The Contempt Party is in full-bore panic and scramble mode. (See: Del Mastro, Dean, passim.)

The upshot? As my friend and relations can tell you -- Utopia.

OK. Not quite.

That said, [Internet strategist and broadcaster Jesse] Hirsh thinks this scandal is just the beginning of crowdsourcing political news.

“What we’re seeing is a clear marking of this is how things are now done, and this is how things will be done going forward,” he says.

“And this may even be the last major political scandal because the only lesson a politico can take from all of this is, you’re going to get caught.”

Unlikely. But the blogosphere and twitterverse will have a grand time hunting the evil-doers down.

Votey-vote-vote!

Second-round voting has begun at the annual clusterfuck bunfest known as the Canadian Blog Awards.

A few observations:

First, while we at DAMMIT JANET! would never ever nohow noway countenance freeping, we are devastated to see that our fave braindead Blogging Tory, the shit-obsessed Dodo, did not make the cut in either category she was nominated in.

Next, while we at DAMMIT JANET! are officially grrrlcotting the clusterfuck bunfest, we are making a small exception for our close personal friend (OK, I met her once), Antonia Zerbisias.

A fab writer and especially fab researcher, AZ's feminist cred is unassailable.

She's nominated in two categories Best Blog by a Journalist and Best Political Blog.

Political Blog, remember, is the category that feminists -- but not LGBT bloggers -- were lumped in with.

Doncha think the boyos running the clusterfuck bunfest might pay a bit of attention if staunch if not radical feminist AZ won in BOTH categories?

Just a thought. . .

Me, Too!

Antonia Zerbisias is a budding entrepreneur. Responding to Stevie's closed-door speech, she wrote

I'm thinking of making T-shirts: "Proud to be a member of that `left-wing fringe group' called `Women.'"

Alison at Creekside did the sewing photoshopping (above). Go there to get your name on the t. And/or join AZ's Facebook group.

Dammit! DAMMIT JANET! Supports Antonia Z.

Both principal bloggers here at DJ! are busy with money-grubbing work, but we want to state our unequivocal support for Antonia Zerbisias.

There's a lot of good blogging out there on this. Here are few not to miss:

mattt at bastardlogic

JJ at unrepentant old hippie

Dave at The Galloping Beaver.

More, perhaps, later as events develop.

LATER: deBeauxOs wants me to add:
A Creative Revolution

Dr Dawg

we move to canada

Acid Test

According to a news report that tweaked our radar on such matters, violence against women in Pakistan has increased this year.

More than 220 women were burned in the period from April to June this year, resulting in the death of 40 women in Punjab, according to a report issued by the AGHS Legal Cell. The report is based on data collected from four hospitals. ...

"Violence against women in Pakistan is endemic," Nisha Varia, deputy director of women's rights division at Human Rights Watch told The Media Line. "Although there are never reliable numbers about violent incidents, we know that in every study carried out, there are very high rates of domestic violence and incidents like acid attacks." The numbers documented by AGHS mark a staggering increase in such attacks, given that 68 women reported to have sustained burns in the first quarter of the year. ...

Hundreds of cases of burn attacks on women are reported in Pakistan every year. Many cases are not reported to the police so the actual numbers are estimated to be much higher than those documented by various organizations.
Acid attacks, where acid is thrown onto the face and other parts of the body causing severe pain, bodily harm and mutilation, is common practice is other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh and India.

These outbreaks of violence against women are but one form of the gynophobia that also manifests itself in the callous indifference many governments have towards maternal reproductive health. Antonia Zerbisias blogs about the "Every Mother Matters" campaign currently targeting G8 leaders because of the upcoming meeting in Europe.

... an incredible ad today in The Globe and Mail, which I cannot find online anywhere. Too bad. It's a montage of photos of G8 leaders as children with their mothers. At the bottom, the text says:

Your mother taught you how to write your name, now she'd expect you to sign it.

Every single minute a mother dies in pregnancy or childbirth. 80% of those deaths are preventable.

At this week's G8 Summit in Italy, you are the 8 people who can prevent them -- it's as simple as that. Reduce maternal mortality and make every mother proud of you.

Mothers everywhere are watching and hoping.

Go read her.