Thank you to everyone who voted for us in the first round - pending confirmation, we should advance in all five categories. The second round of JIB voting, for Best Posts, is now going on. This is also just a preliminary round, but it's more haphazard than the last one. We've actually got multiple nominations in a few of the categories - but since we don't want to split votes, we've taking the liberty of humbly focusing you on what we think are the better posts (explanations below). We think you'll agree that it would be very helpful to everybody if you could vote for MR's posts in the following categories:

Best Post (Overall) - This Will Not Be Our Last Bow
Best News Post - BREAKING: Blasts in Damascus Around US Embassy
Best Right Wing Post - Screw Rachel Corrie
Best (Post) Series - Beit Hanoun Meme Watch

As you can see, in Best (Post) Series we're nominated for the 11 posts in our criticism of the media's Beit Hanoun coverage. We're also nominated for the 40 or so posts we did on the anti-Papal riots. Although there are more riot posts, including pages upon pages of stuff on the actual theology behind Benedict's speech, the Beit Hanoun stuff is probably the better series. It's more cohesive, it punchier, and it's about a single topic.

We're also nominated for two different Best Right-Wing posts: MR Has A Question For Democratic Jews: Are You Fucking Retarded? and Screw Rachel Corrie. The first one is definitely the more serious-minded of the two (ironically). But we think the Rachel Corrie one is better - it's angrier and funnier, which is what solid demagoguery is all about. Still, people have been voting for both - so what do we know?

We're also technically nominated for one of the anti-Papal riot posts in Best News Post, but that's kind of a mis-categorization. Certainly, it wasn't as good a single news post as the live-blogging of the developments surrounding the clownish attack on the US embassy in Damascus.

We'll be bugging you at least one more time to vote in mid-May during the final round. For now, go forth and vote your conscience. And by "your conscience" we mean "for Mere Rhetoric"

References:
* Index To MR's Series On The Beit Hanoun Incident
* Index To MR's Series On The Anti-Papal Riots
* MR Has A Question For Democratic Jews: Are You Fucking Retarded?
* Screw Rachel Corrie

Previously:
* Glida Cat Wants You To Vote For MR In The JIBs
* Blogish Anti-Semitic Stereotypes, Now With More Funny
* Israeli Model Wednesdays - Photos: Israeli Model Bar Refaeli In SI Swimsuit Edition