1 Appointed senators don't serve for six years; but an election is called at the next normal cycle; hence, you get more than the 33/34 normally running.

List of appointed senators: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senators_appointed.htm

2

I thought they got to serve for the rest of the term, and faced election on the original schedule.

Oh, well...

3 By the way, if you want some schadenfreude, read the comments in this Metafilter post...

4

There must be a name for this dictum:

"If you're laughing at someone else for making a mistake, make sure you aren't yourself making a mistake."

'cause I just broke it.

5 I believe Muphry's Law comes close. And I know I've told someone "You're wrong about X, it's actually Y! Here's I'll prove it..." and then it turns out to be Z.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law

6 What a pack of morons those mefi people are.  Sure, the Gentry GOP's going to cut the Federal budget in half on January 21....

7

I used to participate there using an account in my own name, but after 9/11 anyone who favored the war got swarmed, and I picked up a couple of stalkers who viciously attacked me in every thread in which I participated.

I took a break of a few years, and when I went back I opened a new account under a pseudonym, and now I participate there anonymously.

It's the only place on the web where I do that. And I don't get involved in controversial threads, for the most part, because some of the stalkers are still around.

The participants of Metafilter, like nearly all liberals, pride themselves on their open-mindedness and their inclusiveness, but that only applies to others who agree with them. Challenge any "known truths", and watch them melt down. Or blow up.

It isn't amusing anymore. There's enough going on there that isn't controversial to make me want to keep participating, but I am continually amazed at how intolerant these self-declared "tolerant" people are.

In recent years it's gotten even worse as an increasing number of "Social Justice Warriors" have started participating. Their big thing is being language police, pouncing on any use of terms which are, or can be conceived of being, disrespectful of the usual suspects (Race, Class, Gender! Race, Class, Gender!)

I avoid ruining my health by constantly saying, "What happens here won't matter in the long run." In terms of controversial threads, it's a liberal echo chamber.

Occasionally someone posts a thread in MetaTalk (which is where posts about the site go) lamenting the lack of political diversity, and those are usually among the most wrecked of trainwrecks...

8 I remember you used to link there more often, and that you used to post there under your name and get attacked.
It's entertaining, a little, in a dark sort of way, as the SJWs begin to attack themselves.

9 Oh, if they knew who I was, I'm sure I'd be hounded again. I have no intention of revealing my secret identity, for the time being.

10 "I have no intention of revealing my secret identity"
I assumed so.

11 Good God, there's some crazy over there in Metafilter land.