The other day a retired general on Fox called the President a pussy. They said he was wrong to say that, and suspended him for two weeks. But he had a point. Not just about the President, but almost everyone who has a public voice. 

How did it come to this? I believe and in some cases know that a lot of them inside aren't pussies. But the ability to hide that has become an important qualification for being a public figure. God forbid you ever are caught saying something with any substance. Better to keep it vague. People can feel your tension when you talk. Some are better at doing this than others. Remember the guy who ran for VP with John Kerry. He was very good at lying. Turns out he was hiding a lot of hell-raising bullshit. What was his name! It escapes me.

The whole no-pussies thing has gone to incredible extremes. Now you have people saying meaningless things meant to sound as if they weren't pussified, but of course because they aren't saying anything, you can debate all you want and never prove anything. 

25 years ago Upside ran a cover story that asked Has Silicon Valley Gone Pussy? Denise Caruso wrote about it, though the story itself doesn't appear to be on the web. Now they make chat apps. And reinvent shit that worked 30 years ago and this passes as innovation? I guess all the newbies who have come online recently don't know that they're being sold the same old stuff. But the supply of newbies is running out. At some point the valley will have to have some new ideas. 

(Upside ceased publication in 2002.)

So. Donald Trump. A guy who talks like the other people on your living room couch as you're watching the news. He really does. That's his appeal. He gives voice to the things they'd like to say back to the TV, and do -- except no one is listening.

I don't watch TV news anymore. Haven't since Obama was elected. At first I thought we'll never get anyone better than him, so no point watching what happens. It can't get better. And it probably is getting worse. So I tuned out through threatened government shutdowns and debt defaults. 

But the last week I've been watching MSNBC, CNN and Fox. Yes I do watch Fox, just to see what they do with the same ideas and facts that the rest of the Internet gets. 

Interesting that Fox focuses on the "radicalized" terrorists. They don't seem to be paying a lot of attention to Trump. But on MSNBC and CNN, it's all-Trump-all-the-time. With little bits of Bernie Sanders thrown in. You can tell that he wishes they'd stop talking about Trump. But it's addicting. Because he's good at TV. Really is. When he says "We just need to figure out what the hell is going on!" he speaks to and for a lot of people. Stop the world, they say, I don't understand. Wait till I catch up!!

But most of all Trump doesn't appear to be a pussy. Too bad we chased away all the people who could speak from the heart, someone could stand up to him. But we decided a long time ago what we want is the pussies. So that's what we get. Trump and a stage full of pussies. 

Interesting that Trump is just shoveling the same old shit, only people don't remember we've been here before. It's how great wars start. First the wonderful feeling that you've found other people who share your frustration. How long before there are shooters wandering around killing the people Trump tells them to kill? I don't think there's much chance it stops here. Many people will faint in outrage, but he'll keep going. And if he were to stop for some reason, now that the genie is out of the bottle, there are plenty who are waiting to take his place.