Democrat? Republican? American

TV talking heads tell us Bernie Sanders failed to become Democratic Party nominee for President of the USA. They slice their commentaries in various ways, but avoid a major point: Bernie came into the corporate-controlled Democratic Party and nearly deposed their already-crowned Queen -- and Bernie is not even a member of the Democratic Party.

Corporatism stacked the deck against Sanders. "Superdelegates" favoring Clinton were quickly & overwhelmingly appointed, choices of their party bosses who funneled huge monies to Clinton. Party bosses restricted Sanders campaign access to the national Democratic voter database -- after sharing Sanders supporter data with others (with the NGP VAN database). In some states such as New York, only Party members registered many months previously were allowed to vote at all. As Clinton gradually looked poised to win the nomination, they pressured other candidates to drop out. The crushing Party mechanisms were operated by a creepy 49-year old politico from Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former co-Chair of Hillary Clinton's 2008 Presidential effort. The Party bureaucracy is now saturated with talking heads and parasitic political operatives, desperately seeking self-enrichment & wholly deaf to progressive change.

Sanders did more than shake things up. Sanders helped us recognize the heavy CHAINS we're forced to wear. Student debt, a predatory financial system, an overseas-based military with procurement spending out of control (but poor veteran support services), an economy with insufficient environmental safeguards, an election system of candidates spouting foolish platitudes & lies.

Sanders was always an INDEPENDENT.

Sanders walked into the Democratic Party and won much support. Now buzzards circle, clucking "Same old, same old" -- But perhaps change may still happen... American independents, not so easily corralled by poor choices & decrepit party hacks, may still generate true change. The awareness built by Bernie Sanders will not easily fade.

Fixing Cholera ?

People who suddenly see an unreasonable dimension to American politics are slow to awaken, but perhaps better late than never?

The same corporate crowd who brought the USA to endless expensive illegal & unwise wars in Afghanistan & Iraq, and earlier in Vietnam, are now serving up Cholera to the American people.

Yumbo!

"Promises" made by the heated diseased soon forgotten...
TPP actually OK. Unwarranted spying & endless wars OK.
Bibi Netanyahu, Chief Adviser, OK. Torturing enemies? OK.
Corporate-controlled Cholera.

Parenting 101

The case of a little darling left in the Japanese woods by his parents after throwing rocks raises many interesting issues. One bright point is that parenting classes could become a new growth industry.

Society suffers from the high costs of delinquency & crime. Many housewife-mothers could be fruitfully employed to help parents with advice on how to raise their spawn. Japanese society needs more kids, women need more jobs. Government can spend funds on human services instead of on foolish construction projects or another wasteful national defense boondoggle. Parents might be given a tax incentive upon successfully completing a carefully designed Parenting course.

Number of births in Japan has slid dangerously in past decades. As recently as 1973 there were 2,092,000 children born in Japan. Last year may have been under a million births (they're still counting), but anyway, approximately half the newborn kids compared to the early 70s. This is far below replacement rate; the Japanese population is aging and citizen numbers are dropping.

Character for "Parent" - (elements mean stand by a tree watching)

RIP Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali.  Cassius Clay.  He surely riled The Man.

Listen (*) to his political speeches & banter.

Then, Ali was struck-down. After 1984 Ali could barely talk.
Unnaturally convenient...

Let's understand Truth: a strong & glib politically-astute leader, antiwar, actively seeking to overturn America's animosity against his race. We know for a fact Ali was illegally monitored and labeled Threat to the State by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, and branded an enemy by Nixon's corrupted White House .

"World leaders marveled at the spell he cast over the crowds. "If you were a Filipino," joked Ferdinand Marcos, "I'd have to shoot you."" (quote from Esquire, June 1989).

Now imagine an American government unit being ordered to
chemically castrate Muhammad Ali - 
" Don't kill him, just shut him up! "

When did it happen? Who did it? Ali was erased long ago.
Far Too Convenient to happen naturally...
Was Muhammad Ali poisoned by the US Government? 
  ... more likely than not ...

Bloggers can only speculate (as here, link)...

Where might someone leak a truly dark story?

CHOLERA? or TYPHUS?

Our Great Choice USA®
Toxic Twins for Tyranny

   Enjoying Democracy since 1776
      "Best Nation on Earth"
     GOD BLESS AMERICA

Cholera ...?  or  Typhus ...?     Choose Now or Can't Complain?
Americans can stop being bitch-slapped by corporate megawealth.

 
 

Europeans !

Much news focuses on the problems of Europe. Let's think of our Progress.

We're not at WAR. Please understand the arms dealers and big-money militarists are disappointed their munitions markets have largely evaporated. The Germans are not arming themselves against the French, the Greeks against the Brits. Our young people are not conscripted for military service, then thrown into battle to be butchered.

We do not suffer from arbitrary search & seizure at each of Europe's internal borders. Those of us who remember passport controls & inquisitive customs officials are very happy those days are gone.

We can holiday easily around Europe and the wider world. We enjoy foods and products from most everywhere. We exchange information and combine our energies to minimize abuses.

I look at this Merci Zlatan! link, of a Swedish footballer in France, and recognize Europeans have much to be proud about:
Merci Zlatan!      Here's more inspiration:   Names of the World  

Of course, the Grand-père with connections seeks to boost his kin...

Non-Violent Dividend

Disparities in society are severe and dangerous.

Those on the butt-end can look forward to lives nasty, brutish & short.
 -- quoting Thomas Hobbes from Leviathan (1651)

Rich folk best invest to keep the proles from violence. 

Hopelessness breeds Dangerous Animosity & Destructive Action.
It's time we carefully consider the idea of a basic income (link).

Otherwise, my wealthy friends risk the sharp edge of a guillotine...
Tragedy! 

Crimes of the Condor

A few government criminals, of many hundreds, were successfully prosecuted in Argentina as part of the US-led Operation Condor. They were responsible for torture, murders, and other crimes across South America in American-supported dictatorships: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay & Uruguay.

The terror killed 60,000+ people, while 400,000 were arrested, tortured & imprisoned. Of course the Yankee strategists and criminal funders can still be prosecuted, but corruption runs deep. Most politicians are just puppets -- the destructive tools of monstrously dirty capitalists who can live anywhere - or nowhere. Mega-yachts vs. farmers and activist laborers.

Find those truly Guilty... Convicted criminals should imprisoned, if possible, and purged of social honors. The town squares, bridges, and city streets named after these killers should be renamed.

Native Hawaiian Determination

Native Hawaiians are not self-governing.

We are Occupied -
Yankee military took huge tracts of land
Outsiders push agendas & profit scams.

Hawai'i's environment includes Hawaiians
Hawai'i's environment always includes Hawaiians
Hawaiians protect the homeland, our islands.

Don't steal our Land
Don't You ripoff Aloha

Let's celebrate Together
Not Rich tourist Served by Da kine...

Listen to the voice of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (link)
A Great Peaceful Force boosting Hawaiian sovereignty.
Here's his Tribute (1min 15 sec) Final Voyage :
https://youtu.be/b9ixtdjzIjw

IZ -- now dead 19 years -- Hawaiians still shit upon.
Rest in Peace IZ  -- Always Hawaiian !
Native Hawaiian Self-Government NOW

Pardon Fascism?

Henry Kissinger was never charged with crimes by the USA.
Dick Cheney still spews deadly poisons.
Richard Nixon was pardoned.

Why no pardon for those helping Americans understand our government?

Ed Snowden    •   Chelsea Manning    •   Julian Assange

The answer's clear:  Our Government is Brutally Corrupt. 

Snowden  •  Manning  •  Assange
Proved Our Empire's Leaders are Dirty
Pardon these Activists NOW

Sport Cheats & Frauds

The USA is now critical of Russia because some of its athletes have used banned performance-enhancing drugs.

But the USA can't speak out against others, because America still shelters the notorious self-admitted cheat Lance Armstrong.

The US Postal Service sponsored Armstrong & his cycling team for many years, paying millions of dollars in support. American beauty Lance has not spent a day in prison for his admitted corruption, drug trafficking, conspiracy, threats, slander and other crimes. The Feds are still slowly seeking to recover some of their misspent millions (link). But Armstrong severely damaged the nation's reputation -- a horrible disappointment & dirty symbol to millions of former fans, a slimy embarrassment to his family and the great state of Texas. Perhaps corrupt political connections & wealth keep him from prison?

Many American cheats & frauds have been apprehended - some belatedly (such as Marion Jones) - but we can imagine many dozens, hundreds, or perhaps thousands have avoided being caught. The USA is clearly a bad judge for others when American Lance Armstrong, the most notorious sport cheat in history, has not been criminally prosecuted and continues to live fat on his ill-gotten gains.

3 Reasons We Need Bernie

Various pundits are criticizing Sen. Bernie Sanders for staying active in the U.S. Presidential race although behind Sec. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Here are three of many Reasons Sanders Should Continue:

Basic Problems with America
Sanders highlights many fundamental problems with American society, and pledges to fix them. High student tuition harms mobility and makes our social class system more rigid. Limited access to medical care shortens American lives, as does endless overseas warfare. The influence of Big Finance on the political process is corrupting. Sanders makes a strong point that many of these problems, and the reforms he proposes, are being discussed only as long as he's a candidate. If Sanders drops out, corporatists Clinton & Trump and the lapdog corporatist media will ignore such topics.

Long & Winding Road
The U.S. election process is unduly long, painful, and fundamentally unreasonable. A great many mechanisms such as gerrymandering and insider manipulations (such as the superdelegate system) are undemocratic. Voting places are poorly operated. Voters are treated with disdain - and we've become too accustomed to bad treatment by government and social services. The integrity of American democracy is simply an imaginary fiction. The voting machine scandals of Florida (2000) and Ohio (2004) are likely to recur in other states. American politics is dirty and corrupt - look carefully: it's clear we're being suckered. Sanders is drawing attention to the flawed election process, and the more we see, the more chance for true reform... as we sheep awaken.

Clinton Might Collapse
If Clinton were to be elected she'd finish her first term aged 73. She's certain to face strong opposition and frictions throughout her term. Why bother? Half or more of the nation seem to hate her. Even many of her supporters believe she's a corporate shill. Can they pay her enough? Life is short... And who knows about accidents, etc. -- Until the National Convention (and of course afterward) there are hundreds of possible misfortunes that could negatively influence any candidate. Better there's an available alternative, such as Senator Sanders, prepared to take up the torch.

Artikel 48

Few Americans are familiar with the mechanics used by Hitler & the National Socialists to grab and maintain power. Using legal loopholes such as Artikel 48 and Notverordnung (emergency decree), they were able to bypass the rule of law.

Similar processes now exist in the USA. Top officials claim the US legal system is now being dangerously manipulated (link).

US National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblowers, and now a top official from the Department of Defense Inspector General's Office (John Crane) are frighteningly critical.

According to William Binney, former NSA official: "They’re saying, 'We’re doing this to protect you' -- I will tell you that that’s exactly what the Nazis said in Special Order 48 in 1933 – we’re doing this to protect you. And that’s how they got rid of all of their political opponents."

A recent article from The Guardian speaks of the whistleblowers and puts their efforts into perspective:

"These are strong statements – comparing the actions of the US government to Nazi Germany, warning of an emerging “police state” – so it’s worth remembering who made them. The NSA whistleblowers were not leftwing peace nuts. They had spent their professional lives inside the US intelligence apparatus – devoted, they thought, to the protection of the homeland and defence of the constitution. They were political conservatives, highly educated, respectful of evidence, careful with words. And they were saying, on the basis of personal experience, that the US government was being run by people who were willing to break the law and bend the state’s awesome powers to their own ends. They were saying that laws and technologies had secretly been put in place that threatened to overturn the democratic governance Americans took for granted and shrink their liberties to a vanishing point. And they were saying that something needed to be done about all this before it was too late."

Perhaps already TOO LATE? Electing Clinton or Trump can't help.
Think they got your back? You know the answer...

 

Infecting Pigs

The keyword of this week's news is infection. Antibiotic resistance is in the news as "superbugs" (link) and via the U.S. National Microbiome Initiative (link).

It's great there's movement to better recognize the simple mechanics of antibiotic danger. Using broad spectrum medicines "clears the table" for a wholly open playground: where any opportunistic or resistant organisms can reproduce & thrive.

The infecting Pigs in this headline are the drug companies. Our system and their business models do not allow patents and exclusive licensing of naturally-occurring antibacterial agents. Phage biology has been ignored far too long. The upcoming deaths from antibacterial resistance we bring piggishly upon ourselves.

Hawaiian Delegation

A range of people want Hawaiian independence. Some claim or 'demand' independence, but do nothing to rebuild the Hawaiian Nation other than criticize. Some weasels surely seek to stifle Hawaiian self-governance while claiming otherwise.

"Indigenous" as an organizing mechanism?
Some Hawaiian Kingdom supporters fight Native Hawaiian & indigenous self-government efforts. They argue the multi-ethnic Hawaiian Kingdom existing at the 1893 overthrow is supremely important. But the fight to regain indigenous rights and lands is much more than a globally recognized organizing mechanism. Those who claim to be patriots yet sacrifice Native Hawaiians are deceptive - perhaps even deceiving themselves. If their ancestors were loyal to the crown, surely justice-minded Hawaiians can & will recognize such facts.

Recognize as well that the Hawaiian community controversially integrated for a few brief decades before losing control of our nation. This happened after many centuries of our people being regional stewards to the grand Hawaiian land, seas, and surroundings.

The violent overthrow of Hawai'i's Queen Lili'uokalani was instigated by outsiders, mainly Americans. Mainstream Hawaiians actively but peaceably resisted: signing petitions, struggling to survive, regrouping elsewhere when displaced by Yankee industry or military.

The illegal Provisional Government, the Republic of Hawaii, and the subsequent US Occupation are a dark shadow over the Hawaiian archipelago. Their continuing violence and atrocities leave many imbalances. Never forget: they brought violence and a foreign military.

Hawaiians have grown distrustful. We've learned the need to carefully monitor government. But we should be able to delegate responsibilities.

Native Hawaiians have been caretakers of the islands for many hundreds of years. It is our right and our responsibility to continue. We cannot rely upon the US government in faraway Washington D.C. We're obstructed by the Yankee military machine, leaking poisons, grossly sprawled everywhere. We need a self-governing Hawaiian nation. Allowing self-government for Native Hawaiians is just, fair, and smart. 

"Citizens Guard" could be visiting foreigners - They terrorized native citizens.

Yankee used their "Citizens Guard" to keep local Hawaiians subdued  (link)

Shady Business

Donald Trump & Co. have four or more major corporate bankruptcies. What does this mean? It fundamentally means he's UNDEPENDABLE. He's shown 4+ times he'll fuck you over with no remorse.

I'm a businessperson, and highly trained in business. Agreements & honor are important, and it's best whenever possible to avoid the shadier edge of business.

Below is a disturbing news article about shady business. How can a company be suddenly bankrupt, but "not affected, still hiring, still growing"... ?

Unfair? How is bankruptcy fair to those whose unpaid services you've abused?

The true bottom line is to compete with such a firm is toxic. They're able to undersell when they've no intention to pay creditors. They run-up debts, and run away. They are harmful parasites. They hurt those around them and the larger community cause they cheat, and their manipulations run-up costs for everyone. They then spin vague stories excusing their self-indulgence and failure to perform properly. If a large unpaid account damaged your firm (for example), at least explain full details. Otherwise, you're a bum.

The Donald Trump has shown multiple times he's that type of parasite: BUM

http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20160511/disposal-company-with-cape-contracts-files-for-bankruptcy

SOLID WASTE

Disposal company with Cape contracts files for bankruptcy
ABC Disposal has signed more than half a dozen Cape towns for trash disposal services

By Mike Lawrence  The Standard-Times

Posted May 11, 2016

NEW BEDFORD — ABC Disposal Service has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but the financial maneuver won’t affect trash removal in southeastern Massachusetts or the more than 200 people employed by the company and affiliates, a company official said Wednesday.

"Our customers are not affected and our employees are not affected. In fact, we’re still hiring," ABC CEO Michael Camara said. "We’re still growing and still charging forward."

Plans remain on track to open ZERO Waste Solutions — the company’s new, $27 million, 100,000-square-foot waste recycling plant — next year in Rochester, Camara said.

More than a half dozen Cape towns, including Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans, Wellfleet, Provincetown, Barnstable, and Dennis, had signed up over the past several years to ship solid waste to the new plant but its opening has been repeatedly delayed.

"They will not be affected," Camara said. "We are not for sale. We are not going out of business."

The filing announced Wednesday was made in the Massachusetts district of U.S. Bankruptcy Court. It affects ABC Disposal Service, Inc., New Bedford Waste Services, LLC, and other affiliates. Camara said ABC and New Bedford Waste have some of the same owners. ABC Disposal handles trash removal — with more than 100 trucks operating in southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard, Camara said — while New Bedford Waste handles waste recycling and transfers. New Bedford Waste owns a construction and demolition debris recycling facility in Sandwich, which was destroyed in a fire in 2014 but later reopened. ABC Disposal operates out of several regional locations and is headquartered on Shawmut Avenue in New Bedford’s North End, near New Bedford Regional Airport.

While ABC has "been working on the refinancing for a while," he expected the issue to be resolved in the near future, Camara said.

"I have several investment bankers working on this," Camara said. "We expect to start to see term sheets and letters of intent very soon."

Rumors of financial challenges for ABC have circulated for several months. But Ken Blanchard, New Bedford’s director of facilities and fleet management, said in February that he wasn’t aware of any problems.

"The city’s contract with them is solid, and their performance is solid," Blanchard said at the time. "From what I see, everything’s going along pretty smoothly."

Blanchard said ABC is responsible for all of the curbside trash and recycling collection in New Bedford, in addition to its contracts across the region. City officials could not be reached after Camara’s announcement of the filing early Wednesday evening.

ABC Disposal has been in business in New Bedford for 49 years. Combined employment for ABC and New Bedford Waste can reach 230 people in the summer months, Camara said. When asked in February about potential financial troubles, Camara said "rumors" of layoffs or litigation were false and "very disturbing." No layoffs or legal disputes have arisen as a result of the Chapter 11 financing, he said.

"This doesn’t stop us," Camara said. "This just gives us the time to reorganize the company and get our financing finished."

Poor Greece

Everyone knows Greece has been in serious financial trouble.

Most people have not understood the so-called "Greek bailout" was designed to assist private creditors, especially French & German banks. Greek creditors had to accept a "haircut" of €107.1 billion in exchange for their debt essentially being transferred to the public sector (€215.9b disbursed, mostly from the EU, 15% from the IMF - see data here).

Greek banks got only 17% of the recapitalization money. Below 5% of total funds were aimed elsewhere, such as lowering the annual fiscal deficit.

So the Greeks are still in serious trouble - by design. Implosion was delayed. Greece's former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has labeled the process "extend & pretend!" The pockets picked were OURS - the Greeks had little to do with it.

The Bank always wins.

Implosion USA

The USA has always been gawky and awkward, an overly-large nation.

National survival is now threatened by this ungainliness. America has lost its message, and internal divisions threaten to break the nation into segments.

The US political process highlights many problems. Some now predict the collapse of two-party control, but the true problem is deeper.

Today's Washington Post is extremely pessimistic in discussing Donald Trump: "The Republican presidential defeat that likely impends will reflect an entirely appropriate national revulsion at the GOP candidate, whose personal record of chicanery and wild rhetoric of bigotry, misogyny and misplaced belligerence are without parallel in the modern history of either major party. It is entirely conceivable that the damage done will be permanent."

Yet the problem is clearly far beyond a single jingoistic individual. America itself's in the shit. It's truly a nation of too many cops, too little justice. There's no proper excuse for 35,000+ US military troops in Germany, and 50,000+ in Japan. We wrongly occupy places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Okinawa, Hawai'i, Guantanamo, etc., as key parts of our warfare business. Yankee's military eagerly supports (link) the corporate-driven Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, so we must be very afraid for the future.

The Republican Party, and many Democrats, bitterly attack welfare - but WARFARE is far more dangerous. War is a huge part of the US economy & national mentality. "Sustaining U.S. global leadership" is DoD doublespeak for permanent war, including War on Americans by our own violent government.

We make hundreds of mistakes everyday - many are deadly errors. We're now led to expect to pay the minimum amount possible, including with mission-critical public procurement, though many such transactions predictably will fall apart. America doesn't take proper care of its many retired soldiers. America needs to withdraw from overseas adventurism and instead "get its house in order." Hopefully this can be done without violence and zealotry. But US history is rooted in ruthless brutality. Reform in the USA is likely to lead to widespread repression before anything gets better...

National Teacher Day

May 3rd is National Teacher Day in the USA.

Some nations celebrate Teacher's Day with a national holiday, many others offer a school holiday. In the USA it's business as usual. Many teachers work through the day never knowing about the celebration...

To my many great teachers: Thank You!

To my Parents, who were both Teachers: Aloha!

And hugs to my Lovely Wife, now at school teaching
 (8AM to 6PM today!)

Shealey the Killer

Ben Shealey is in prison for killing an innocent pedestrian while driving drunk & racing away from the Cape Cod cops.

Benjamin Shealey paid about $60,000 cash for a Range Rover, and drove it away with illegal plates because his driver's license was suspended from previous drunk driving violations. Shealey has admitted that around 6PM on the warm summer evening of 13 July 2013, he drunkenly sought to escape from police. He ran down pedestrian Albert Della Malva, killing him & mangling the remains, plowed into a family car, and destroyed other standing vehicles. The 9-year-old Tomlinson twins visiting from Virginia were seriously injured; their parents perhaps physically less damaged, but left fearful of their daughters' survival.

Many remain greatly troubled... How's Shealey specially connected?

On being read his rights at Cape Cod Hospital after the crash, Harwich Police Officer Keith Kannally recalls Shealey laughing and smiling (link). Was Shealey mocking the law? He refused to supply a blood sample to determine degree of intoxication -- requesting his attorney instead. The written police report states Shealey laughed & intoned "Good luck!" as Officer Kannally departed.

Shealey ultimately pleaded guilty to:
- manslaughter by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol
- two counts of operating under the influence of alcohol
- driving recklessly causing serious bodily injury
- assault with a dangerous weapon
- resisting arrest
- unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle
- uninsured operation of a motor vehicle

Shealey was first represented in court by his uncle Frankie. Later interviewed outside the courtroom, "Faultfree Frank" Shealey's now a poster boy for legal evasiveness (link). Both Shealey family performances can be seen here (link). Perhaps a 'good lawyer' admits nothing, but wholly innocent people have been horribly damaged by Ben Shealey's rampaging.

Shealey was sentenced in April 2015 to 7½ to 10 years in Massachusetts State Prison. His team of lawyers now seek a sentence reduction, claiming Shealey has become "remorseful" for the killing. The grandmother of the injured young girls (one continues to suffer from brain injury) is blunt: "He took a life... His family enabled him to do this."

Shealey's unregistered Range Rover (above) and the family car he hit (below)

You Poor? You're Jerked

It's horrible making payments on credit card debt - interest rates are high & largely hidden. How much did you pay in interest & financing last year? Probably more than you know. Look at those numbers and weep.

Bank (lender) cost of capital is very low.

What's worst, those same banks got free money from the US government at the Bush-Obama bailout. They needed it - because they were scammy shitty businessmen. But the people paid their bills.

Why should Big Capital get helped, and the little guy gets a sharp stick up the ass?

Vote Democrat, Vote Republican -- both are corporatist.
They don't care for you at all.
Wake up America -

We want You working as a Slave to Big Money -- Forever.

Acknowledging a Supporter?

"The candidate acknowledges a supporter in the wildly cheering crowd."   Sure.  American media feeds the masses the 'distant friend' gimmick. Do voters believe? Or are we bemused & disturbed at the shenanigans, and think: Shameless!

Point my way!  Yes, this candidate really likes ME!

Within a month of gaining office, they feed us dogshit.
And say it tastes good.

Or they disappear, to the fascist state-sponsored shill hangout.

The Establishment foists grinning weasels on America. And the American people repeatedly lap it up. We want to believe. US-led genocide in Vietnam? Don't think about it. Torture & war crimes throughout the Middle East? Tom Brady's footballs were underinflated. "Folks can't get ahead..." cause our elected leaders are corporate pets.

The "Situation Room" photo was admittedly staged: there was no live video feed, Clinton, the photograph's stress & emotional highlight, or 'punctum' (link), later claimed she was merely stifling a cough or sneeze... Fool me once (link)...? Surely nothing to laugh about.