Brazil fines American $17,200 for obscene gesture

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&e=9&u=/ap/brazil_fingerprinting

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A second American paid a hefty fine for making an obscene gesture during fingerprinting procedures for U.S. citizens in Brazil, police said Saturday.

Douglas A. Skolnick will be allowed to leave the southeastern resort town of Foz do Iguacu with his tour group Sunday after paying $17,200 for raising his middle finger when he was fingerprinted and photographed, said federal police spokesman Marcos Koren.

The customs requirements were imposed in response to similar U.S. rules for citizens of Brazil and many other countries. The United States says its rules will help prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Skolnick, who arrived in Brazil on Friday, was taken before a judge early Saturday after being arrested and jailed for hours on the charge of showing contempt to authorities.

Skolnick, 55, of New Jersey, said he made the gesture as a joke, agreed to pay the fine and told the judge he was sorry, Koren said. Skolnick's hometown was not immediately known.

to do something like this? ESPECIALLY after knowing somebody else was arrested and fined less than a month ago for the same thing.

what a disgusting arrogant/ugly American. I'm glad the fine was severe. Hell... we would have sent that person (had they been a foreigner to Guantamano Bay).

What if America was trying to fingerprint an Arab visitor the this country and he flipped immigration the bird? How many here would be hailing him for standing up to the oppressive Bush immigration policies? Why can't an American do the same?

But some may say tat terrorists who are going to fly into buildings might not care if the feds have their photo.

activist pulled that sort of thing in the States, especially to show the world what they really thought of Bush and his wars????????????????

"after being arrested and jailed for hours on the charge of showing contempt to authorities."

Fuck authority!

p.s. Fascism is fascism.

Whether in America or Latin America.

When you're visiting another country, you obey their rules. Whether you agree politically or not, it's just common sense.

And common courtesy.

re-read the article again, and you will see that the measures introduced were done so in response to the same measures being introduced by the US aimed at Brasilians.

In other words, this is actually a Brasilian protest at the US' policy. Every time an American acts like this in Brasil, all they are doing is reconfirming that Americans think that they live by a different set of rules to everyone else, and that they deserve special treatment.

That is NOT the way to gain friends around the world, is it?

How many Americans will knock Brazil off their tour list. If I were this guy, I would do my part to destroy tourism for their nation. They can ill afford such a loss.

Show em the Shocker. :evilgrin: