Ok this just seems stupid

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

$17,000? Time in jail? Isn't that a little excessive?

The fine and jail time were a bit excessive, but I think this guy brought it on himself. Like many Americans, his arrogance led him to believe that he was above the law in Brazil because he is an American. I'm sure he probably brought up the First Amendment too, like it actually means something outside the US.

HAHAHAHAHA GO BRAZIL!!!

The guy is guity of being an a$$, certainly, but that fine is nuts. He also spent some time under "arrest" and wasn't allowed to leave.

The penalty should have been like $500 *TOPS*, probably less. (Assuming all he did was put up a middle finger.)

Is that kind of thing a common occurance in Brazil? What happens if you actually verbally assault or physically assault an officer?

If Brazil has that much space in their jails and their officers have this much free time, the US has TONS of losers we'd just LOVE to send them.

Not that it matters, but I'm sure he didn't know there was some kind of law or whatever that was going to hit him there.

Well he knew about the pilot that the same thing happened to.

He's old too, anyone else find it ironic (why'd I type erotic there first...) that his fine money would go to charities for elderly and children? 55 makes you a Senior Citizen.

Also I wonder if he got his money back that he spent on for the touring.

I think its a little steep chargings for that, but then again I'm in america, so what do I know.

Brazil is angry at the U.S. because we're putting all these restrictions on foreign visitors after 9-11. Brazil thinks its ridiculous the kind of hoops that we make their citizens go through so they are now fingerprinting all Americans who visit Brazil as a way to "get us back." So I guess Brazilians are just trying to make an example. Not a good example or anything.

Zana

Still, I wonder how many Brazilians get arrested for violating this law, and what kind of fines do they get?

I say break off diplomatic relations with Brazil!

And France!

They should have just broken his finger and called it even.

Theres a good chance he wouldn't be gesturing again.

The time it takes a visitor to the US to be fingerprinted (something that happens to many if not most of us when renewing our driving license) is about 4 seconds. The Brazilian procedure involves messy ink and takes as much as an hour. The Brazilians have been playing this visa game with us since the 1940's, when we checked out all Brazilian visa applicants to make sure they weren't German spies. This was a reasonable thing to do with the Brazilians, seeing that they were very friendly with Germany until we pitched out one pro-Nazi dictator and installed another one of our own in 1943. Brazil is the only nation in the Western Hemisphere that requires a visa for US visitors, so they are they only country that we require one from, in the interests of reciprocity. We will no doubt get them back by throwing out one of their diplomats for spying or questionable behavior. That's the way the game is played.

Past history aside, Skolnick should have known better. He was aware of a previous incident. He chose to buck authority, and be a jackass. To paraphrase Henry Cabot Henhaus III, he knew the job was dangerous when he took it.

Yes, every time a US citizen goes abroad, they are, in essence, an ambassador for the rest of us. The Brasilians would have been much more annoyed if he'd just acted as if he were pleased to go through their procedures. This guy deserves a good smack when he gets home as well. Hopefully he won't be allowed to write off his fine or profit from his rude behavior.

Watch out, Brazil, you might soon be on Dubya's "Axis of Evil" hitlist.

I find it very PETTY and CHILDISH of Brazil and the US to go at one another like that. I never thought I'd be saying this about two NATIONS but..... GROW UP!

It *is* blatantly obvious that Brazil has only done it to "get back at" the US. I don't think there's many terrorists going from the US to Brazil. Unless you consider foul mouthed, rude, obscene jerks terrorists. Harhar.

This isn't Brazil. It's a power hungry cop. Same thing could have happened on US or Canadian soil to a native citizen. Moral : Don't give cops the finger.

AFAIK, the enforcement of the "laws" or whatever was indeed up to the cop.

The creation of the stupid fingerprinting procedures was Brazil in response to the tougher US security measures, according to an earlier post.

It's really two totally different topics.