U.S. Pilot Held in Brazil in Fingerprinting Spat

[scoone]

SAO PAULO, Brazil (*******) - An American Airlines pilot was arrested at Sao Paulo International Airport on Wednesday after making an obscene gesture while being photographed by Brazilian immigration officers, police said.

The pilot, Dale Robin Hirsch, raised his middle finger at police while undergoing recently introduced Brazilian security measures that require U.S. citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the South American country.

Local media said the 52-year-old pilot was fined 36,000 reais ($12,775) and released, but his passport was confiscated pending receipt of the payment. American Airlines had agreed to pay, they reported.

Brazil's decision to implement the policy on Jan. 1 in retaliation for a similar U.S. program to fingerprint and photograph visitors who need visas for the United States has soured relations between the two countries.

"He (Hirsch) behaved in a mocking manner toward federal police and made an internationally recognized obscene gesture while he was being photographed for identification," Sao Paulo State's federal police chief, Francisco Baltazar da Silva told reporters.

Ten crew members from the same American Airlines flight 907 from Miami were also denied entry to Brazil after refusing to cooperate with security officials. They were waiting in the airport for a return flight to the United States, police said.

American Airlines said it regretted the incident.

"The company apologizes to the Brazilian government, the airport authorities, the police, or anyone else who perceived anything they believed to have been disrespectful," the airline said in a statement. "The captain and other crew members certainly meant no disrespect."

[Uncle Sam]

while undergoing recently introduced Brazilian security measures that require U.S. citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the South American country.

Shouldn't this be the other way around...

[cut]

it's goes ways like all visa issues and so on. It costs loads more for americans to get into India, for example, because the US charges Indians so much for an american visa. Tit for tat

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

It is, thats why they are probaly doing it, anyway its not a bad idea.

[Seraphim]

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20040115/s/r2457072180.jpg

[usa320]

Dr. Phil is a pilot now?

rofl

[WARPIG]

OMG.. I think I got into an arguement with that pilot before!
I was one of the "paper soldiers" during Op Noble Eagle and remember offering to search that guy myself.
If I remember correctly he was pissed because the security screener asked him to open his belt so he could wave the wand under the metal belt buckle. He complained about having to undress. So I told him we could finish the screening in private and that I really would make him undress. I ended up calling the American Airlines site supervisor and telling him that either he go through the screening like everyone else or to find another pilot who will. His ears get really red when he is pissed off. rofl
small world

[Smintjes]

Shouldn't this be the other way around...

Why?

[SOG]

hey brazil! go
http://www.redknightentertainment.com/rkewerks/portsketchesoriginal/immyopinion.jpg yourself!

we have a VERY legitimate reason for doing this! unless brazil has a outstanding problem with american terrorists and other terrorists then they are simply doing this because we inconvienced them for our own safety!? **** em! stupid kids.

[cut]

you have a problem with brazilian terrorists? they have every right to do this.

[SOG]

you have a problem with brazilian terrorists? they have every right to do this.

i never said i had a problem with brazilian terrorists. did you here me say i had a ****ing problem with brazailian terrorists!? where in the hell did i mention brazilian terrorists!? did you pass english reading comprehension!? ASSUME-ing again!?

again, we have a reason for doing this. we have a proactive stance on terrorism. last i heard it would be very easy for terrorists to enter from the borders of canada and mexico. we are going to be fingerprinting more people in the future. BFD! you yourself said earlier tit for tat! brazil thinks were targeting them soley? cmon, south america is a perfect avenue for terrorists to slip into this country and has been a hot bed of terrorism and kidnapping for years! i dont know what kind of people weve stopped coming in. because the media doesnt report a detainee were supposed to be calm and happy free? that just means our government is doing its job by giving us the peace in which to do ours!

and hey, if brazil is having a problem with terrorists than hell yeah i dont mind em fingerprinting us! but if there just being mutha bitches then fook em! if they have a suspected flow of terrorists moving down through north america into south america and trying to commit illegal acts then by all rights they can move into place a system which would protect them more. but gee, they didnt put this system into place until we did. hmmm.... wonder why.......

[GazB]

Hey, SOG, if the problem is security then you should congratulate Brazil for increasing theirs. The US isn't really introducing a very good security measure. If you are not photographing and fingerprinting everyone then there are gaps for the terrorists to get through. the Brazillians are also introducing a system... in their system they are also only fingerprinting and photographing a select few, like you are. there is holes in this system as well, but as you say, it is better than nothing and certainly a proactive stance on terrorism.

[SOG]

Hey, SOG, if the problem is security then you should congratulate Brazil for increasing theirs. The US isn't really introducing a very good security measure. If you are not photographing and fingerprinting everyone then there are gaps for the terrorists to get through. the Brazillians are also introducing a system... in their system they are also only fingerprinting and photographing a select few, like you are. there is holes in this system as well, but as you say, it is better than nothing and certainly a proactive stance on terrorism.

LIKE I SAID

my 1st post

unless brazil has a outstanding problem with american terrorists and other terrorists

my 2nd post

if they have a suspected flow of terrorists moving down through north america into south america and trying to commit illegal acts then by all rights they can move into place a system which would protect them more.

like i said, if brazil is having PROBLEMS with american terrorists then by all means take action. are they having problems with americans using a north american route to commit acts of terrorism in thier country? if so, more power to them! but, as it is, i just believe they are playing a game of childish pinching with the US where they dont agree with what we did.

i do not see how there security of simply taking american photographs will help THEM or US unless we are taking terrorist trips to brazil. is this retaliation for a problem they cant control? beats me.

we instituted a minimum security measure trying not to step on any toes. i do not even want to think of the retaliation if we had photo'ed and finger printed everyone. maybe the world would collapse as we know it and be sucked into a vortex mirrored on a plate of glass forever floating through space with screaming faces. that would be cool.

[redhawk_six]

SOG, get off your high-horse. This probably has nothing to do with terrorism, just security. It's a good idea, much smarter then using armed air marshels.

One bullet goes throught the fuselage of the plane, and everyone on that plane is screwed. How does that make it safer, adding another danger...

[martinexsquaddie]

Personally I think the brazilians have the right idea the americans are behaving like paranoid muppets. there so afraid of law suits there prepared to incovinence eveybody when arab based muslims are the suspected enemy.

[UkrainianAmerican]

Personally I think the brazilians have the right idea the americans are behaving like paranoid muppets. there so afraid of law suits there prepared to incovinence eveybody when arab based muslims are the suspected enemy.
O but searching ONLY Arab Muslims is RACIALprofiling. tskt tsk tsk. Too politically correct to do something like that. :|

[AFG]

Personally I think the brazilians have the right idea the americans are behaving like paranoid muppets. there so afraid of law suits there prepared to incovinence eveybody when arab based muslims are the suspected enemy.
O but searching ONLY Arab Muslims is RACIALprofiling. tskt tsk tsk. Too politically correct to do something like that. :|

that and u probably wont get the US people's support on it. this way is much better i agree.

[WARPIG]

Americans have a long way to go when it comes to understanding security. People here think of security as being for everyone else. "Why do I have to be screened.. I'm American.. do I look like a terrorist?" How often do we hear that crap in our airports? I can't tell you how many crybaby pilots and whining travelers talk about how they were personally insulted by having to be screened. Tuff nipples!! We don't have the luxury of being small enough to hire highly trained screeners that rely on intel and questioning like Israel. We are an free country with free travel across our borders. If we decide to ramp it up a little for one country and not another..it is bound to piss them off. Whatever. They will get over it.

Even if it is just a pure "tit for tat" reaction to our increased security involving Brazil.. fine. They have every right. Why get all puffy about it. If the US is too uppity to adhere to fingerprints and photos in Brazil.. then don't frigging go. Their tourist economy suffers and our yuppies have to find another vacation spot to smuggle cubans and pot through.
Stop frigging whining about it!

[SOG]

SOG, get off your high-horse. This probably has nothing to do with terrorism, just security. It's a good idea, much smarter then using armed air marshels.

One bullet goes throught the fuselage of the plane, and everyone on that plane is screwed. How does that make it safer, adding another danger...

security concerning what? are brazilians applying for visas being picked up by cops for shoplifting? i did not here about this "crime wave" by brazilians with visas. why target just brazilians and not muslims? the directness involved in this "security" seems to suggest that out of the hundreds of nationalities that cross into the US every day we are only targeting one specific group? why? simple "security"? cmon. if this was standard "check your ****" security they would apply it either randomly or to all.

1st of all air marshalls train for that and NOT to do that. 2nd of all they use frangible low velocity AMMUNITION, which greatly reduces the possibility of breaching fuselage to ANY significant degree. while i could care less if a air marshall is on a plane or not and i think air marshalls are overkill, if others see fit to employ em, that thier deal. ive seen air marshall training, ive seen what they use, ive seen interviews done with em, unless there liars and do everything opposite they said i think they would add a decent measure of safety to a flight. wether its needed? its not my ass on a plane every day.

high horse? we start tagging brazilians that fly into the US ONLY if they apply for a visa, and brazil gets all defensive and starts tagging americans going into brazil? were doing it for a reason, they arent. unless you have some mystery paper stating the US is racially profiling ALL brazilians?

the US is being as generous as it can and ONLY involving those in which it feels is a threat, and at that, only a portion. you got something to say, step up. ive been to airports post and pre 911 and i can say security has stepped up. have you been here? do you know what security is like?

im sorry there are holes in the security in ANY organization in which they can be exploited. if you got any suggestions step up, lets here em. in fact, you care so much to comment, feel free to email these "wonderfull" suggestions to the airlines on why current security measures arent secure then feel free to suggest cost effective wide spread solutions that can be implemented quickly on a already stressed industry which is now recieving government support. unless of course, your out riding your high horse, then i understand.

again! brazil is doing something ridiculous when we are trying to be as nice as possible and only include the persons we feel are a threat to ANY degree. i dont care if its for terrorism or crime. we are going about this low scale for brazilians applying for visas aka "extended stay in country". we arent inconviencing business people and tourists. if your going to be here for a while we feel or have already felt that some of your citizens have done some **** here, wed like to know who you are some more. take ten minutes out of your life, enjoy your six month stay, see you later. BFD.

now please, lay down your best spin of the day on how the US is wrong again and should do this to everyone so the poor little 'zilians dont feel picked on. damn, im gonna cry....... cute little 'zilians...

[Skaman]

It does not apply one way.