The Face of An Ugly American:
An American Airlines pilot was arrested by federal police Wednesday after making an obscene gesture when being photographed at the airport as part of a newly imposed entry requirement for U.S. citizens, federal police said.
The pilot, identified as Dale Robin Hirsch, raised his middle finger at police to protest new Brazilian security measures that require U.S. citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering the South American country.
I hope they fire him. As Tacitus notes in the comments for this post by Kevin Drum, American Airlines biggest profit center (so Ive been told by AA personnel) are their LatAm routes. I'm sure if a Varig pilot did the same thing arriving at JFK, he'd catch hell for it as well he should. Sauce for the goose . . .
To give you some perspective as to how deeply people can be offended by this type of ugliness, consider the fact that as I write this, this story is the lead story on the websites for A Folha de São Paulo, Jornal do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro), A Tarde (Salvador) and O Globo (Rio de Janeiro).
Norteamericanos are not the only ones proud of their country and offended when their nation is mocked. The latest news, by the way, is that Hersh has agreed to pay a fine (which will be donated to a home for the elderly) in return for no charges being filed.
Is Castro Really Sick?
Meanwhile, the newly elected Mayor of Bogotá said that Fidel Castro's health appeared to be deteriorating:
Weeks after meeting with Fidel Castro during a vacation in Cuba, Bogota's mayor said Wednesday the 77-year-old Cuban leader's health appeared to be deteriorating."He seemed very sick to me," Luis Eduardo Garzon, a former communist union organizer, told Caracol Radio. "You could tell he had physical limitations, especially in his speech."
As the article notes, this is a constant subject of debate among the Cuban exile community in Miami. I found Garzon's comments about Castro's health less interesting than this comment:
Garzon, who met with Castro in December before taking office Jan. 1, said Cuba has made significant advances in the fields of education and health but that he was disappointed with the revolution there."One expects debate ... but in Cuba, everything is driven and controlled by one party," Garzon said. "That's not right. I have always said there should be no dictatorships, neither from the left nor the right."
Too bad that lesson is lost on some people.
I find it kind of amusing that this "internationally recognised obscene gesture" was still fit for the front pages. It reminded me of Maddie Albright and her "cojones" comment.
An insult to the Brazilian nation to be sure, and all the more so when you splash it across the newpapers. Brazil was quick to say there was no diplomatic incident here (move along, please).
It was also disappointing that the AA crew were also disparaging of the Brazilian rules after their pilot put his foot in it. The "Eagle" flies again! 10 crew members were denied entry and sent back on the next flight.
Incidentally, I understand the "fine" paid (about US$12k) was actually paid by AA, and that they wouldn't release the pilot's passport until the check cleared. To me, the offense itself wasn't that grave, but I imagine AA beancounters being more worried about a crew of 12 and a plane sitting pilotless on the tarmac somewhere than they did about whether the pilot faced any kind of justice.
Poor judgement, but methinks a wrist-slap would be punishment enough after his front-page humiliation (and p. 29 yesterday showed Hersh, in his street clothes, being manhandled by the PMs).
Posted by: stephen | January 16, 2004 at 05:53 AM
To me, the offense itself wasn't that grave, but I imagine AA beancounters being more worried about a crew of 12 and a plane sitting pilotless on the tarmac somewhere than they did about whether the pilot faced any kind of justice.
That and any repercussions from the nation that supplies them with some of their most profitable routes.
Regarding the slap on the wrist, I don't know. I think that if I caused an international incident for my employer by making an obscene gesture, I might be looking for another job.
Posted by: Randy Paul | January 17, 2004 at 01:05 AM