Flipping his Toucan

Posted on February 8, 2004 in Nipper Kettle

Ugly American Douglas A. Skolnick is the winner of a Nipper Kettle Award for stupid, pointless acts of self promotion. “I’m an American citizen, not a monkey!” he whined as Brazillian authorities trooped him past journalists into his jail cell.

Douglas insists that flashing his finger like that was not an act of contempt. Brazillian authorities differed and a judge slapped a $17,200 fine on Douglas which he promised to pay. Police spokesman Marco Koren said that Douglas was “free to enjoy the little time he has left here.”

It would not surprise me if Douglas was a Bush supporter. In his mind, there was no connection between Brazil’s new stringent entry requirements and the ones imposed by the United States Government. “It’s all right for us to do it, but how dare they reciprocate!” The squeak and whirr of gears where there should be neurons must be deafening as Douglas tries to work out why this happened to him.

His fine is being donated to two Brazillian charities for the elderly and for children. Conscientious Libertine Americans may want to continue making such displays for both the self-publicity and the charitable giving that they can claim after the fact.

Douglas is the second American to have paid this fine. The first, American Airlines pilot Dale Robin Hersh, paid out $12,750.

Tax writeoffs for this imbecilic act of jingoism are not yet available.

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I found this at Randy’s Beautiful Horizons. Randy said: “If you can’t respect the laws of other, sovereign nations – regardless of how you may feel about them – then please don’t leave your country.” Amen.

Here is an extract from the U.S. State Department’s Consular Report for Brazil:

A passport and visa are required for U.S. citizens traveling to Brazil for any purpose. Brazilian visas must be obtained in advance from the Brazilian Embassy or consulate nearest to the traveler’s place of residence. There are no “airport visas,” and immigration authorities will refuse entry to Brazil to anyone not possessing a valid visa. All Brazilian visas, regardless of the length of validity, must initially be used within 90 days of the issuance date or will no longer be valid. Immigration authorities will not allow entry into Brazil without a valid visa. The U.S. Government cannot assist travelers who arrive in Brazil without proper documentation. In response to the introduction of the US-VISIT program, on January 1, 2004 the Government of Brazil began fingerprinting/photographing all U.S. Citizens arriving in Brazil. U.S. citizens can expect long delays, up to several hours, in being processed through immigration at Brazil’s major airports. U.S. travelers to Brazil should avoid planning tight transit connections due to the expected delays. Additionally, visitors may be required to present an inoculation card indicating they had a yellow fever inoculation or they may not be allowed to board the plane or enter the country.

Douglas, please read what Randy said. Know what you are getting into before you end up in a Brazillian jail and become an embarassment to your country.