The souring relationship between Brazil and the USA has been strained over the past few days in the wake of new security initiatives instituted by the US Government. Brazil, not too happy over the fingerprinting and photographing of foreign visitors to US soil struck back... not out of fear for their safety, but for political reasons, requiring the same of all US visitors to their country.

Mind you, Brazil has never (Thank God) had the equivalent of a 9/11 terrorist attack on their soil, but they appear more than willing to penalize US visitors for their government's decision in attempting (wisely or unwisely) to secure its borders.

The latest indignity occurred Wednesday when a US pilot was arrested for making a rude gesture while being photographed by Brazilian security officials. The American Airlines crewmember was detained... as were all the other members of his crew, upon arriving from Miami and encountering Brazil's "Tit-For-Tat" security games.

While there is no question that the gesture in question (the infamous "Rockefeller Salute") was rude and poorly thought out, the pilot, Dale Robbin Hirsh, was taken to a federal courthouse and could be charged with "showing disrespect to authorities..." a "crime" punishable by anywhere from 6 months to 2 years in jail. Most political insiders, however, expect that the pilot will be deported without excessive legal action (the Brazilians may be thin-skinned and unwilling to deal with free speech issues, but they probably aren't foolish enough to prosecute).

An American Airlines spokeswoman, Martha Pantin, claimed that the incident "was the result of a misunderstanding."

"The company apologizes to the Brazilian government, the airport authorities, the police or anyone else who may have perceived anything they believe to have been disrespectful."

FMI: www.aal.com