Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Perhaps you should read my response more carefully and see if that is what I said.

You actually don't have to be widely traveled to gain an appreciation of other cultures and countries. An open mind matters more than traveling abroad.

Oh, I read it carefully the first time. (But I applaud your attempt to backtrack. You're right to recognize it as your best option at this point.)

Not backtracking on anything and to make sure that is clear I repeat what I said:

"No, I am contemptuous of people (Americans or otherwise) who are not just oblivious of other countries but are actually proud of their ignorance because they feel that the US is the center of the universe and nothing else matters."

The world extends beyond the US hard as it may be for some to acknowledge and travel to countries is not an imperative to gain an appreciation of other countries and cultures. It is a state of mind. I have met people who do travel and expect to find a version of the US in other countries and when they do not they feel something is wrong with those countries. Then there are those who actually expect everyone to talk English and when they find people who don't they think something is wrong with them.

I am sure that Lochte has traveled quite a bit as part of international competitions if not for other reasons but he is the poster child for someone who expects his American nationality to gives him some sort of right that others should have to kow tow to him based on his actions in Rio.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the only damage by the swimmers' "vandalism" was the poster, then the security guards' demand for money was pure extortion, a shakedown, as many knew the moment they heard about it. Whatever story Lochte told, overdramatizing the actual events, the swimmers were robbed at gunpoint and then charged with crimes by the Brazilian government.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jimmy-feigen-last-of-four-lochte-robbery-swimmers-releases-statement-124037496.html

A "robbery-that-wasn’t-really-a-robbery-but-still-was-a-Brazilian-shakedown," followed by a further shakedown by officials when they forced Feigen to cough up a $10,800 "fine" for his passport so he could leave the country (that was the negotiated rate, down from $31k, then $47k). Lochte got out just in time, otherwise they'd be holding him hostage for cash too.

This part of the story has been largely ignored. They wanted him ( Feigen) to cough up more, but he got out in time. He was right to pay the first ridiculous fee and get that hell out.

Yes, there's no way to spin that to make Rio look in the right and to make Feigen look in the wrong. So the media hasn't really focused on it.

Imagnie if Lochte had stayed in Rio, how much they would have charged him for the privilege of leaving the country. 6 figures, 7 figures?

Totally agree. It's amazing to me how many people (in the media and otherwise) seem to be getting their jollies from publicly shaming and ridiculing this relatively harmless douchebag for committing minor offenses. It makes me wonder how many fully grown adults out there continue to nurture some sort of weird, longstanding resentment against the good looking jock at their high school.

This! Wow I think you really hit the nail on the head. Wonder if Matt Lauer got a lot of wedgies as a kid?

I have a feeling if Lauer's kid had a gun pointed at him and a demand for money was made, Matt wouldn't be calling it a "negotiation."

Anonymous wrote:USA Today is continuing with their investigative journalism.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/23/ryan-lochte-us-swimmers-rio-de-janeiro-gas-station-security-guards-incident/89228124/

All statements, from the swimmers, security guards and the helpful translator, seem to line up. The guards did draw their guns, the guards did tell the swimmers they were the police, and the poster was the only damage done to the gas station. Under Brazilian law, drawing guns is excessive when demanding money owed. And, if all the statements lined up, how exactly did Feigen make a false report?

Wow. Crazy how quickly everyone wanted to throw these guys under the bus! Guess they needed to do it before the facts actually came to light.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lochte was not the victim. His teammates were the victims while Lochte sat safely in his luxurious home in the US and they were pulled from their plane or had their passports confiscated while they were subjected to interrogation because of his juvenile behavior.

You would think the law and order crowd would say that he should go to Rio and face the music ........ the guy left his compatriots to deal with the legal mess that he created.

But he did say that he was very "hurt" that it happened to them!

Lots of posters are lawyers and, by definition, law and order types. Including me. If there were a strong chance of Lochte being treated fairly, then I would want him to go back to Rio. Since there isn't, I don't think he should.

NP. Nice deflection there. He vandalized an establishment , if he's such a stand up guy he needs to go face the music

Facing the music other than having people who were identified to him as law enforcement removing him and the other swimmers from a taxi and holding them at gunpoint until they emptied their wallets?

I've done some more reading, and that still doesn't seem to be appropriate application of the laws of Brazil. Having done that, and seen how his fellow swimmer was extorted, he's smart for staying away from the country. You (and others) seem to be skipping over the "held at gun point by authorities and robbed/extorted/fined" part.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Haha. Silly, ignorant Americans.

(Is it really important to you to be able to look down on other Americans? Kinda seems that way.)

No, I am contemptuous of people (Americans or otherwise) who are not just oblivious of other countries but are actually proud of their ignorance because they feel that the US is the center of the universe and nothing else matters.

I actually am very proud of this country and every time I have traveled abroad whether for a short or long period of time, I come back with an even greater appreciation of the US. But that is a far cry from putting down other countries, their people and their culture.

Okay, well, as long as you primarily enjoy putting down your fellow (less well travelled!) Americans and not foreigners, then no wonder your feel so comfortable claiming the moral (and patriotic) high ground.

Perhaps you should read my response more carefully and see if that is what I said.

You actually don't have to be widely traveled to gain an appreciation of other cultures and countries. An open mind matters more than traveling abroad.

Oh, I read it carefully the first time. (But I applaud your attempt to backtrack. You're right to recognize it as your best option at this point.)

USA Today is continuing with their investigative journalism.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/23/ryan-lochte-us-swimmers-rio-de-janeiro-gas-station-security-guards-incident/89228124/

All statements, from the swimmers, security guards and the helpful translator, seem to line up. The guards did draw their guns, the guards did tell the swimmers they were the police, and the poster was the only damage done to the gas station. Under Brazilian law, drawing guns is excessive when demanding money owed. And, if all the statements lined up, how exactly did Feigen make a false report?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Haha. Silly, ignorant Americans.

(Is it really important to you to be able to look down on other Americans? Kinda seems that way.)

No, I am contemptuous of people (Americans or otherwise) who are not just oblivious of other countries but are actually proud of their ignorance because they feel that the US is the center of the universe and nothing else matters.

I actually am very proud of this country and every time I have traveled abroad whether for a short or long period of time, I come back with an even greater appreciation of the US. But that is a far cry from putting down other countries, their people and their culture.

Okay, well, as long as you primarily enjoy putting down your fellow (less well travelled!) Americans and not foreigners, then no wonder your feel so comfortable claiming the moral (and patriotic) high ground.

Perhaps you should read my response more carefully and see if that is what I said.

You actually don't have to be widely traveled to gain an appreciation of other cultures and countries. An open mind matters more than traveling abroad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Haha. Silly, ignorant Americans.

(Is it really important to you to be able to look down on other Americans? Kinda seems that way.)

No, I am contemptuous of people (Americans or otherwise) who are not just oblivious of other countries but are actually proud of their ignorance because they feel that the US is the center of the universe and nothing else matters.

I actually am very proud of this country and every time I have traveled abroad whether for a short or long period of time, I come back with an even greater appreciation of the US. But that is a far cry from putting down other countries, their people and their culture.

Okay, well, as long as you primarily enjoy putting down your fellow (less well travelled!) Americans and not foreigners, then no wonder your feel so comfortable claiming the moral (and patriotic) high ground.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Haha. Silly, ignorant Americans.

(Is it really important to you to be able to look down on other Americans? Kinda seems that way.)

No, I am contemptuous of people (Americans or otherwise) who are not just oblivious of other countries but are actually proud of their ignorance because they feel that the US is the center of the universe and nothing else matters.

I actually am very proud of this country and every time I have traveled abroad whether for a short or long period of time, I come back with an even greater appreciation of the US. But that is a far cry from putting down other countries, their people and their culture.

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Haha. Silly, ignorant Americans.

(Is it really important to you to be able to look down on other Americans? Kinda seems that way.)

Tokyo Olympics: Imagine the reaction of those who have never had sushi being presented with some in Tokyo - and sushi in Tokyo is not exactly like the California roll that some Americans think makes them connoisseurs of sushi!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lochte was not the victim. His teammates were the victims while Lochte sat safely in his luxurious home in the US and they were pulled from their plane or had their passports confiscated while they were subjected to interrogation because of his juvenile behavior.

You would think the law and order crowd would say that he should go to Rio and face the music ........ the guy left his compatriots to deal with the legal mess that he created.

But he did say that he was very "hurt" that it happened to them!

Lots of posters are lawyers and, by definition, law and order types. Including me. If there were a strong chance of Lochte being treated fairly, then I would want him to go back to Rio. Since there isn't, I don't think he should.

I guess you must then sympathize with Julian Assange who is taking refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in the UK because he believes if he is extradited to Sweden, he will then be extradited to the US and believes that he will not get a fair trial here.

I take a more basic view: if you go to a foreign country and break the law then you face the system of justice there; otherwise, don't break the law or don't go to a foreign country whose judicial system you do not consider fair.

Lochte was not charged with vandalism. And when he left the country, he was not indicted. That happened almost a week after he left. There's no requirement for someone to return to a country, after they've left, even under your standard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lochte was not the victim. His teammates were the victims while Lochte sat safely in his luxurious home in the US and they were pulled from their plane or had their passports confiscated while they were subjected to interrogation because of his juvenile behavior.

You would think the law and order crowd would say that he should go to Rio and face the music ........ the guy left his compatriots to deal with the legal mess that he created.

But he did say that he was very "hurt" that it happened to them!

Lots of posters are lawyers and, by definition, law and order types. Including me. If there were a strong chance of Lochte being treated fairly, then I would want him to go back to Rio. Since there isn't, I don't think he should.

I guess you must then sympathize with Julian Assange who is taking refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in the UK because he believes if he is extradited to Sweden, he will then be extradited to the US and believes that he will not get a fair trial here.

I take a more basic view: if you go to a foreign country and break the law then you face the system of justice there; otherwise, don't break the law or don't go to a foreign country whose judicial system you do not consider fair.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No, any person who assumes that being critical of Lochte means that the individual belongs to some other country is a complete moron.

I provided a link from Fox News which I figured was the authority for nuts like you and it said that Lochte had been indicted. You may not like that information but it is FOX NEWS! What more can you want?

The good news is that an ignoramuses like you who are clueless about other countries will gradually be a non-factor in this country. In the meantime you can continue to believe that Obama was born in Kenya and is a Muslim.

Wrong. You are asserting that Lochte is a criminal deserving of being robbed at gunpoint. People who believe in the rule of law are disagreeing with you. The fact that you bring up Obama and Muslims exposes you for the idiot that you are.

You obviously are unable to comprehend simple English.

I have never said whether Lochte is guilty of any crime. What I said is that he has been indicted by Brazilian prosecutors. Indictment does not equate to guilt even in Brazil. I have also said that if an American goes to a foreign country he/she needs to comply with the laws of that country and US jurisprudence and due process is not applicable. If that is not acceptable then stay in the US but don't go to a foreign country, break the law and then gripe about the judicial system of that country.

My comment about your likely views about Obama's place of birth and religion is because it is people like you who are dismissive of a foreign country's judicial system are the type of person who also subscribes to ludicrous nonsense about Obama. After all, you made the idiotic remark that if one does not like how we do things here then I should go to the "shithole" of the country from where I came. You cannot imagine that an American born and raised in this country whose family has been here for over a hundred years could hold my views.

Your idiocy is only exceeded by your ignorance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lochte was not the victim. His teammates were the victims while Lochte sat safely in his luxurious home in the US and they were pulled from their plane or had their passports confiscated while they were subjected to interrogation because of his juvenile behavior.

You would think the law and order crowd would say that he should go to Rio and face the music ........ the guy left his compatriots to deal with the legal mess that he created.

But he did say that he was very "hurt" that it happened to them!

Lots of posters are lawyers and, by definition, law and order types. Including me. If there were a strong chance of Lochte being treated fairly, then I would want him to go back to Rio. Since there isn't, I don't think he should.

NP. Nice deflection there. He vandalized an establishment , if he's such a stand up guy he needs to go face the music

Lochte knocked a sign of the wall. Every other assertion has been refuted by eyewitnesses. If it were me who knocked a sign of a wall, I would certainly not bother to go back to a corrupt country that thinks it is appropriate to extort tens of thousands of dollars from me.