Armed Robbery, Brazilian Style

     A recent incident outside the Olympic Village had four American swimmers handing over their wallets to gunman after three of the boys were ordered down on their knees and demands had been made of a fourth to do so at gunpoint.  The Brazilian government claims this was not a holdup because the gunmen were "security staff" making the boys pay for something they'd broken.  Later, officials took two of the athletes off their flight home and seized their passports to make them say whatever the government wanted them to say before being allowed to leave the country.  A photo-op demonstration was staged at the airport, stooges chanting "liars", when the two walked through the terminal after being released by interrogators.

   Meanwhile, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) issued a statement apologizing for something, though it wasn't clear what, stating, in part, that "an argument ensued between the athletes and two armed gas station security staff, who displayed their weapons, ordered the athletes from their vehicle and demanded the athletes provide a monetary payment."

     Ignoring whatever precipitated the armed robbery as irrelevant, how is that last part not armed robbery?  We're told this wasn't the only Olympics-related holdup, and are anxiously awaiting an explanation of the laws in Brazil, if any, covering gunmen loose in the streets.

     This story comes at a time when Americans are wondering why we're being screwed through trade agreements all across the globe.  Maybe the day has arrived to pull out of these POS treaties with these POS countries, and the games are just showing us why.