I think you'll find all the top brands have good 'glass', but the thing about olympus and their 4/3rds system is that all their lenses are pretty much 'above average'! Whereas other brands have different lenses with different optical performance, with Olympus, it is system-wide.
The problem with 4/3rds though is their relatively small sensors bring with them noisy high ISOs. But if you don't need high ISOs, it's a system with some compelling advantages.
Regards cameras looking like weapons and getting their owners into trouble: ask these men:
Collateral Murder
or
BBC News - US 'reviewing' Iraq killing video posted on WikiLeaks
Mis-identification helped get these men killed. :-(
p.s I'd have thought Olympus, and their 4/3rds system, would have gained a lot of users in the 'spotting' comunity due to the 2x multiplication factor the system gives any lenses fitted. i.e their 50-200mm/f2.8-3.5 lens acts like a 100-400mm lens! That is a decent telephoto zoom range in a small, relatively inexpensive package!