In the Middle Kingdom

And a note about coming back through U.S. customs and immigration

For the next few days, I’ll be in Beijing, China, settling some matters left over from Ma’s estate. I arrived this evening to the bustling noise of the Beijing Capital International Airport, where the gleaming, tall sweeps of the architecture still prevent the sheer chaos on the ground!

I managed to hail a “Didi” car using a ride hailing app connected to my WeChat payment. It sure beats trying to flag down a cab and pay with crumbled up yuan from your pocket!

Many folks on social media have commented worrying about my being able to get back into the U.S. given my anti-Trump writings. I personally don’t think we’re quite there yet, where U.S. citizens are routinely singled out and detained for their political views.

Though, in fairness, that is where we may be headed not long from now. So I’m keeping a close eye out for that. I want to assure people that I’ve made full arrangements, in the event I do get detained for some indefinite time, and I will have many lawyer friends willing to help out.

I firmly believe we should not live in fear, and we should definitely not censor or draw back based on concerns over what might happen. That’s what the fascists want us to do. Of course, I want to be a good, responsible father, too. But a big part of that includes standing up for my values and showing my kids that courage begins with each of us.

On that note, I’ll be back here tomorrow with more news, analysis and criticism of our current administration, without self-censorship or compromise.

Jay