Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large. 

Do not pass go

One thing I realized as I was leaving Guangzhou (China) heading to South Korea: the United States don’t care when people are departing for international. There’s no customs check, there’s no immigration check. America is probably so ecstatic at you leaving the country that they don’t want to spook you into changing your mind with additional barriers.

The only stamp on your non-U.S. passport when you visit the States is the entry.

(Countries I’ve visited) China has immigration control on exit. So does, Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan. This creates a need for travelers to get to the respective airports earlier. The security check presents enough of a choke point - why add another one? Homeland Security - or whatever a country’s equivalent - should only care about what’s coming in. You know, protecting the homeland. It’s the destination country’s problem to handle if a traveler ends up being the unsavory kind.

Surely a flight manifest is enough data for a country to determine if a person has left the country. Unless of course your name is Carlos Ghosn, and you had to smuggle your way out of Japan in a cargo box.

The way America handles this is the right way - immigration upon entry only. Unless of course the government of a particular country wants to prevent its citizens from so easily leaving its borders. Though even North Korea wouldn’t need immigration check upon exit? Because I am (hopefully correctly) assuming that there isn’t an airline in the world who would sell/operate a flight out of the upper Joseon peninsula to a North Korean citizen.

Look at that, America doing something outside of international norms, but it’s actually good.

Through the looking glass.

But what about me?

It’s not very nice to wake up to the news that the President of South Korea has declared martial law. Because I was selfishly thinking about the implications it has on my trip to Seoul in five months’ time. Would I be able to get into the country? I’m going to lose a non-inconsiderable sum if I have to cancel flights.

Good news for me - and South Korean citizens, obviously - the Korean National Assembly quickly gathered and voted unanimously to veto the President’s declaration. Crisis averted, democracy prevailed.

I would like to believe that should such craziness happen here in the States, our “guardrails” can also act quickly to stop it. Say what you want about January 6, but Congress - once safe - acted decisively to certify the election for Biden. There was not going to be a coup against the Constitution. Your misgivings may be about the incoming President (or any future Presidents) can be assuaged by our democratic rules. Richard Nixon won in an absolute landslide; two years later he was persona non grata.

Or maybe I’m too idealistic and optimistic. If America ever goes to actual war with China, you bet my Chinese-born ass is getting hauled to an internment camp. Koremastu can totally happen again, given enough social pressure and xenophobia. All it takes is five Supreme Court justices to affirm the action to be legal.

Sad thing is: in that hypothetical situation, I can’t even defect back to China! (Not that I would. Maybe.) My Chinese citizenship was forfeit soon as I naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The ruling Chinese government does not allow for dual-citizenship.

River crossing.