Headline December 02, 2016/ ''' !*THE YEAR OF MERCY*? '''

''' !*THE YEAR OF MERCY*? '''

HIS  HOLINESS  POPE  FRANCIS'S   EPISCOPAL MOTTO IS.......' miserando atque eligendo''   -'by having mercy and choosing''  -which refers to the-

Merciful gesture of  Jesus calling Matthew,  -a hated tax collector,   to become one of his disciples.

But as the  Year of Mercy  progressed, writes this distinguished author, Mark K Shriver, I realized that what Pope Francis meant by mercy had almost nothing to do with what I though it meant.

I for one had considered mercy from an intellectual perspective and believed the pope was essentially calling me to be nicer to people.

But he is calling on us to live mercy on a deeply personal basis that changes the very essence of who we are, adds the author.   

In these present moments and  times,  all and every kind of news is ricocheting my way from America. It has saddened me, and  just about added another, many  hours more of reading and researching.

America is a great country by any measure. And then it has built fantastic institutions,  -to my envy, at least. No body is above the law in America. 

But the students and I, best remain very, very vigilant as the future unfolds.

Student Lundy Khoy arrived in the United States on Nov. 12, 1981 when she was just 1. And with that, I honour her and allow her to pick up her own strands. So, read on.

*My parents had fled the Pol Pot genocide in Cambodia, in which over two million people were murdered. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand before moving to California, and then to Virginia.

None of these facts may seem important, but I assure you, they are. My parents and I were granted legal permanent resident status; my brother and sister, who were born here, are citizens.

The three of us were typical American kids, eating  Cheerios for breakfast and taking the bus to school. We went to Disneyland and religiously watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the beach.

As a teenager I attended school dances in all of their crepe glory. I am not an American citizen, but there is no way that I am not an American.

Donald J, Trump said that his administration will  ''get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could even be three million.''

He continued, ''We are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate. But we're getting them out of our country.''

I'm not a gang member. I'm not a drug dealer. But I have a criminal record, and I'm afraid.

My parents were very strict when I was growing up. We were expected to come straight home after school to do our homework and then start on our chores. No extracurricular activities. Although it was a happy home, I struggled to find independence.

I think that's why, when I started college at George Mason University, i was very naive  -and very foolish. 

My new friends introduced me to drugs. I had no idea of the consequences behind the choices I made.

In the spring of 2000, I was walking along the street with an American -born friend when we were stopped by a police officer.

I was carrying seven tablets of  Ecstasy. I was  arrested for possession with intent to sell, which is a felony in Virginia.

On the advice of my lawyer   -and feeling that a trial would increase my family's sufferings and embarrassment  -I pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in jail.

My sentence was suspended, so I spent only three months in the Virginia Department of Corrections. 

I then served four years on  probation, and my level of supervision was gradually reduced as I demonstrated good behavior.

I used the freedom that was given to me to better myself. I moved back in with my parents and began working full time at a  mortgage company, and enrolled at  Northern Virginia Community College.

I paid my taxes, contributed to society and tried to make my parents proud.

Then, in 2004, I went for what I thought was a routine visit to my probation officer. I had even brought along my most recent report card to show the growth that I had made.      

The Honour and Serving of the latest ''Operational Research'' on the State of the World  continues. Thank Ya all for reading and sharing forward and see you on the following one:

With respectful dedication to  the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all   on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and Twitter !E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' The World '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless