UNITY: IF EXPERIENCE TEACHES US

If you've ever doubted that there's strength in unity, check out what
Bolivar County Sheriff's Department Investigator Joe Smith and
Cleveland Police Department Investigator Charles "Buster" Bingham have
accomplished by working together.

Monday the pair of investigators arrested a suspect on charges of
possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of crack
cocaine. Last week they put a suspected meth lab out of business.

In approximately a year, Smith and Bingham have made between 30 and 50
drug busts. Seldom does a week go by when news of such events doesn't
come down.

"I think once Drew Warren and I decided for our departments to work
together, it was one of the best things we ever did," said Bolivar
County sheriff H.M. "Mack" Grimmett.

He commented that as a team, the two law enforcement agencies can do
more to serve the residents of Cleveland and Bolivar County.

He's right, of course, and it's his department's and the police
department's credit that they have discovered that fact.

It's surprising, though, how many people and even nations fail to
grasp the value of teamwork, even though it's been espoused as far
back as biblical days when a psalmist wrote that it is in the unity of
brothers that God commands blessing. Already, for example, we appear
to have forgotten the lessons learned in the aftermath of that
horrible day in September two years ago.

Sept. 11, 2001, was a time in which we rediscovered the important
truth that one of the greatest strengths of the nation is when we, the
people, become one in purpose. America proved that even in the face of
national disaster, the people of this country are capable of rising
above the worst of crises when we undertake the task together.

Topping all the efforts, a group of brave, unarmed airline passengers
fought and died together in a valiant effort to prevent their hijacked
plane from crashing into another building and in the process they
saved hundreds or even thousands of lives.

Our nation's politicians worshiped together at the National Cathedral
and under the Capitol dome. Here in Cleveland we gathered in the
Walter Sillers Coliseum to express our loyalty to our country and our
solidarity in the fight against terrorism. Police, firefighters and
other rescue workers from across the nation stood by to assist New
York's emergency workers at the World Trade Center. Our soldiers made
short work of the Taliban in Afghanistan as even the U.S. Postal
Service proclaimed on its stamps, "United We Stand."

Since then, unity's message has somehow been lost as political
bickering resumed, and the results of our war against terrorism have
tapered off correspondingly.

Unity is when two people or even many people become one and in their
oneness their strength becomes proportionally greater. We have seen
the truth of that in the last two years from our local law enforcement
efforts to the efforts of the heroes who have fought against the
ravages of terrorism.

Now if only experience is half the teacher people say it is.