Eternal vigilance price of liberty

Be alert and keep awake. The world needs more lerts.
All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
In these days of increasingly apparent social dysfunction, terrorism and unsettled life there are those amongst us who are charged with the roles of watchmen and guardians of life. The watchmen may watch but who watches over the watchmen?
I regularly travel Mosston Road between Castlecliff and Whanganui city, a pleasant rural drive with a 70kph speed limit. Recently I travelled that route behind a police patrol car. They appeared to be over the speed limit as the officers chatted under a clear blue sky. I pondered reporting them on *555 or Community Roadwatch as my recollections drifted to lines from movies - Clint Eastwood in Sudden Impact snarling, "Go ahead, make my day", brandishing a Smith and Wesson; Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd effusing, "I never broke the Law. I am The Law". The day was fine and driving was enjoyable. Cops are human. Years ago I had a friend in the police force who said it was the uniform that authorised him in his work, on behalf of the Sovereign.
Those charged with administering the law are paid to do just that: administer the law. If they claim to be the law, rather than administer it on behalf of the crown or elected government, then they claim authority that is not theirs to own. At that point the ordinary citizen should fear for their own safety.
Police, Fire, Medical, and Military personnel are currently human. Robocop is still a movie role. They have an increasingly challenging job to do and provided they remember that they are administrators of their skills and authority, they deserve our respect and recognition ... and no I did not report the speeding incident.