Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Who will watch the watchmen?

Today, am reminded of this quote (this question), not simply from popular culture (see: The Watchmen), but, purportedly, from antiquity.

According to the web, the phrase, as it is normally quoted in Latin, comes from the Satires of Juvenal.

In context within Juvenal's poem (satiric) it apparently "refers to the impossibility of enforcing moral behaviour (on women) when the enforcers (custodes) are corruptible" (Satire 6.346–348):

audio quid ueteres olim moneatis amici, "pone seram, cohibe." sed quis custodiet ipsos— custodes? cauta est et ab illis incipit uxor.

I hear always the admonishment of my friends: "Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who will guard the guardians? The wife plans ahead and begins with them!

[Dear ladies, I love you all, and, especially; I love my wife!]

Context, ever important and ever subject to shifts, personification and emphasis, generally, nevertheless weighs heavily on important ideas.

So on the "Day of the 10th Year After 9/11" - an historically tragic day of certain and epic proportion; who does, in fact, watch the watchers?

Could it be you or I?

I find a Mr. Richard Stallman's essay from October 2001, of particular interest::

"Over decades, external and internal enemies come and go. Sometimes the government protects us from danger; sometimes it is the danger. Whenever there is a proposal to increase government surveillance power, we must judge it not solely in terms of the situation of the moment, but in terms of the whole range of situations that we have faced and will face again. We must use the government for our protection, but we must never stop protecting ourselves from it.

In the United States, we have developed a system to watch the watchmen: Judges watch them in some ways; the public watches them in other ways. For our safety, we must keep this system functioning. When the watchmen are really working for us, they can afford to let us check their work. When they ask us to stop checking, we must say no.

Read it all here.

Quality Pipes

Daniel Pipes, not everyone's cup of tea (who is?), makes a most astute comment as the occasion of 10 Years After 9/11 approaches and he (along with 29 other writers) is asked by the Center for Security Policy: "Are We Safe?"

In part, says he:

However much politicians, journalists, and academics obscure the nature of the threat and the proper response to it, 9/11 began a discussion about Islam and Islamism that has not stopped. As the years go by and its quality improves, I am increasingly heartened. (September 8, 2011)

Upon much reflection (continuing), I agree.

Let the (quality) discussion(s) continue.