Southern Rhodesia, Central Africa: March, 1914. A trooper of police, sent to contain a lawless settlement near Bulawayo, the country s largest city, told on his arrival there that all the violence was caused by government restrictions (not true) took them at their word and made a single, simple rule, No one may initiate the use of force, including me simple, because to him it was no more than a policeman s job. Common Law would be upheld, he said (robbery, rape, fraud etc.): Statute Law (restrictions) wouldn t. If they obeyed it, so would he: that was the deal, and his grim reputation needed...

Southern Rhodesia, Central Africa.

In March 1914, occurred a mutiny at the Curragh Barracks, Dublin, Ireland, when the O/C refused an order from the Government in London to disarm political protesters in the North: Its wrong! he said. And its not a soldiers job, he added.

Next day, in the lawless settlement of Queenstown in Rhodesia, their new trooper made a rule: No force may be initiated by anyone, including me. Its wrong, he said. "And its my job, anyway.

Which was shrugged off as being obvious - till someone challenged it, with results so dire that no one ever tried again.
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