John warned Lihman, John warned John and both Johns delievered President Rawlings, banned, seven ex-security rebels, banned and we are really surprised at the turn of events. That warning was issued; that historic presidential debate in 2000, the one John "already in motion" boycotted, probably on the advise of John then of the Castle. John warned that if John went about with any too known activities after leaving office, he would show him who the real John was. Interesting, John warned Limann, John warned John and both Johns delivered. But that was some debate, the debate that stressed the meaning of the simple words, thank you, reiterated by CNN Johanesburg beareau chief, Charleyene Gaunther-Halt the debate moderator. "Thank you thank you thank you" she rattled on attempting to quiet down the enthusiastic audience. Thank you John for the ban. For good measure, the ban on John the ex was not uncalled for because one way John used to release stress was to jump into a Ghana Air Force jet and fly away to get close to God in the sky. Why not follow VooDoo Child who would just dance like crazy to release stress. John is no ordinary pilot either, he won the coveted Speed Bird trophy and that trophy was all that mattered if you were in the Air Force Academy. You could graduate top of the class but if you could not fly the jet right under the Adomi Bridge and do a tail spin, how could you fly the President of Ghana and manoeuver the presidential jet in a difficult situation if say, your landing gear failed. Or, if you hit a very difficult air pocket, a.k.a "pot holes" during the glorious days of Ghana Airways. God have mercy if John felt stressed out, jumped into an Air Force jet and flew right past the new presidential mansion. Ten Alavanyo pistols, ten strategic broadcast stations So it was that John made good on his promise and clipped John’s wings when the former became president. Just curious about the latest ban on the ex security capos, what if one of them suddenly had a bout of diarrhoea and was near a so-called military installation and wanted to use the john, what if it was John himself? He would be arrested, locked up and given an ex-presidential treatment, not so? Exactly the kind of treatment that he was enjoying before he was rescued for that dawn broadcast in 1979. Colonel Bogey March, that was the marshall song played over and over again on June 4, 1979 on GBC radio. It is still the number one marshall song in the world, that song, should a radio station add it to its playlist by sheer coincidence or design, you think the program director would still have a job or he would be invited to have tea Kibaki style. Military installations huh? Ten Alavanyo pistols, ten strategic broadcast stations, a prepared statement and of course a Colonel Bogey marching song timed to play at dawn and what do you have, an effective ban or organized chaos? Aha, they forgot that one, that vital one that the Generals in the former Soviet Union missed when they attempted to retire their Commander In Chief Premier Gorbachev, without consulting their African counterparts first. The mafia boss is jealous of the escalating violence in the country Here is the thing, the man who is responsible for the most stable multi party democracy in Africa, setting up CHRAJ; and an independent Electoral Commission, the man who handed power to his opponents. This man who is arguably second only to Mandela in popularity among ex presidents on the African continent, the outgone John who was invited instead of the present John to witness a peace treaty signed between rebels in a foreign country. He who privatized the airwaves and saw an expansion of the free press but wielded that sweet press criminal law. The ex dawn broadcaster who indemnified himself resolutely in a constitution he signed would throw all that away. He would throw all that away for a shot at 15 minutes of fame in the new presidential mansion built by John? Maybe John is jealous of the John who decriminalised that law that "protected" journalists from criminal prosecution. This John that brought us HIPC and a new cedi and wined and dined with Owura Bush and sided with the resolution against Iran. The John that imprisoned Abodakpi and Selormey and Tsikata. A pause, oh, John of ex misses his consiglieri. That should be it, the "mafia boss" calls a meeting of ex-capos and discusses the security situation in the country and how to use it to rescue Tsikata. No? The Godfather is jealous of the escalating violence in the country that he felt only he had the right to wage. This violence that resulted in deaths and property damage, this violence which has a signature akin to the one written over Ya Naa’s death as John reigned. What did Fela Anikulopa Kuti say about abongo boys? The meeting was supposedly non-partisan, it was reported and the ex service chiefs were expected to release a statement on the security situation, a noble or treacherous move depending on which side of the banned wall you were. This statement would obviously have been presented to government or parliament. They never did that before they were all banned from "staging a coup." The president could not have given this directive arbitarily, meaning, it came at the recommendation of the present security capos. They got scared that the ex-security bosses would march into the various barracks, and command the abongo boys to follow their lead. What did Fela Anikulopa Kuti say about abongo boys, what did the stubborn cat say? A General and her peers are like gods in the regimented services. She is such that she orders an underling and it has to be obeyed even as the underling knew he was being dispatched to commune with the gods forever. Only Buffalo Soldier promised not to give such order when he told Ecomog soldiers; "I want to send ten thousand men into the battlefield and bring back ten thousand men" heeeey, the soldiers cheered. Good for morale but the most verbose Ghanaian General ever was stretching the truth a little there. The General is the ultimate in that disciplined military chain of command which has to be maintained at all times with high morale and quality leadership. Throw that chain of command and discipline through the window and you have disaster, disorganised and or organised chaos, dawn broadcasts. A mutiny is the worst disgrace any commander in the chain of command could face and it is avoided at all cost. Would you disobey a direct order from your CINC? The security chiefs must have had reliable intelligence like the one leading to the assassination of the Ya Naa and the unrest in Tamale and Gushiegu. They were not prepared for any mutiny in the ranks no? Roll call, Chief Of Defence Staff, Lt General Joseph Boateng Danquah, Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Samuel Anum Odotei, Chief of the Naval Staff Rear Admiral Arthur Riby Sampa Nunoo, Chief of Air Airforce Staff Air Vice Marshal Jo Boateng, Inspector General Of Police Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, Director of Immigration Ms Elisabeth Adjei, Minister Of Defence, Dr. Albert Kan-Dapaah Minister of the Interior Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor. The question is, are you in control? The other question to the present security chiefs, if the President of the Republic of Ghana, Commander In Chief Of the Ghana Armed Forces gave you an order to circumvent the constitution, would you obey it? Fair question and it was a focus during the Watergate scandal. The book, Four Stars by Mark Perry which traced the formation of the United States Joint Chiefs Of Staff from General Omar Bradley, the first Chairman to Admiral Crow in 1985 revealed how the service chiefs took offence when it was suggested that President Nixon could ask the military to bail him out instead of leaving office. Would you disobey a direct order from your CINC if it contravened the constitution? Alright, what if the order would result in genocide or if the order would seriously destroy your hard earned reputation forever and muddy the military? These questions point to a grey area in governance that show that at the end of the day, conscience, morality, virtue; these are values that become the main guidance in making a decision. Luckily, President Nixon resigned, luckily the ex security capos in Ghana were banned, luckily, you are banned from reading this. By Dzifah Hiatsi (The VooDoo Child) [dzifah@yahoo.com]