Last fall Thomas Ravenel was elected as the treasurer of my state of South Carolina. Now he has been indicted on charges of cocaine possession with intent to distribute. In fact, here is the indictment. That was a pretty quick fall from grace. There are a few interesting angles on this. One I found via Avedon is this interesting way the drug is mentioned. Some call it “cocaine” and other “crack cocaine” as analyzed here. What’s the difference? Crack cocaine carries stiffer penalties than does the same amount of powder cocaine. “Stranger” is pointing to a conspiracy theory but I think it is way too early for that when the possibility of some reporters just being wrong is alive. The indictment doesn’t use the word crack, so wouldn’t that be the operational point, and what does it matter how it is spun in the media? What really matters is whether the physical evidence they submit is a bag full of powder, or chunks.
Another interesting wrinkle is that Ravenel is the SC campaign manager for Giuliani’s presidential bid. It will be interesting to see if there is any political fallout in that direction. It kind of makes sense because as John Perry Barlow pointed out several years ago, cocaine is a Republican drug.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=203829438
Well wasn’t this the same way George W. started out? We better watch out he might be our next president. Most of the religious right are doing drugs and they voted in W.
How about the other local politicians and well known dignitaries that played in the snow with T-Rav. I noticed that the P&C has very little about this story, jeez I wonder why. Who are they trying to protect. I hear this story hits close to home with them, those in the know, know what I’m talking about. The party in the battery, the hidden cameras, those who flipped and mentioned names. A good investigative reporter could have a field day with this story and probably sell a screenplay. City Paper and The State-keep on top of this story because you own it. The P&C doesn’t want to get dirty with this one.
..but you can’t hide.
If Ravenel is convicted of distribution of cocaine, he can serve as much as 20 years in prison. I would say that it is more likely that he will cut a “plea deal†to serve a short amount of time behind bars along with probation.
If Ravenel cuts a “plea dealâ€, in other words, “pleads guilty†then the Feds should insist that he roll over on a “Bigger Fish†If he does not roll over, then he should do some serious jail time with the rest of the “Cocaine Distributorsâ€.
He should also pay the $1,000,000 fine and pay for all the expenses that the Charleston police, SLED, FBI, US Attorney’s office have incurred during their investigation and prosecution of this case and serve some jail time. Then, he will have made amends with the State of South Carolina.