By Jeffrey Sewell

As I sat in the Matthew Perry Federal Court House earlier this month watching my friend, Thomas Ravenel, receive his sentence on federal drug charges, I was reminded of a scene from the Academy Award-winning film, Traffic.

One of the most unflinching, unapologetic and controversial motion pictures ever made, Traffic explores America’s “War on Drugs” from multiple vantage points, including that of fictitious American Drug Czar Robert Wakefield.

“If there is a war on drugs,” Wakefield says during the movie’s climactic scene, “Then many of our family members are the enemy. And I don’t know how you wage war on your own family.”

Sitting calmly behind the defendant’s table in that same courtroom was a man I have come to know as family.

He was – and is – a good man, a successful man, a man whose goodness and success has created opportunity and prosperity for thousands of South Carolinians. And a man whose passionate advocacy of our nation’s founding fiscal conservative principles was poised to create additional opportunity and prosperity for thousands – perhaps millions – of us living in a state saddled with high unemployment, low income levels and a diminished competitive position in an increasingly competitive world.

But my friend – who also happens to be our former State Treasurer – had a secret habit.

His recreational use of cocaine not only violated our laws, it also violated the public trust we placed in him.

Perhaps better than anyone else, Thomas Ravenel knows this. That’s why he cooperated fully and truthfully with the authorities who came to know of his secret. It’s why he took immediate and decisive steps to receive the treatment he needed to cure him of his admitted addiction. It’s why he willingly accepted a sentence that many – including me – felt was too harsh and too motivated by the media’s definition of “equality,” a definition at odds with mitigating circumstances acknowledged not only by his attorneys, but by the men prosecuting him. And it’s why he’s asked to begin serving his sentence now, rather than delay it in the hopes of receiving leniency.

Through every step of his public ordeal, Thomas Ravenel has proven that his words “I not only want to apologize, I want to make amends,” have been accompanied by a genuine commitment to rehabilitate himself and restore the public confidence he has lost.

But no matter what you think of Thomas Ravenel or the sentence he received, consider these facts from a recent non-partisan Pew Center study:

• State and federal authorities currently spend $55 billion a year to incarcerate approximately 2.3 million Americans – the highest percentage in the world.

• Government spending on incarceration – adjusted for inflation – has increased by 127% over the past two decades. By comparison, higher education costs have only increased by 21%.

• Non-violent offenders – who represent about half of all incarcerated American adults – would be just as likely to avoid repeat offenses if given less-expensive punishments like mandatory drug counseling, electronic monitoring or house arrest.

Simply put, for all the talk of “justice” and “equality” that accompanied news of Ravenel’s sentencing, the truth is that as a society we are avoiding the underlying issue here – the increasing costs and proven ineffectiveness of locking up first time, non-violent offenders.

Even assuming Ravenel hadn’t admitted his responsibility, cooperated fully with authorities or voluntarily sought treatment for his drug use, he likely would still have been eligible for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) and avoided jail time had he faced state charges. Why wasn’t he? In fact, Judge Joseph F. Anderson acknowledged in Ravenel’s sentencing hearing that it was “rare to have powder cocaine cases in the federal court system.”

“Ravenel is a good example of a defendant likely to mend his ways and become a contributing member of society again – even without a jail sentence,” a recent editorial by the Rock Hill Herald stated. “Taxpayers will spend about $15,000 a year to house and feed Ravenel in a federal prison. We question whether that is money well spent.”

It’s easy to be tough on crime, to “lock ‘em up and throw away the key.” It’s also easy to allow the media to dictate the parameters of justice as they see fit. What’s more difficult is to acknowledge that while popular and politically-expedient, such remedies do not always serve the individual to be “rehabilitated” or the society to be “protected.”

Our goal as a nation should be not only truth – but justice – in sentencing. In the case of Thomas Ravenel, justice clearly was not served.

Mr. Sewell is the principal consultant of Sewell Consultancy, a political consulting firm in Lexington County. He is also the former campaign manager to Ravenel for Treasurer and co-owner of www.SChotline.com.

Ravenel judge offers insight

Explains sentences, wonders why no new drug suspects named

The judge who sentenced former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel to 10 months in prison explained his decision Friday by saying that anything else “would not promote respect for the law.”

He also wondered why more figures haven’t been named in the nine months since the state and federal investigation of Charleston’s social cocaine scene broke loose.

“It is perplexing to the court that the government could not present a single name of an individual to which Ravenel’s substantial assistance led,” U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson Jr. wrote in court papers.

The comments come from sentencing memorandums filed one week after Anderson gave both men nearly identical 10-month prison terms.

The documents, filed in Columbia, largely expand on statements Anderson already made from the bench, but further explain his reasoning in connection with federal sentencing guidelines and requests for leniency.

Ravenel, of Charleston, faced one charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine for sharing the drug with friends. His legal team and prosecutors have described him as continuously cooperative in the probe.

Mount Pleasant deejay Michael Miller, 26 — Ravenel’s coke supplier — faced two charges, conspiracy and possession to distribute.

Despite authorities’ claims that Ravenel cooperated with them, Anderson pointed out inconsistencies covering Ravenel’s explanation of when he first began using cocaine.

In one early report from a state agent, Ravenel said he first experimented with powder cocaine in 2002, and later repeated that his drug use was something that was recent.

“A couple of years ago, I became friends with a group of ‘new friends,’ ” Ravenel is quoted as saying. “They were young and exciting. We went to bars and did things, cocaine. I knew that I should not be associating with these people. I wanted to be friendly with them. I exercised poor judgment in being with them and using cocaine.”

But another entry says Ravenel stated he began using when he was 18, and then sporadically between 1981 and 2005.

“The court found it disputable that Ravenel was completely forthcoming in his initial interview,” the judge wrote.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors also asked for leniency based on Ravenel’s cooperation so far, though authorities have declined to give specifics about their ongoing probe into Charleston’s cocaine scene, partly out of fear of divulging key information in open court.

The delay in announcing more cases was noted by Anderson. Only three figures have been named so far: Miller, Ravenel and local wine expert Pasquale Pellicoro, who is believed to have fled to Europe.

The 10-month sentence that Anderson gave was toward the lower end of the 8 to 14 months Ravenel faced, with all his benefits factored in.

He left open the possibility of a further reduction if his assistance leads to more cases.

Anderson also noted that even though the cocaine use was relatively minimal, because it was used inside the home of a state constitutional officer “to not impose a custodial sentence would not promote respect for the law.”

Miller, who goes by the street name “Hash,” was credited for turning in Ravenel during the first time he was approached by law enforcement.

“By implicating Ravenel, Miller arguably placed himself at odds with one of South Carolina’s most politically prominent and powerful families,” Anderson wrote in court documents.

Ravenel is a son of former lawmaker and congressman and current Charleston school board member Arthur Ravenel Jr.

The judge added, “To someone like Miller, who admits to daily drug use, has never maintained a permanent job, reports no assets and lives with his parents, the decision to implicate a member of this state’s power structure obviously required a degree of resolve that the court determined should be rewarded.”

Ravenel was a rising star in the Republican Party until his indictment on the drug charge last year, forcing him from office. In the week since his sentencing he and Miller have both asked to report to prison early.

They will report to a federal prison as close to Charleston as space allows.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at skropf@postandcourier.com or 937-5551.

This is not justice – this is reverse discrimination at its worst. Frankly, I think it’s a sad day when we let the NAACP or any other organization dictate terms to the federal bench – on a case that would have never been in the federal court system to begin with were it not for Thomas Ravenel’s prominent public position.

On the one hand, we have a defendant who cooperated fully with the authorities, who sought treatment for his personal problem and who was never alleged to have sold drugs, yet he receives ten months in a federal prison and a $250,000 fine – the latter simply because he can afford it.

On the other hand, we have a drug dealer who after his arrest struck a police officer, skipped a drug test and attempted to compromise an ongoing investigation – and yet he gets the same penalty minus the fine.

Justice is supposed to be blind, but today the facts of this case were thrown out the window and a decision was made based on race and social position. We are all supposed to be equal under the law, but today inequality ruled in Judge Anderson’s courtroom.

Jeffrey Sewell

SKIING on the beach tomorrow?”

“Late-night ski lift looking for a snow bunny.”

“Where are the cool Brooklyn ski bums? I’ve got tons to share.”

“Take a ride on the snow train.”

The come-ons in the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist last week — or any week — are as plentiful as they are obvious (and cheesy). Using a variety of euphemisms that have been around since Jay McInerney wrote about Bolivian Marching Powder, posters invite others to join them for a line or a lost weekend fueled by cocaine.

The cheeky openness of these ads is hardly anomalous. While cocaine and drug abuse seem to have faded from the headlines, with coverage limited to the not-so-veiled references surrounding the exploits of waifish celebrities, it is still very much a part of the social scene, especially in New York.

Evidence of that is popping up in music, television and even theater. Indeed, for a generation that has not had its John Belushi to drive home the dangers of drug abuse, references and even use are open, casual, even blatant.

“You do see it,” said Noel Ashman, an owner of the Plumm, a hotspot near the meatpacking district. “We’re pretty tight at the club with drug use, whenever we see it we kick it right out. But it has popped up more than it did five years ago.”

And like the red flash of a Louboutin pump, it is easy to spot.

“It’s definitely prevalent in clubs, bars, parties — everywhere, basically,” said Cristiano Andrade, 26, a Brooklynite who manages a wine shop and goes out in the city once or twice a week.

Drug-abuse experts say the blasé attitude toward cocaine use is a result of “generational amnesia.”

“There seems to be less of a stigma about” cocaine, said Dr. Herbert Kleber, director of the division of substance abuse at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in Manhattan. As part of his oversight of research into cocaine addiction and treatment, and in his private clinical practice, Dr. Kleber hears stories about the drug’s use. “People don’t feel nearly as much the need to hide it,” he said. “They feel that they can use it in a more open fashion.”

The visibility of cultural markers — and the absence of cautionary tales — leads to the assumption that coke is not as harmful, say, as heroin (which was associated with the high-profile overdoses of River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain in the 90s), or methamphetamine, whose recent popularity in the gay community has led to a targeted campaign against it, said Perry N. Halkitis, a professor of applied psychology at New York University who studies behavior, the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse.

“If you’re a 19-year-old and you go out and party and you’re offered meth, you say no because you’ve heard these bad things,” he said. “But you’re offered coke, you say yes because you assume it’s safe.” And, he added, as the authorities crack down on meth, “people are going to tend to go to cocaine, which has similar, if not identical properties” as a stimulant.

NOT to mention that the supply and the price of cocaine, about $25 to $30 on the street for a half-gram bag, have remained stable for several years, said John Galea, director of the street studies unit of the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. (In rare cases, a large bust can affect prices. Chief James P. O’Neill, the commanding officer of the New York Police Department Narcotics Division, said the authorities seized a record 20 tons of cocaine off the coast of Panama in March, and wholesale prices rose in the last few weeks.)

A prevalence among young people is not entirely borne out by national statistics. According to an annual survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, lifetime cocaine use remained stable between 2002 and 2005 among 18- to 25-year-olds. (Data before 2002 are noncomparable.) But the study — which estimates national rates based on a poll of 67,500 people — recorded a 20 percent increase in past-month use among that age group in 2005 from 2004, the last period for which data were available, said Joe Gfroerer, the group’s director of the division of population surveys. (There was no change in usage rates among people over 26.)

The Police Department has not recorded an increase in drug-related arrests at clubs recently, Chief O’Neill said. But, he added, “It doesn’t mean if you’re doing drugs in a club you won’t get caught.”

But in interviews over the last five months with people in the night-life, entertainment, media and finance industries, all said that cocaine is a prominent part of a night out. Teron Beal, 34, a songwriter and aspiring actor, said he encountered cocaine regularly and does it occasionally — and not only in clubs and bars. “When you’re in meetings and you’re in the studio, it’s offered like coffee,” he said. “If you say yeah, they’re cool with it and if you say no, they’re like O.K., and they just go and do it in front of you.”

“Coke is the new weed,” he continued. “Everybody says that.”

Tom Sykes, a former night-life reporter for The New York Post who chronicled his alcohol- and drug-fueled life in the memoir “What Did I Do Last Night?” said that cocaine is more socially acceptable than smoking. “You could go into a swanky party in New York and do a line and nobody would notice,” said Mr. Sykes, who is now sober. “Pull out a cigarette and people would think you’d pulled out a gun.”

And cocaine is not only popular in New York. “When I go to travel somewhere else, people think I do it and they’re so eager to shove it up my nose,” said Roxy Summers, a party promoter and D.J. who goes by the name Oxy Cottontail.

Mr. Beal, who is old enough to remember the drug wars of the 80s, said the perception of the drug has changed. “When I was growing up, it was like a VH-1 ‘Behind the Music’ moment whenever anyone talked about their cocaine habit,” he said. “It was like rock bottom, coke is crazy.” Now, he said, it is merely flashy fun.

Dominic Streatfeild, the author of “Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography,” who is based in London, where according to recent government studies, use among young people has tripled since the late 90s, had another theory. “In a culture obsessed with celebrity,” he said, “the fact that cocaine makes you feel rich and beautiful — it’s the perfect drug for our times.”

With Wall Street surging and a 24-hour global economy, young professionals have the money and the incentive to stay constantly wired.

“I do it every day,” said Kristoff, a European transplant to New York who works in finance and would not give his last name. He said he pays $150 for two grams of cocaine. “If I have to work at 6 in the morning and I have to be on top of the game, I’ll do it. I’ll take a gram of coke and make half a million dollars.”

That cavalier attitude carries over to pop culture, where references to cocaine are as prevalent as the 80s fashions that accompanied its previous heyday. Cocaine rap is a recognized genre in hip-hop, as Sasha Frere-Jones noted in a December 2006 article in the New Yorker; the platinum-selling rapper Young Jeezy made his name rhyming about his days as a dealer and adopted a menacing-looking snowman as his logo. In the last few years, the drug has been the subject of multiple anthologies, some of them flattering.

Recently the comic Todd Barry, a staple of the downtown comedy circuit, used a conversation he heard at a bar — when one man called a friend to remedy his “nose problem” — as the basis for a new joke in his act. And on a recent episode of NBC’s “30 Rock” when two go-getter writers attribute their success to cocaine, it was a laugh line, not a rebuke.

Even Broadway is not exempt: In “Talk Radio” and “Jack Goes Boating” (starring Liev Schreiber and Philip Seymour Hoffman, respectively), the characters do lines and carry on.

When Gridskipper, a travel blog, ran a post in March about the top bars in which to find cocaine in New York, the response was so overwhelming — the list of places named was like a taxonomy of “it” joints on the Lower East Side, the meatpacking district and Williamsburg — and the comment section so lively that the editors pursued the subject for several more days.

“Drug use tends to be cyclic,” Dr. Kleber said. “If you have a really dangerous drug, the generational remembering will come back quickly. If it takes time for the casualties to add up, the epidemic will last longer.” Referring to the drug’s last heyday, he added, “As some of my colleagues said, John Belushi had to die before people believed that these drugs were really dangerous.”

Besides its addictive potential, cocaine can cause elevated blood pressure, seizures, stroke, cardiac arrest or other heart problems, particularly in people with a pre-disposition. Combining it with alcohol, as many do, increases its toxicity, particularly in the liver, said Dr. Thomas Kosten, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience and the director of the division of addictions at Baylor College of Medicine.

But these negative effects are overshadowed by the drug’s glamorous image, which is perhaps best personified by Kate Moss. After a brief furor when photographs of Ms. Moss apparently snorting cocaine appeared on the cover of a British tabloid in 2005, she entered rehab for a short time and emerged more successful than ever, with bigger advertising contracts and her own line of clothing at Topshop, the British retailer.

“You never hear about the addiction, you just hear about exclusive photos of wild parties with cocaine, ” Mr. Streatfeild said. “The dangers of cocaine are without a doubt very real, but it’s never dispelled that Champagne image.”

IT took the death last February of the skateboard star and downtown bon vivant Harold Hunter, who died at 31 of a heart attack and whose wake was attended by friends like Rosario Dawson, for Ms. Summers, the D.J. and promoter, to rethink her own behavior.

“Harold’s death really affected me; I know the ways in which he treated night life,” she said, adding that she “never touched” cocaine again. Likewise, she said, people in her community of downtown skateboarders, musicians, artists, and D.J.s went into hiding with their drug habits. “But,” she added, “that only lasted six months, if that.”

Breaking News: Chellis to fire Henry White upon being named Treasurer

SCHotline has learned from credible sources that one of Converse Chellis’s first actions as Treasurer will be firing Henry White.

Henry White, who became the first African-American in state history to occupy the post of Executive Director of the S.C. Budget and Control Board in January, is supposedly on the General Assembly’s guillotine because of his ties and friendship with Governor Mark Sanford.

White, 45, an attorney, has served in Gov. Sanford’s administration for the past four years as Chief Legal Counsel and more recently as Chief of Staff as well. White was named to his position with the Budget and Control Board after Governor Sanford, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, and then Treasurer Thomas Ravenel voted in favor of naming White Executive Director.

This is the second day in a row in which Chellis has been the subject of rampant rumors around the State House.

Yesterday, SCHotline.com learned that Chellis had been the subject of a lawsuit because an ex-business partner of his alleged of his improper conduct towards women and of his embezzlement of company finances.

Will the Good Ol’ Boy system reign supreme and stick with their man Chellis, or will these rumors cause leadership to rethink their selection.

###

[UPDATE]

Oran P. Smith - August 2, 2007

These accusations aside, we should think hard about the future of two truly outstanding South Carolinians who happen to be African-American,TIM SCOTT and HENRY WHITE.

Unfortunately, TIM SCOTT won’t be elected Treasurer. If a Screening Commission were to be established, as Spartanburg businessman Lee Bright suggested to me today, maybe Mr. Scott would have gotten up to the plate. But it is not to be. Still, as everyone in Charleston knows, South Carolina needs Tim Scott in a prominent role statewide. (Tim has served ably in public office for over a decade, most recently as Chairman of Charleston County Council, and is one of the founders of Palmetto Family Council.)

HENRY WHITE could also be facing a future of being underutilized. Will legislative members and Chellis sack White from his position as Executive Director of the state Budget & Control Board? That would also be a loss to the state.

DOW Hits 14,000 Same Day

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07182007/postopinion/editorials/14_000_editorials_.htm