(South Carolina) - According to Kentucky Educational Television's Roman History website - - "Julius Caesar ... married Pompeia, a cousin of Pompey. This marriage ended in divorce because of a scandal that occurred during the rites of Bona Dea. Since Caesar was Pontifex Maximus at the time, these rites were conducted in his house by Pompeia and his mother. No men were allowed to be present (and to this day we still do not know what the actual rites were). Clodius disguised himself as a woman and entered the rites, but Caesar's mother discovered him when he failed to disguise his voice. Rumors arose that Pompeia herself had abetted this sacrilege. Caesar divorced her because of these rumors on the grounds that -- as we still say today -- 'Caesar's wife must be above suspicion.' "

The son of one of my dearest friends has been accused of miscreance. One Michael L. Miller, probably to avoid a greater charge, has handed up to the federal prosecuter Thomas Ravenel, our State Treasurer, as someone who purchased cocaine and passed some around to friends. Thomas is innocent until proven guilty. I am hoping and praying that he is innocent. Period.

This is not the time to argue against the injurious grand jury system - that tyrannical tool of small people in large positions - used so wickedly by Michael Nifong of Durham. Neither is this a time to be bemoaning the fact that drug laws are only sporadically enforceable and are anti-jeffersonian on the face of it - we lost the "war on drugs" more than 20 years ago. Nor is this a time to be wagging about how Thomas should be above suspicion - we still don't know if Julius Caesar was lying when he "shoulda bin truthin'." The truth does not always come out.

Nor is this even a time to be worrying about all of the other political "Caesar's Wives." We could mention many. Our sources say this indictment came from the work of one regular guy in SLED who came across a very big fish while working a well-known local pusher for some bigger names. We don't even know if the pusher has the right Ravenel or Ravenal. Or even if there was one.

I'm not saying that there is a plot, or plotters, or plots to create plots. I'm just saying that before we go beating our breasts about the wickedness of one man, we look deep within our own hearts and ask ourselves not where the vultures gather, but why? and why NOW?

Before we go wagging Caesar's Wife, perhaps we should look at the accuser and ask what would we have said about us, in the face of ruin, knowing our innocence.

- Dick Anderson