My closest cousins grew up in my grandparent's small farming town of a few hundred. And yes, what you say about them knowing ALL but not sharing beyond the community is true. However, they may talk (gossip) to family that have since moved away or only visited regularly. That was the case with my family with those who continued to live there.

Visits there were always an amazing experience because we would hear the MOST Amazing stories and family skeletons revealed for nearly everyone--just as we walked around the small town. In a course of a few days, I'm sure we would have heard the equivalent of a Roy Moore story, had one occurred. As kids from a much bigger city, this left us slack-jawed as we knew virtually nothing about our neighbors and friends by comparison.

Bottom line, there are those who can and should speak to this... Those who moved away, most likely. Some of the KKK murders of black men have been finally solved this way in recent years.

are still considered "part of the family". Or community. The unfortunate thing in this case is that it's almost ALL "hearsay", so even if somebody WANTED to come out with corroboration, it probably wouldn't be enough for a legal prosecution.

ESPECIALLY considering that ole Roy was a judge in the area. Everybody in the legal field on the state's side is going to cover for each other as long as possible.

might still be alive and willing to speak out.

The wealthy and powerful in small towns CAN be brought down, but it take INTENSE outside scrutiny for that to happen. Obviously, more than this particular case has gotten.

From my experience, the initial tendency is to hunker down in support and hope it all blows over. And the cops you're talking about are probably still living in the area. I'm sure they don't want to wind up in a shallow grave on Sand Mountain.

It's very true. The knowing each others' business is unique to small towns anywhere. The part about wealth worship I think is mostly unique to SOUTHERN small towns.

That part of my OP about Sand Mountain in Etowah County, Alabama is something that I heard about and I never even actually LIVED there. I just had an ex that was from there. That's apparently the area that "troublemakers" are taken to and murdered.

on Fifth Avenue and not lose his voters.

the difference would be that Trump was thinking he could "buy" his way out of prosecution (very likely true), whereas Judge Roy PROBABLY wouldn't even have to face prosecution being a judge and all. The legal side of the state takes care of their own.

How can people with daughters consider voting for this POS

they're not going to believe it. Or at least, they're not going to SAY they believe it. They're going to look at it like it's an attack on their religion by atheistic liberals.

nm