In the old days (pre-Internet), it was easy for the good ol' boys to pull their deals with impunity. After all, the editor of the local paper was probably an old frat brother. And the DA, who was most likely a drinking buddy, was hardly going to rock the boat either. So word was not going to get out. Except slowly. By mimeographed pages. By word of mouth.
That's changed. They good ol' boys still pull their deals, but increasingly, they can no longer do so in secrecy.
Since I posted "Sham in Shawnee County" less than 24 hours ago, these are just a few of the places where readers have learned about what has happened to protective mother Claudine Dombrowski in the courts of Shawnee County, Kansas.
See the post here:
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/10/sham-in-shawnee-county-topeka-kansas.html
And maybe your town will join the list. (Updated 4:42 PM)
State of Kansas (US)
Emporia
Lebo
Lecompton (Hello Mr. Hoffman and staff! Glad you could join us.)
Overland Park
Salina
Topeka
Wichita
Elsewhere in the US
Rancho Cordova, California
Wolcott, Connecticut
Washington, DC
Fort Launderdale, Florida
Ormond Beach, Florida
Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Cedartown, Georgia
Albany, Kentucky
Richmond, Kentucky
Winchester, Massachusetts
Blue Springs, Missouri
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jamestown, New York
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Springfield, Tennessee
Dallas, Texas
Mount Vernon, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Outside the US
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Queensland, Australia
Quebec, Canada
Hamburg, Germany
Nairobi, Kenya
Lima, Peru
So yes, the world is watching and learning.