Tom and Lew:  While on the topic of television shows, I was always impressed by the original “Little House on the Prairie” series, and the fact that Walnut Grove did not have any political structure or sheriff’s gang to contend with.  Whatever difficulties arose were handled spontaneously and informally by the townspeople themselves: no cavalry, no national guard troops, no SWAT teams.  I remember one episode in which a family of dishonest slugs came to town and began taking advantage – through theft, violence, and fraud – of the good people of the town.  When the locals had their fill … Continue reading Re: Small Towns