So an entire community engages in a criminal conspiracy. Let's not forget that there was another side to this...the land was being auctioned off by someone who owned it legitimately, and had invested years and labor maintaining it. Maybe it was his estate, or maybe he defaulted on a loan and it was owned by the bank. Whoever was on the title had an incontestable, completely legitimate right to its full value. And so an aggressive gang of farmers conspired to hold the price below fair market for a favored buyer.

But then, is it even true? If the farmers had all decided to let David win, they why even attend the auction? The only reason I can imagine is that they were there to persuade any potential bidders to join their conspiracy. And if persuasion didn't work, take them out back and compel their complicity. The more I think about this story the creepier and more frightening it becomes. Somewhere under this heartwarmer is a 'blood and land' dog whistle that has terrible implications for our country.