So Tier 2 worries that it might stumble down into Tier 3, and that frightens them. Over the years, we BJU alumni have discussed why certain men are elevated and others aren’t. I have observed that it’s the men who have a secret that get elevated — every time.
So think about it. Tier 2 person abuses a minor child (Tier 3). He “confesses” his “sin” (never a “crime”) privately to a Tier 1 person. The Tier 1 praises him for confessing, absolves him of his guilt, and blames the Tier 3 child. With this new bond, Tier 2 man rises in the ranks. If he were to ever break rank, then Tier 1 would reveal the crime. As a result, the worst get promoted and protected.
Chuck Phelps, in scuttling a victim of sexual assault outside the state, was always going to be protected. If it weren’t for DNA evidence, we’d never know what he did.
It’s a fundamentalist mafia. Or as I would say, a Klandamentalist mafia.