FILM-RELATED WEBSITES
Better This World: Filmmaker Site
Visit Loteria Films official site for Better This World and get more information about the filmmakers, local screenings and press reviews.
Stay in Touch with the Filmmakers
If you enjoyed Better This World, be sure to "like" their page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and receive updates about the film, the issues and the characters. Bonus: Follow their "national security" list to receive updates from journalists, academics and others following the issues explored in Better This World.
David McKay Art
View David McKay's artwork on his website.
Loteria Films
Visit the filmmakers' official site and find out about upcoming projects by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega.
The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences provides a forum for the research, polity, education and practice of criminal justice sciences.
American Civil Liberties Union
The website of this advocacy organization provides a range of resources related to defense of civil liberties, including sections devoted to provisions of the USA Patriot Act.
Common Ground Relief
Common Ground Relief is the organization that Brandon Darby co-founded to help residents of new orleans' Lower Ninth Ward rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His name is now completely absent from the site, which describes the work and philosophy of the organization.
FBI and Informants
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBi's website has a Domestic Terrorism Anarchist extremism primer which describes different types of terrorist threats.
FBI: Texas Man Sentenced on Firearms Charges Connected to the Republican National Convention
This U.S. Justice Department press release describes the conviction of David McKay. it explains the government's position on the case. For more general information, see this FBI page, which covers policies regarding use of informants, or search the FBi site for "civil liberties."
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. "United States Code"
The United States Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. Chapter 113B outlines laws relating to terrorism, including legal definitions and criminal penalties.
MotherJones. "The Informants" (September 2011)
Journalist Trevor Aaronson writes about the FBI's vast network of spies that has been cultivated to prevent another domestic attack, raising questions about the controversial roles they play while "busting" terrorist plots.
Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice (NYU Press, 2011)
Alexandra Napatoff reports on the current state of local and federal law enforcements usage of informants to fight crime, and the unexpected repercussions the practice has throughout society. (Read the introduction.) Napatoff also maintains a blog at snitching.org that chronicles news stories, cases and legislation related to the use of informants in the criminal justice system.
Harper's Magazine. "To Catch A Terrorist." (August 2011)
Petra Bartosiewicz provides a compelling account of the FBI's investigative apparatus post-9/11, in reference to a sting operation that ended in terrorism charges for two men from Albany.
Said, Wadie E. "The Terrorist Informant" (PDF)
This paper examines the current use of informants by the federal government, after a man set himself on fire in front of the White House after thinking he was not fairly compensated for his work in a high-profile terrorism prosecution.
U.S. Department of Justice. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Compliance with the Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines" (PDF)
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Department of Justice initiated a comprehensive review of four sets of the Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines that govern most aspects of the FBI authority to investigate crimes committed by individual criminals, criminal enterprises and groups, as well as those who may be threatening to commit crimes.
Hunting the American Terrorist: The FBI's War on Homegrown Terror (New York: History Publishing Company, 2007)
Written by the former Deputy of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI and an FBI Special Agent, Hunting the American Terrorist is a landmark book in counterterrorism and the investigative techniques of the FBI.
The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002)
An award-winning investigative reporter and New York Times bestselling author of Inside the White House, Robert Kessler presents the definitive history of the FBI and how they are combating terrorism today.
The Terror Factory by Trevo Aaronson. Ig Publishing.
A groundbreaking work of investigative journalism, The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism exposes how the FBI has, since 9/11, built a network of more than 15,000 informants whose primary purpose is to infiltrate Muslim communities, thereby leading to several controversial arrests.
Other
The End of America
The discussion topics and action guide pages of this website outline many of the objections to Bush administration policy shared by Crowder and McKay. The site also provides a set of links to related organizations.
NPR: This American Life: "Turncoat"
On this episode of the weekly public radio show This American Life, Brandon Darby addresses his history of activism and explains how he became an FBi informant.
The Politics of Protest: Social Movements in America (USA: Oxford University Press, 2006)
David Meyer offers both a historical overview and an analytical framework for understanding social movements and political protest in American politics, highlighting the fact that paying attention to protests informs the public about current volatile political issues.
Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law and Order (Cambridge, MA: South End, 2002)
Howard Zinn examines the possibilities of nonviolent civil disobedience, strikes and protest.