"Better This World" on POV on PBS this Tuesday night 9/6. FBI creating domestic "terrorists

[annm4peace]

This a documentary about the 2 teenagers from TX who came to protest at the Republican National convention and were arrested and tried for their "thoughts" of throwing Molotov cocktails at the cops. It is a well done documentary and much of the footage and interviews were from local activists here. When they showed it at a premire here in Minneapolis I happened to sit right behind one of the defense attorneys. It is quite something to see how hard the FBI makes sure they don't lose a case, and great to see how two guys stand up for justice and each other.
It is really disturbing to see how easy it is that innocent people get sent to prison.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/betterthisworld/


Friends

The documentary Better This World (about David McKay and Bradley Crowder) will be aired by PBS on the show P.O.V. In the Twin Cities this will be Tuesday night at 9 PM on Channel 2 broadcast (or whatever the TPT channel is, if you have cable).

If you're outside the Twin Cities, consult the listings for your local PBS station. Look for the show called P.O.V. (It stands for Point of View, but it's listed by the initials).

Matthew DePalma (who is not mentioned in this documentary) will be getting out of prison this month. Bradley Crowder has already been released. By the end of this month, David McKay will be the last RNC arrestee still incarcerated. (He has about a year to go.)
However, there are a number of people convicted of felonies who are still on probation and could be re-arrested if something goes wrong.

Mother Jones magazine has recently done a series of articles on the explosion of the Security State, specifically on increased surveillance by the FBI and the effect on civil liberties. An article on Brandon Darby is included as an example of what happens when protestors get involved with protesters. (Darby threatened to sue a newspaper for using the word "entrapment," but you can make your own judgement about that. That's why I recommend seeing the documentary. It also clears up some things that were not clear at trial.)

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How did two boyhood friends from Midland, Texas wind up arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention? Better This World follows the journey of David McKay (22) and Bradley Crowder (23) from political neophytes to accused domestic terrorists with a particular focus on the relationship they develop with a radical activist mentor in the six months leading up to their arrests. A dramatic story of idealism, loyalty, crime and betrayal, Better This World goes to the heart of the War on Terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America.

http://www.betterthisworld.com/film.html

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to read more of the police state in St. Paul and minneapolis you can find it out here;

http://rnc08report.org/

It is extremely thorough. If you want to find out if this country has free speech you might want to check out the site above

[cprise]

1. They did not air it.

The same episode of Frontline was played twice in a row, instead.