An email from IWT, Independent World Television,

[in_cog_ni_to]

I cannot WAIT until this network is on the air! It can't come soon enough for me!



Dear friend of IWT,

When I woke up this morning I was getting ready to write you an email thanking you for your support in making our recent web launch and survey such a success.

But then I received news of the attacks in London.

When I turned on my TV and heard the questions being asked -- and more importantly, not being asked -- by the major networks, it reminded me of the urgent need that drove us to start building Independent World Television in the first place.

I shared some of my thoughts on our blog (http://www.IWTnews.com/blog) today:

"We live in perilous times..."

Those are the opening words of our Birth of a Network video, and today's attacks in London underscore this message.

Deliberate attacks on civilians are war crimes. All such attacks are violations of international law and basic human rights. None are justified, no matter what the circumstances.

All factors that lead to such attacks must be investigated, revealed, and debated.

To ascribe the cause of terrorist attacks like those in New York, Madrid, and perhaps London to an abstract force called "international terrorism" does not help us understand or respond.

The people behind these attacks have motives, interests, and consciousness that drive them. Whatever one makes of these reasons, to dehumanize the event, to turn people into a demonic force, does not make us safer or solve the underlying problems.

We have a right to understand the complexity of this.

The U.K. and U.S. continue an occupation of Iraq. Canada has troops in Afghanistan. Citizens have a right to know what the objectives of these policies are, and what the real consequences of these policies may be.

Among the many questions that are not fully being asked on television today: to what extent are the foreign policies of our governments contributing to making citizens a target?

Do citizens fully understand and support these policies based on an educated opinion? These are amongst the many questions IWTnews would be asking today.

In times like these, those of us involved in building IWT renew our commitment to the effort.

We hope you will join us.


Please join me in the conversation that has already begun on our blog (http://www.IWTnews.com/blog) to talk about how today's events are being covered.

Most importantly, please forward this message on to a few friends, family, and co-workers and ask them to join us in this effort to build the world's first global independent television network:

http://www.IWTnews.com/join

Tell them how you think an independent network like IWTnews can do better.

Sincerely,

Paul Jay,
Chair, IWTnews
www.IWTnews.com

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