NWTRCC is hosting a war tax resistance 101 on Tuesday September 22 as part of Campaign Nonviolence’s Peace Week. The session will provide information to people who are interested in divesting their tax money from the Pentagon and investing in their communities. The session will focus on empowering people to take action against military spending by presenting the various approaches to WTR and the potential consequences, as well as noting the many resources available to support this direct action against increased militarism impacting our communities. Please consider sharing on your social media platforms or with someone in your life who has expressed interest in WTR, but would like to get more information. This Zoom is for them!
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It seems that many are looking for a sense of empowerment and connection. For many of us WTR has been a means of empowerment to counter the massive military spending and NWTRCC was created for us to support each other in this resistance. Part of NWTRCC’s work has been to collaborate with organizations to bring about demilitarization. Recently, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) had a gathering of member organizations. (UFPJ was founded in 2003 as a coalition of anti-war groups and has recently increased their efforts to amplify the work of peace and justice work.) Most of the member organizations that presented spoke about how military spending is bankrupting our communities. NWTRCC had a presence and was able to introduce WTR and redirection as a tangible way to divest from the Pentagon and share information on the upcoming WTR 101 session. Another webinar that was announced on the UFPJ call was Black Alliance for Peace’s Full Spectrum Dominance: From AFRICOM to Indo-Pacific Command to discuss the U.S. military’s role in Africa and Asia. This session will be on September 24th.
Image by MasterTux from Pixabay.
In many of the online meetings I have been a part of, inevitably the notion of military spending emerges. It seems to be the most evident illness of our society. People are making the connection between the lack of resources in our communities with the bloated military budget. Many of us are submerged in the analysis of the problem but it is challenging to find a viable course of action. When the subject of military spending emerges, it is simple enough to post “sick of paying for war, consider war tax resistance” and adding www.nwtrcc.org in the chat box for more information. While online gatherings are not ideal, it does help when there are other WTR to share info and encourage people to Divest from the Pentagon.
There was an online gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Plowshares Movement and their prophetic nuclear disarmament action in 1980. Four of the original 8 members were present as well as numerous participants of subsequent actions and supporters of the movement. Much of the conversation centered around the need to create a “conspiracy of healing,” focused on claiming a vision of a better world opposed to the “apocalyptic anxiety” so present in this nuclear age. WTR and plowshares activist Kathy Boylan stated that while plowshares actions are important “we need to stop paying for war.”
Hellen Caldicott, who founded Physicians for Social Responsibility, suggested that we refer to the Pentagon as the Department of Death; that the issues we face are medical in nature. “We are on a dying planet and we must all be physicians.” A clear assessment of our current situation is that people are sick of war and militarism and want to move the money to human needs. Thanks for continued efforts of planting the seeds of WTR!
-Post by Chrissy Kirchhoefer
This is the time for folks of good conscience to get the 101 and individualized counseling. Many are still unemployed but as they re-enter the workforce…whether it be gig economy or W-4…it is best to hear one’s WTR options early on. Thanking NWTRCC in advance and hoping your phones ring off the hook for sage advice!
Carol, I wholeheartedly agree and think now is prime time to introduce the idea to others! Thanks so much for all that you do in getting word out about WTR.