NWTRCC will be hosting a Counselor’s Training on Saturday February 17th. The five hour on-line training is open to anyone who has attended an Introduction to war tax resistance session (WTR 101) and would like to have up to date knowledge for themselves and others. If interested in joining please email nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org to register. In recent months many have joined the 101 sessions; we will continue to coordinate additional sessions prior to Tax Day on April 15, 2024. It has been quite exciting to see such growing interest especially with new people reaching out to set up sessions to share info in their communities!
Flyer made by Kenzie to spread word about war tax resistance
While the situation in Gaza has fueled much of the recent interest, the insanity of spending close to half of our federal income taxes on militarism is becoming even more difficult to ignore as the needs in our communities increases. The daily news of military invasions can be dizzying and difficult to follow. That sentiment was expressed in a blog post Ferguson, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine… 10 years ago. It seems like it could have been written last week as those have been the same of geographic hotspots bombings, US taxpayer monies and military equipment. Yet we find hope that there is such renewed interest in WTR as witnessed in social media and people sharing NWTRCC info and making flyers and ‘zines to share with others. Be sure to check out the NWTRCC website (which is chock full of resources that you can share with others and help promote with our flyers and pamphlets)
The US recently dropped at least 125 precision guided weapons missiles some costing about $1.5 million each on Iraq and Syria in response to deaths of 3 members of the US military in Jordan. That far exceeds the $65 million that UNRWA, the main provider of medical services and schools to Palesinians and refugees throughout the Middle East, is expected to lose in aid by the end of the month that is certain to lead much additional sufering. While we know that the US has about 900 military bases in over 100 countries, many were surprized to learn of US troops in Jordan. A recent radio program revealed “we have a wide range of various troop deployments, large, significant bases, particularly in the Gulf in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait. We have presence in Iraq, in Syria, Jordan and a number of other places.”
Meanwhile the US has proposed spending $95 Billion for military spending in Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. The questions are being raised by so many and the resistance to paying for these weapons is growing. There are a number of factors to it but the US has the worst record of life expectancy of any industrial country largely because we put the bulk of our resources into the weapons of war.
There was an interview with adrienne maire brown, who has practiced WTR and has promoted the tactic to wide audiences on social media, about the devastation in Gaza and other places in the world. In the podcast On Endurance it was shared that it is in relationships are where change happens; that those who are willing to witness the suffering in the world are the ones that get to shape what happend next. As we approach tax season and welcome new resisters into the fold, let us strengthen and center these relationships, remembering that courage is contagious!
Post by Chrissy Kirchhoefer
