Dear IRS, I object to paying someone to kill in my name…

Dear IRS Friends,

I was not born or raised this way. But when I received a death threat, in 1968, and was planning a gunfight, a prophet/angel appeared in a dream, taking me to talk with the man who wanted to kill me. I know now that Jesus’ “love your enemy” actually works better than violence.

When St Francis of Assisi tried it during the 5th Crusade, his enemy, Sultan al-Malik of Egypt, saved the Crusader army from starvation, and eventually gave Jerusalem back to the Christian world.  Gandhi tried it with the British colonial government, which eventually freed all its colonies.  The Danish people tried it during WWII, and saved 90% of their Jews.

Eventually I became a Conscientious Objector. I object also to our political leaders abusing our soldiers, using them to impose our corporate empire instead of to defend our country. I personally have been witnessing this abuse since Vietnam. In 1966 a boy from Tennessee, who had unintentionally killed an old woman in Vietnam, wept in my arms. The “moral injury” to our own soldiers of killing other human beings is still the primary cause of our 4,000 extra veteran suicides, year after year (“Veterans Administration 2012 Suicide Data Report”)

For seven summers with Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT), I personally witnessed our support of Israel’s apartheid occupation of Palestine. This year we are now encouraging the people of Ukraine to kill Russians, in spite of the fact that when Russia invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Czech people defeated the Russians without killing them (“Prague Spring”). “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Gospel of Matthew, 26:52). Does every empire not sow the seeds of its own downfall?

I have been teaching Gandhian nonviolence since Vietnam. I object specifically to paying someone else to kill in my name. As you can see, I still owe $1836. According to the War Resisters League, 37% of this goes to our military. So I have paid this 37% (679$) to CPT (copy of check enclosed). My non-military balance, $1157, is enclosed with my tax return.

Thank you for reading my many thoughts. I hope my resistance does not create extra work for you.

Peace and all good,

Lorin Peters

[Lorin Peters has been a long-term member of the Peace Center. He received a special Local Hero for Peace award in 2011 for his work teaching Gandhian Nonviolence.]