“…we cannot turn a blind eye to the people within our community whose basic needs go unmet, knowing that more will join their ranks with budget cuts. What if instead we insisted upon diverting $20,000 to 2,800 homeless households a month? What if, since no one is listening to our pleas of no intensified war with Iraq, we stopped paying for it and diverted the money ourselves? We would be closer to that great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.” That message expressed for the first Midwest Regional Resistance Gathering 20 plus years ago still rings true.
Image from David Solnit from the People’s Life Fund
For some this week marks holy days with Passover and Easter celebrations; for war tax resisters we are entering into tax season. It is not too late to let us know of your tax day plans. The People’s Life Fund in Northern California has a graphic that was created by David Solnit to be shared for tax day purposes with the network. They have been encouraging people to wheatpaste the image.
You can find the image here. Also NWTRCC has created a QR code that can be used for tax day and beyond to direct people to the NWTRCC website. Some of our affiliates have found a QR code helpful in reaching younger audiences and it reduces the need for printed material.
Recently, the Midwest Catholic Workers held their annual resistance gathering in Madison, Wisconsin to focus on the role of the F-35 fighter jets. The gathering was initiated to support communities engaged in resistance to the damage done by empire (militarism and resulting divisions amongst peoples). The group joined actions taken locally and represented nationally widespread support in peacemaking.
It was wonderful to have an in person gathering with so many war tax resisters present: old friends like Don Timmerman, Roberta Thurstin, and Charles Carney; people I had not met before like Paula Rogge, and those interested in WTR with whom I could share information. It had me all the more excited about NWTRCC’s gathering. You can find out how to register for the in-person / hybrid conference here.
Kathy Kelly was present. She wrote in Other Land Have Dreams: “One of the most important ‘Spiritual Directors’ in my life has been the IRS… find ways to live without owning property, relying on savings, growing attached to a job… becoming a war tax resister was one of the simplest decisions I ever made.”
Image from 21st Midwest Resistance Gathering with Brian Terrell, Chrissy Kirchhoefer, Lindsey Meyers, Theo Kayser at Truax AFB, Madison
We included a quote from Dorothy Day, which was also used for the first Midwest Gathering to celebrate a new season of change coinciding with the Vernal Equinox, “If they come for the innocent without stepping over our bodies, cursed be our religion and our life. The point of the matter is this: We are paying for war, if we pay the tax. It is so important for us to hold to our stand even if the government lowers the boom. We have an absolute faith that we will keep going even if we lose everything. Our principle is what we are living for.”
We welcome everyone to do what they can in our peacemaking efforts to support each other. We are looking forward to seeing some stunning images of your tax day actions and seeing some of you in May at Joyfield Farm! Register here.
Post by Chrissy Kirchhoefer
