Dear friends in the IRS and others concerned about integrity in government,
I am withholding 12% of my taxes again this year as I cannot morally or spiritually support the indiscriminate killing of many thousands of innocent civilians by the US military in recent years. If another country’s military were to kill US civilians, there would be a huge uproar. Yet our military kills civilians with impunity, listing them as “collateral damage.” Besides being immoral, this is clearly turning family and friends of those killed against the United States and creating even more terrorists.
The US military additionally repeatedly commits illegal acts by carrying out wars that have never been declared by Congress, violating Article I Section 8 Clause 11 of the US Constitution. All recent wars are thus both illegal and unconstitutional. Further, the intentional killing of US civilians (three in Yemen in Sept. 2011) “without due process of law” is a clear violation of the US Constitution’s fifth amendment.
Another reason I am withholding this portion of my taxes is that the amount of corruption in the U.S. military is absolutely inexcusable. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated publicly on Sept. 10, 2001 “we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions.” A CNBC/Reuters article dated Aug. 19, 2016 stated, “The United States Army’s finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced.”
The fact that the Pentagon has been ordered by US courts to get its finances under control for over a decade, yet it has continually failed to do so, suggests a massive level of corruption that I don’t think any American should support. By not undertaking any comprehensive audit in recent decades until 2018 (when it miserably failed it’s first-ever comprehensive audit), our military has clearly violated the US Constitution Article I Section 9 Clause 7.
If our military stops killing civilians and brings the rampant corruption in its ranks under control, I will gladly pay these taxes. I am putting them in a separate account which I will turn over to the IRS should the killing and corruption stop. If after 10 years nothing has changed, I will turn these funds over to organizations which are dedicated to stopping both corruption and the killing of civilians by our military. As my federal income tax this year was $3,677, I am withholding $441.
I chose the number 12% as, according to official government statistics, 15% ($600 billion) of the US budget is spent directly on the military. I am not opposed to having a military, yet I believe 3% of the national budget is more than enough to cover basic defense needs. As you likely know, the term “national security” is being used as a cover for all manner of corruption and political manipulation. It’s time for all caring citizens to join in the call for greater integrity in our military.
I support our tax system, as it finances our roads, schools, infrastructure, and much more. Yet integrity in finances, as in all matters, is of the highest importance to me. I strongly feel that I would be out of integrity to continue to support the indiscriminate killing and massive corruption in the U.S. military.
I gladly welcome a response and welcome this message being shared with any who care about the integrity of our country.
With best wishes for ever more humanity and integrity in government,
Frederick B. Burks,
Former language interpreter with the U.S. Department of State and White House
February 1, 2019
P.S. I invite you to explore my work in exposing major corruption using reliable, verifiable sources and calling us to work together for the good of us all at www.WantToKnow.info.
