We war tax resisters have a new challenge in front of us: the potential demise of the IRS. Just when they were ramping up the collection system after a decade of Congressional budget cuts and the pandemic lockdown, a new regime has swept into Washington hell-bent on shrinking the government. Or at least the parts… Continue reading
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” One of the greatest opening lines. Are we there, 41 years later? In real life, 1984 was a year during Reagan’s presidency, and a lot of us thought we might be headed into the book’s vision of dystopia at that time. Or… Continue reading
“The military detention facility at Guantánamo Bay is a glaring, longstanding stain on the human rights record of the United States.” — Amnesty International Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was one of the first to arrive at the Guantánamo Bay military prison camp on January 11, 2002, captured as part of the U.S. “war on terror”…. Continue reading
Here we are in the throes of the holiday season with all the demands to shop and eat and listen to another round of “Jingle Bell Rock.” So it seemed appropriate to distract myself, and possibly you, by seeking out some holiday alternatives… The NYC Metro Raging Grannies broke out in song this week at… Continue reading
Hundreds of people risk arrest in direct actions pretty much every day. Protests about the war on Gaza might top the list with thousands of arrests in the U.S. since Israel’s genocide began. Last July Nuclear Resister tallied 9,000 arrests, but that number could have doubled by now. Thousands have been arrested in Black Lives… Continue reading
The first obligation of responsible citizenship, I believe, is obedience to one’s conscience. Obedience to one’s government, and to its laws, is very important, but it must come second. Otherwise there is no check on immoral actions by governments, which are bound to occur in any society, whenever power is abused. — Randy Kehler The… Continue reading
I got on a bus to DC for the “Arrest Netanyahu” rally and march July 24, with a pile of WRL pie charts in my backpack and a sign about refusing to pay for war. I hadn’t been to DC in quite a few years, but Congress’s invitation to the person presiding over more than… Continue reading
“An Overlooked Avenue for Political Dissent” is the title of the one and only review on that big online bookseller for the War Resisters League book Guide to War Tax Resistance, precursor to the 2004 edition of the book titled, War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military. The 5-star review… Continue reading
One thing about being out in the streets of NYC, it is never dull. Our annual tax day presence at the IRS was a lively affair this year thanks to musical accompaniment of the Raging Grannies and Filthy Rotten System, and an array of passers-by who offered support or challenged our message — some more… Continue reading
Sometimes you read something you wrote years ago and think “hey, that’s a pretty good article.” Back in 2005, Ed and I wrote an article for The Catholic Worker covering some reasons for maintaining our war tax resistance (WTR) over the years. At the time we had a combined total of 51 years of refusing… Continue reading
There’s something of a learning curve to tax refusal. Maybe for some it’s easier than others, but a lot of us started small, increased our resistance over the years, adjusted our lifestyles, or changed methods as needed or desired. A war tax resistance workshop can hit you with a lot of information. NWTRCC and WRL’s… Continue reading
I’m working at finding hope in dark times. It helps to be in a city full of activists of one stripe or another — ceasefire, save Gaza, antiwar in one place or another, stop mass incarceration, shut down Rikers, end solitary confinement, house the unhoused, close Guantanamo, Black Lives Matter, etc. And in the midst… Continue reading
