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
As September 11 approaches, New York City slides into mourning for the 2,977 lives lost in the city, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC in 2001, plus the lives of first responders who have since died from 9/11-related illnesses. It was a terrible, unforgettable day — for those who lost family and friends and all of us… Continue reading
This string came off the war tax resistance listserve, which you can sign up for here. Ask questions, start a discussion topic, like Angie did, or ask for feedback about an issue related to war tax resistance. Angie got it started: I’m starting this thread to see if anyone has any stories they’d like to… Continue reading
“Activating Everyday Nonviolence: Juanita Nelson’s 100th Birthday Celebration and Gathering” is coming up August 17–20 in Western Massachusetts. Although Juanita died in 2015, fellow activists and friends (many associated with Pioneer Valley War Tax Resistance) were inspired by her life’s example to offer a weekend of exploration into everyday nonviolence and the nonviolence of everything…. Continue reading
An article about how climate change is going to impact federal spending caught my eye today. Mostly it got me vaguely thinking about how difficult it is to change — especially on the national scale. The article is about the Biden administration’s warning that climate change is going to cost the federal government a lot… Continue reading
I’m rather caught up in the past lately, what with working on the War Resisters League 100th anniversary and helping finalize an unpublished autobiography by WWI resister and war tax resister Max Sandin. So, lacking any other ideas for a post here, I decided see what was in the NWTRCC newsletter 10 years ago. The… Continue reading
Reading my way through the New York Times one morning in May 2020, a photo caught my eye. It was a shot of a crowd from behind, but the one visible sign read “It Is NOT ok to Kill People.” The accompanying article was about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, and it… Continue reading
I eagerly await my next letter from the IRS. I just got a letter from them “correcting” my 1040 for tax year 2020, filed on tax day, May 17, 2021. This latest letter came “right on time”; when I called in July 2022 the IRS employee told me it would be 16 weeks before my… Continue reading
While NWTRCC is celebrating its 40 years, I’m taking a second trip down memory lane with a volunteer project of sorting, filing and reorganizing the War Resisters League photo file. WRL produced many publications throughout its history (October 2022 is the 99th anniversary of WRL’s founding), so going through the five-drawer filing cabinet folder by… Continue reading
