Obedience, Protest, and Facing the Consequences
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
Good Grief?
79 years ago, the United States unleashed the most powerful weapon known to humankind. The devastation of ‘Little Boy,’ a uranium bomb rained down on Hiroshima killing an estimated 140,000 people, mostly civilians. Three days later the United States dropped the second bomb ‘Fat Man’ made of plutonium which was ten times more powerful and… Continue reading
Yes, You Can Do This!
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
War Tax Resistance: A Catholic Worker Tradition
[Editor’s Note: A longer version of this article was first published the April 2024 edition of the Agitator, the newspaper of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker.] “‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’ with napalm, nerve gas, our hydrogen bomb… Should one pay… Continue reading
An Overlooked Avenue for Political Dissent
“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
Understanding common IRS collection letters
[Editor’s Note. This post by Erica Leigh was originally published in 2016, but all the information is still accurate. Many first-time resisters who filed this past spring are beginning to receive their first letters from the IRS. These letters can be intimidating and scary. With this in mind, we thought it was time to re-share… Continue reading
Living Simply in a New Way: An Interview with Robin Greenfield
[Editor’s Note: Robin Greenfield has been challenging people to think about their environmental impacts, their relationship to other animals and plants, and their enmeshment in economic systems for over a decade. Through YouTube videos, TV appearances, books, articles, public speaking, and other cultural work, he shares personal challenges he sets for himself and how he… Continue reading
NWTRCC War Tax Resistance Gathering – May 2024
NWTRCC’s spring 2024 gathering was back on Zoom (3-5 May 2024). On Friday evening, over thirty people joined us for a Social Hour where we twice broke out into smaller groups of five or six and had an opportunity to meet new people and touch base with old friends. On Saturday morning, forty-five people attended… Continue reading
First-Time Resister’s Letter to the IRS
[Editor’s Note: Many people, including several new war tax resisters, have been gracious enough to share their letter to the IRS with us. Just a reminder that we will be holding our next NWTRCC gathering on Zoom, May 3-5, 2024. Many long-time and first-time war tax resisters have already registered. Here is the full schedule… Continue reading
The Streets of New York, The Letter in the Mailbox
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
My Letter to the IRS
Hi! I hope all’s well on your end. My name’s Murtaza Nek, I’m a math and science tutor at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. I usually file my taxes using online e-filing software, but this time felt the need to communicate a message which wasn’t possible using said software. I’ve thus put in much… Continue reading
Busting through the Bottom Line
Under the bright, clear, azure blue skies of Spring, our thoughts turn toward action. There are a number of ways to take action in the upcoming tax season culminating on April 15, 2024 and beyond. NWTRCC has put together a page- Quick Tips for Tax Day that has some resources to activate actions in coming… Continue reading