Blog

Why I am going to Russia

David Hartsough June 14, 2016 The US and Russian governments are pursuing dangerous policies of nuclear brinkmanship. Many people believe we are closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuba missile crisis in 1962. Thirty-one thousand troops from the US and NATO countries are engaged in military maneuvers on the Russian border… Continue reading

An Unhealthy State of Things

I have a pile of clippings from newspapers and magazines intended for notes in the NWTRCC newsletter. They go back a few years because the newsletter pages seem to fill up before I get around to the clippings, and the pile keeps growing. I was pulling out some of the articles that have to do… Continue reading

45 years of alternative fund grants!

(from our June/July 2016 newsletter🙂 “In order that we may offer our fellow citizens an alternative by which their tax monies may be directed to the sustainment of life rather than its destruction, the PEOPLE’S LIFE FUND is established.” Thus read the announcement of the founding of the New York City alternative fund in the… Continue reading

Share your stories

We don’t have a recipe for inspiring new war tax resisters—every person and every circumstance is different. To me, what this means is that the more ways we have of telling our stories and sharing our message, the more likely it is that our message will speak to a variety of people. Consider this your… Continue reading

Which wars are we resisting?

In this month’s conference, I saw us wrestle several times with the definition of war. There hasn’t been a declaration of war for the US military in a long time. But we don’t need a declaration to see that what’s going on in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and many other places is war. We even talked… Continue reading

End War, End Poverty, Save the Earth

Reverend Billy has a new book out called The Earth Wants You, published by City Lights Books (San Francisco). It’s a quick read, but all about breaking out of our busy-ness, and listening to Earth as a call to get involved in some new kinds of activism — and fast. At a recent book talk,… Continue reading

Honoring S. Brian Willson and remembering Daniel Berrigan

Just a few quick notes before our conference this weekend in Lansdowne/Philadelphia, PA! The documentary about anti-war activist, veteran, and war tax resister S. Brian Willson, Paying the Price for Peace, is now available! The website says, “Vietnam Veteran S. Brian Willson paid the price for peace by nearly being killed by a military train… Continue reading

Making war tax redirection a more constructive program

In Campaign Nonviolence’s recent conference call, Metta Center for Nonviolence staffers Michael Nagler and Stephanie Van Hook talked about Gandhi’s concept of a constructive program. War tax resisters have a history of giving away their resisted taxes to worthy causes, and we have sometimes called this a “constructive program” in the model of Gandhi. For… Continue reading

More anti-war-tax protests from around the world

War tax resisters were busy during tax season this year, speaking out about resistance and redirection. Here are some more reports you might have missed: War tax resisters in San Diego held a redirection event, giving away over $6,000 to various groups: “I pay my taxes, but not to the Department of Defense. I pay… Continue reading

Tax Day 2016 – photos, articles, interviews

Last year on tax day in New York City there was a long line of people outside the IRS waiting to get inside for forms or to have questions answered. This year there was no line at all. Does that mean the IRS was more efficient? Or was it because people didn’t really notice that… Continue reading

Infographic: Invest in People, Divest from War

Revised 1/5/2017 The full text of the infographic follows the image. You can also download a PDF. Invest in People, Divest from the Pentagon Redirect your taxes from war to peace! What is divestment? Divestment is the opposite of investment. Instead of putting money into something, hoping to get future benefits and security, you take… Continue reading

Service and agitation on LA’s Skid Row

Book review: Dietrich, Jeff. 2011. Broken and Shared: Food, Dignity, and the Poor on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Marymount Institute Press / Tsehai Publishers. In 1970, Jeff Dietrich was a young draft resister who had just returned to the United States from traveling in Europe. He heard about the Catholic Worker movement at a Peacemakers… Continue reading