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
How can I divest from the Pentagon?
NWTRCC chose the theme “Divest from the Pentagon, Invest in People” for our 2016 Days of War Tax Action. Divestment (also called disinvestment) has been used to galvanize big changes, like abolishing apartheid in South Africa. Today, it’s used in the movements against fossil fuels and Israeli occupation of Palestine, where supporters pressure institutions and… Continue reading
Solidarity with Japanese and Korean war resisters
by Jason Rawn (This is the text of a statement Jason gave at a demonstration on Jeju Island. The photo is from a demonstration on Okinawa.) The US military has personnel in at least 175 countries, according to David Swanson in War is a Lie. The US has at least 800 military facilities in other… Continue reading
Choosing Simple Living
Recently redmoonsong, who lives in North Carolina and is a committed war tax resister among her many other activities, sent the list below to NWTRCC with this note: Here’s the page I mentioned to you on the phone. One of the things I love about it is that each one begins with action (I really… Continue reading
“The Boys Who Said No” and other anti-war media
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve come across a lot of media of interest to war tax resisters and our supporters! There’s a film in development called The Boys Who Said No, about draft resisters during the Vietnam War. The film name is a reference to that iconic poster of Joan Baez and her… Continue reading
Amanda Seta
March 8, 2016 Dear People at the IRS, Thank you for your certified letter dated March 7, 2016. In that letter you state that I owe $5,855.30 for the tax year ending December 31, 2014. I am writing to inform you that I will not be sending any money to the IRS. I cannot in… Continue reading
Building connections at a San Diego teach-in
by Anne Barron (Introductory editorial note: On February 15, Activist San Diego hosted a teach-in about war tax resistance, organized by Anne Barron, a war tax resistance counselor and NWTRCC network activist. The promotional materials said: “Communities around the world are resisting American militarism. Join us in a discussion of how each one of us… Continue reading
War tax resisters: Taking action around the world
I’m so pleased today to highlight some of the amazing work war tax resisters are doing, both in war tax resistance work and in addition to refusing to cooperate with military taxation! Kathy Kelly was arrested yesterday at Volk Field with fellow Voices for Creative Nonviolence (VCNV) activist Brian Terrell for crossing onto the base… Continue reading
Do war tax resisters end up overpaying when the IRS adds interest and penalties?
A common argument against war tax resistance goes something like this: War tax resistance is counterproductive: The government will add penalties and interest to whatever you refuse to pay, and when they eventually wring the money out of you, in the end you’ll have given even more financial support to the military than you would have… Continue reading
Dodging the Modern Draft
In the past week, the media has been abuzz about a House bill proposing that women be forced to register for the draft with the Selective Service. (The sponsoring Republicans have actually introduced this bill to object to the inclusion of women in all combat roles.) The discussion seems to be primarily about whether women… Continue reading
Flashes from the Past
In going through some old files recently a few tidbits of historical, inspirational, and/or organizing interest surfaced: In the midst of an election year (it feels more like years) a flyer from the early 1970s is a refreshing change from everything we are hearing from the current crop of candidates. Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that… Continue reading
What is a war tax resistance counselor?
One of the ways NWTRCC supports war tax resisters is by providing a list of war tax resistance (WTR) counselors across the country who you can contact. The role of this counselor is a bit different from, but in some ways the same as, other types of counselors, such as school counselors or advisers, or… Continue reading