More Advantages of Aging
By Redmoonsong Having been a war tax resister most of my life (and doing mostly unwaged work — mother, housekeeper, etc.), the IRS says I only have 27 quarters — not enough for regular Social Security and Medicare. Well, if you wait till you’re 69 like I did, and are poor, disabled or blind, you… Continue reading
War Tax Resistance and Other Paths to a Better World
By Sylvia Metzler In 2014 my taxable income was $11,826 and I got a $41 refund. Too bad! I would like to have withheld some taxes to protest money used for wars and drone killings and budget cuts for education, health care, and environmental protection. I can no longer concentrate my protests only on military… Continue reading
21 Years and Still Hanging In There
I began my journey with war tax resistance in 1989 and now, over twenty years later, I am still hanging in there with every bit as much resolve. My conviction that it is wrong for my tax dollars to fund wars to "keep us secure"
remains strong.
Refusing the Legacy of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has got me thinking about how the militarization of the U.S. extends all the way back to the pre-colonial days of Pilgrims and other white settlers arriving on the shores of this continent. In addition to the land they claimed, they decided they had a claim to the lives of the American Indians who… Continue reading
Divest from Weapons and Warmaking: WTRs in Las Vegas
On November 6-8, a small group of stalwart NWTRCC network members gathered in Las Vegas for community time, discussion of outreach tactics, and a vigil outside Nellis Air Force Base. It was a fun time as always. The Administrative Committee met on Friday to review the budget, objectives, and proposals. We finished on time and… Continue reading
Matthew Hoh
I Will No Longer Pay Taxes for War! “If a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood. This is, in fact, the definition of… Continue reading
On Armistice Day, Remember: Wars Cannot End Wars
Armistice Day marked the formal agreement between Germany and the Allied forces to stop fighting on 11/11/1918. The war that ended that day was considered in 1918 to be the “war to end all wars” and so a holiday marking its cessation was declared a year later by President Wilson. In 1926 Congress made Armistice… Continue reading
Chris Coverdale: 42 days in jail for refusing council tax
Recently Peace News and The Picket Line have posted about Chris Coverdale, a war tax resister in the UK who refused to pay his council tax, totaling approximately £1,800, and was sentenced to 42 days in jail. Coverdale argues that paying council tax would support government-sponsored terrorism in the form of war. He has been… Continue reading
Dear Rick Steves – Could You Be a War Tax Resister?
I recently finished reading travel writer/TV show host Rick Steves‘ book Travel as a Political Act. Rick describes himself as an interesting blend of political perspectives: capitalist, Christian, proud American, supporter of marijuana legalization, and… a pacifist! In addition to his specialty helping US residents learn the ins and outs of traveling in Europe, he… Continue reading
Talkin’ Resistance in Amherst
War tax resisters, supporters, and friends gathered for the 30th time in 30 years — an impressive record in our circles. A persistent if changing group of war tax resisters has planned gatherings large and small over a fall weekend each year since 1985. To many the themes, topics, and discussions will sound repetitive —… Continue reading
The Snowden Model and Finding Our Power
I finally watched the film Citizenfour, about the release of the NSA documents by Edward Snowden. The whole film is impressive, but I was struck by this section where journalist Glenn Greenwald is asking Snowden about whether to release his name and ID him as the source of the documents. Greenwald wanted to make sure… Continue reading
After Roseburg: On guns big and bigger
To the Editor: There has been another mass murder shooting in Roseburg, Oregon. A question stares us in the face. Can we expect to endorse mass homicide on the wholesale level and successfully forbid or prevent it on the retail level? As a thought experiment or moral reflection consider this. Since World War II our… Continue reading
