Every year as November 11 approaches Veterans For Peace promotes “Reclaim Armistice Day”. In the U.S., November 11, became a legal holiday in 1938 “dedicated to the cause of world peace”. In 1954 it was renamed “Veterans Day” with an emphasis on thanking veterans who wage war. At that point Congress left behind the vows… Continue reading
By Em Jacoby Last night, like many Sunday nights, my household of five headed to the near South Side of Chicago to partake in a community meal program with wraparound services for those experiencing food and housing insecurity. The weather recently turned from oppressive heat and humidity to cool rain. It had rained relentlessly for… Continue reading
Book Review My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying In America By Ruth Braunstein, Princeton University Press (2025, 256 pp.) I quite enjoyed the YouTube video of Johnny Cash singing “After Taxes” with an amused air while he laments all the things he won’t be able to afford after the IRS takes its cut from… Continue reading
By Susan Van Haitsma Do war tax resistance and gardening often go together? In my observation, yes! Many of the people I’ve met through NWTRCC over the years have cultivated not only peace and justice with their life work—they have cultivated the soil, too. Longtime war tax resister, Clare Hanrahan, is one such “avant-gardener,” as… Continue reading
For a limited time if you donate $100 or more, NWTRCC will send you the War Tax Resister’s Guidebook written by Ruth Benn and Ed Hedemann. The newest edition of the guidebook, published by the War Resisters League, has updated information on changes in IRS policies over the decades. The comprehensive Guidebook addresses many questions… Continue reading
Ironically, it is often people who have served in the military and have experienced firsthand the banality and brutality of mindless obedience who come to question and then reject external authority over their own internal ethical decisions. (“Brian Willson and the Problem of Obedience” by Dana Visalli) Heading into the Memorial Day weekend it seems… Continue reading
By H. A. Penner Kathy Boylan invited me to speak at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker about war tax resistance for their March 6th clarification of thought. Around 30 persons were present. The group was composed of both young and old. The best part of the evening was the extensive and engaging group dialogue! There… Continue reading
Activism against nuclear weapons got me my second arrest and pushed me further into war tax resistance. It was the late 70s into the 80s, the time of Reagan’s military build-up, nuclear threats, and No Nukes: The MUSE Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future to inspire activism.* Over the years artists of all genres have used… Continue reading
In a recent Boston Globe column (“Resisting Trump: The Revival of Tax Protest,” April 10), Alex Beam points to a time-honored way of resisting violence and war: refusing to pay for it. He highlights the activism of the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, and central to that activism were Juanita and Wally Nelson, two peace… Continue reading
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” One of the greatest opening lines. Are we there, 41 years later? In real life, 1984 was a year during Reagan’s presidency, and a lot of us thought we might be headed into the book’s vision of dystopia at that time. Or… Continue reading
[Editor’s Note: The following remarks were made by Peter Goldberger at a National Lawyers Guild war tax resistance workshop over Zoom on April 4, 2024. Goldberger addresses three subjects: the legality and ethics of counseling illegal activity; the particular risks faced by legal professionals contemplating participating personally in tax resistance; and the argument by certain… Continue reading
Hundreds of people risk arrest in direct actions pretty much every day. Protests about the war on Gaza might top the list with thousands of arrests in the U.S. since Israel’s genocide began. Last July Nuclear Resister tallied 9,000 arrests, but that number could have doubled by now. Thousands have been arrested in Black Lives… Continue reading