The bright red slices of pie on War Resisters League’s new “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” flyer have shrunk well below 50% this year. For years we’ve been demanding a budget that prioritizes humanitarian and social needs over military spending. It almost makes us want to celebrate…almost. Biden’s budget proposal for FY 2023… Continue reading
Militarism
Conscience Matters: Submitting a Statement of Conscience in U.S. Tax Court
I have been a war tax resister for many years. I withhold half of my income tax from the federal government and donate that amount to support the victims of war: refugees and veterans. I include a personal “statement of conscience” that explains my beliefs along with each tax payment. The federal government uses tax… Continue reading
Keep it Simple – Stop Killing
In the tragicomedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the question emerges of when one first learned of death. The two attempt to recall when they first learned of their mortality; how one could hold such a heavy concept. It is difficult to contemplate and understand one’s own death but then to attempt to comprehend what… Continue reading
WAR, ENDLESS WAR
I was going to write about something else, but here the world is today facing a dangerous time with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I am beyond being able to know how it feels for the people in the region, but I know I share a feeling with millions of others of just being sick of… Continue reading
Symbolic War Tax Resistance
Carolyn and I have been war tax resisters since we were married in 1975. Although we were both raised as Mennonites and continue to be members of the Mennonite Church, one of the three historic peace churches in the U.S., we both had experiences after college while doing volunteer work overseas (before getting married) that… Continue reading
Can We Turn Back the Doomsday Clock?
Over several weeks, the drumbeat of war has been pounding louder; a new Cold War has been heating up and expanding beyond the U.S. and Russia to include NATO and Ukraine. There have been interesting webinars on the subject and the few corporations who own the news outlets have been sure to keep the story… Continue reading
In Flight
[Editor’s Note: This work of creative non-fiction was previously published in Meat for Tea.] You were deafened. The sound was intolerable; it violated your sense of decency, your love of quiet, and your yearning for solitude. Why, on the top of this rather small green hill in southeast Vermont, was there this unholy din? It… Continue reading
Someday at Christmas…Dreams Can Come True
For the past 17 years there has been a local tradition of singing holiday songs with a distinctively antiwar theme. Celia’s Yuletide Express makes stops throughout the St. Louis area to bring merriment and joy to union halls, neighborhood associations, bars, and public transit stops. While the past two seasons have been adapted to the… Continue reading
On the Brink
People are rising up and demanding action on climate change and a new vision for the world. Tremendous sustained pressure is building on politicians to reset policy and save the planet. World leaders are set to attend the COP-26 Conference in Glasgow this week. Our collective action can tip the balance. Protest in the streets,… Continue reading
We Can All Say “No!”
“What we say to a society of murder and racism is a very simple no. What we say to our brothers across this country and around the world is a very simple word. That word is RESIST!” — David Harris, at a 1960s antiwar protest David Harris is one of the featured draft resisters and… Continue reading
Beauty Will Save the World
The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee’s November Conference will kick off with a social hour to connect with folks in the network on November 5th. The full schedule is here as well as information on how to register. Saturday will feature a panel discussion with tax resisters from Europe including speakers from Money Rebellion,… Continue reading
Billions, Billions & Billions…Who’s Counting?
On September 1st, the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee backed a proposal to increase military spending for the Department of Defense by $25 Billion. That total was more than the Biden Administration had requested of $715 Billion. The vote was 42 to 17 which passed in the Senate. Many have been raising the… Continue reading