Blog

Report on the 16th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns

The 16th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns Geneva Switzerland  September 17, 2022 Participants:  Switzerland, UK,  Germany, Italy, Colombia, Belgium, USA,  attendance both in person and online. NWTRCC participants Ruth Benn, Cathy Deppe, Eleanor Forman, William Ruhaak.   Major Organizing for Conference:  CPTI–Conscience and Peace Tax International Board of Directors, with… Continue reading

Inspiration from the Past for the Present

Alaska billboard 1990

While NWTRCC is celebrating its 40 years, I’m taking a second trip down memory lane with a volunteer project of sorting, filing and reorganizing the War Resisters League photo file. WRL produced many publications throughout its history (October 2022 is the 99th anniversary of WRL’s founding), so going through the five-drawer filing cabinet folder by… Continue reading

Early Memories of NWTRCC

[Editor’s Note: The following two stories were shared in our recent 40th anniversary newsletter. We will continue celebrating our 40th anniversary at our 4-6 November 2022 conference on Zoom. You can see the full schedule and register here.] The Origins of NWTRCC By Bill Durland-Littleton, Colorado It was 1982, and Genie and I had moved… Continue reading

Making War Tax Resistance Visible and Accessible 101

NWTRCC will again be participating in the Campaign Nonviolence Action Week offering a War Tax Resistance 101 session on Thursday September 29 at 8:30p Eastern/ 5:30p Pacific. The webinar will be one of more than 4,570 actions worldwide advocating for peace and nonviolence. Pace e Bene has coordinated the week of actions that begins on… Continue reading

This Is Not A Drill

Pink Floyd was not a group I followed lo these many years, although a few of their songs are familiar. Ed made a CD mix of music to accompany our trips to view total eclipses of the sun, so of course Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” made the cut. “Money” was a hit single in the U.S…. Continue reading

People Like You

Utah Phillips begins a song: “One of the things you have to do in this world is to keep track of the people you owe.” Much of my understanding of working class struggles and people resisting injustice has come from song. Songs have the power to convey stories in such evocative ways that can elevate… Continue reading

It’s Up to Us to Make Space for Peace

No Nukes for Life and Planet banner

My older brother’s career and expertise is in the fields (literally) of anthropology and archeology.  He has done digs mostly in the Midwest, and funding for this work often comes from the civilian (presumably) budget of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is required to have land surveys done before they shift rivers, manage a… Continue reading

$80 Billion for IRS…

Car being Towed

Almost from the moment that Biden assumed the presidency, he has been singing in unison with IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig about the need to increase funding to the IRS by $80 billion. Originally, the proposed funding had some Republican support, but that soon soured and the future of the funding proposal seemed dead. All that… Continue reading

Let Us Imagine Investing in Preserving Our Natural Wonders

My partner and I were lucky enough to visit Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park in late spring of 2022. And we will visit Jedediah Smith Redwoods State and National Park later this summer, as we often do. These are  all extremely beautiful… Continue reading

“Problems Were Encountered”

pile of tax forms

It will take 16 more weeks to overcome a “problem encountered” by the IRS in processing my 2020 tax return, which they received 14 months ago. As previously reported, IRS reports indicate I didn’t file a 2020 return. Without that my social security statement does not include my income or social security payments for that… Continue reading

U.S. Weapons, Ukraine, and War Tax Resistance

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the horror of war back into the forefront of many in the U.S. who never think about it. It has been easy for many to condemn the actions of a hostile, powerful, and well-funded military when it is somebody else’s. It is much easier for NPR and late-night… Continue reading