A ‘War Story’ and a ‘New Start’: How I learned to Oppose War and Stop Paying for the Bomb
We each come into this work in our own ways. The first war I was aware of was the amorphous Cold War. I did not know much about it other than it was between the U.S. and USSR. I was oblivious of nuclear weapons and the oblivion they could cause to the Earth. How we… Continue reading
Militarism Sinks Social Progress
Tax season is here — well, almost, since the IRS announced that filing can start on Feb. 12. Now is the time when many of you start asking War Resisters League when the new pie chart flyer will be ready. Hopefully you will be making plans for a safe and socially distanced public presence of… Continue reading
Fierce Urgency of Now
As politicians bandy about the future with so much at stake, there was a collective sigh of relief with the end of the Trump administration. After the past four years, many of us have been on heightened alert and working to protect the most basic of human dignity. The toll has been tremendous especially over… Continue reading
NWTRCC Campaign for Tax Season 2021
Dear friends, This tax season, NWTRCC will host several online events and creating new online resources. We hope this will be useful to local groups and individuals in promoting war tax resistance. For example, the following events are planned for January: NWTRCC is Leading a Session for College of Complexes Saturday January 16, 2021 (7pm… Continue reading
Georgia Still On My Mind
As the spectacle of the departure of the 45th president unfolds, the unraveling of the U.S. Empire is witnessed by many watching under stay at home orders the world over. As the events unfold, my mind returns to Georgia and the incredible work of grassroots organizers to push for change in what became a linchpin… Continue reading
Hindsight, Looking Forward with 2020 Vision
As 2020 comes to a close, it seems like a good time to look back to where we have been; have clear eyes about where we are headed in order to forge a new path. By January 15th 2021, 5,ooo total U.S. troops are poised to remain in Iraq and Afghanistan. After a height of… Continue reading
Don’t Pay for What You Don’t Want
“I don’t want to pay for what I don’t want. I won’t buy what I don’t want. I’m that way with everything. So, why not war? I don’t want it either…” — Juanita Nelson on Democracy Now! During this season of Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, big online retailer vans and trucks crowding streets and highways,… Continue reading
NWTRCC Conference Report
Originally, our November 2020 conference was going to take place in Colorado Springs. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we made the decision to meet online using Zoom instead. (Though I would like to thank Mary Sprunger-Froese and Rick Bickhart, who had put time and energy into the original planning of the conference.) If we had been… Continue reading
Tax Resistance, Self-Employment and Health Insurance
DECISIONS, DECISIONS It’s a thorny problem when the complications of obtaining health insurance intersect with the desire to remain a nonfiling tax resister. This is exactly where I found myself when my luck ran out on the premium tax credit. As a self-employed freelancer, I have to purchase my own health insurance. For the past… Continue reading
All or Nothing Syndrome
Over these decades of doing war tax resistance, being in meetings about war tax resistance, counseling current or new resisters, etc., I’ve tried to argue against something I will call the “all or nothing syndrome.” “I can’t live below taxable income so I can’t resist.” “We’re having a baby so I have to stop resisting.”… Continue reading
War Tax Resistance beyond the 2020 elections
At the last NWTRCC national gathering in May 2020, some of our members suggested having a study group to look at issues emerging during COVID-19. The group has met weekly and has discussed a variety of issues over the past months—mostly as it relates to militarism. In recent weeks the conversations have been focused on… Continue reading
Dr. Strangelove II: What’s the Subtitle?
“We don’t pay taxes. The little people do.” Much of the scandal around Trump and his taxes has less to do with how little he paid and more to do with how pervasive tax avoidance is among the wealthy. It is estimated that 70% of all underpayment of taxes is by the 1%. If they… Continue reading
