By Susan Balzer
The first event of "Refusing to Pay for War," the National
War Tax Resistance Strategy Conference, October 7-9, was a press
conference held Friday morning in Manhattan. Although the media
snubbed us and followed a false terror alert in the subways,
those in attendance listened to powerful testimonies from five
presenters.
Daniel Woodham reported that he began resisting war taxes
in 1990 because of the Gulf War and continues because the government
"hasn't changed its warlike ways and imperialistic tendencies
even slightly."
Lee Gough, a new mother concerned for "other mothers' children
who are devastated by war" said that through war tax resistance
she is "making my actions match my beliefs."
Joe Donato, one of three Restored Israel of Yahweh members
facing prison for their war tax resistance, said that paying
for war amounts to "killing by proxy." Donato described his
wtr as "not civil disobedience, but obedience," and his pending
prison sentence as religious persecution. His wife Inge is serving
a six-month sentence now. [See page 5.]
Susan Quinlan talked about choosing between conscience and
the law. Karl Meyer said, "If the United States had spent money
assisting people in developing a sustainable way of life, we'd
be the most loved people on earth."
By late afternoon Friday, war tax resisters were exploring
the school and rectory guest rooms of St. Vincent Ferrer Church
in Brooklyn, thanks to the hospitality of Father Coman Brady
and staff member Mary Anne Muller.
That evening we were joined by performance artist Bill Talen,
in the guise of Rev. Billy, and members of the Stop War Taxing
Choir. They gave a rousing evangelistic call to "refuse to pay
for someone to pick up a gun." Some conference participants
also shared wtr stories. John and Pat Schwiebert of Portland,
Oregon, told about a creative way they redirected income taxes.
One year they converted their war tax debt into five-dollar
bills, which they gave to individuals waiting in line at the
city unemployment office. They included a letter with each donation
telling why they were doing this, and they notified media beforehand.
Their actions garnered them an interview on NPR, and they received
letters and cards from around the world.
Alice Liu and Sherill Crosby told about how they put up 1,000
posters in San Francisco neighborhoods proclaiming, "You can
stop it [war]." Months later, many of the posters are still
up
Larry Dansinger said his wtr led to meeting his life partner
(former NWTRCC coordinator Karen Marysdaughter). Two other former
coordinators, Mary Loehr and Carolyn Stevens, also met their
partners through wtr.
In the first activity Saturday, participants stepped into
a timeline based on when they had started war tax resistance.
The line stretched from the 1940s (with Juanita Nelson and Joffre
Stewart) to the current decade. Over the years war tax resistance
has been linked with resistance to the draft and nuclear proliferation,
Ban the Bomb campaigns, living a Catholic Worker lifestyle,
the Reagan presidency and policies, opposition to racism, sexism
and homophobia, and opposition to each overt and covert war
fought with American money during this time.
Next, five young adults (under 30) offered their observations
on war tax resistance and how to improve our organizing and
outreach to better reach their age group. They pointed out that
many are already antiwar but are not interested in joining another
group. Instead, WTRs should go to their groups to talk about
wtr or dispense information and stories electronically. Some
feel that marches are fun, but not effective, and that organizing
people around you, like inviting friends to join you in wtr,
might be more effective. Redirecting war tax dollars is especially
appealing. Compared to an older generation they said, "We haven't
seen a 'good war.' The government hasn't done anything for us.
Representatives have never listened to us."
Young adults said they might not consider wtr because they'd
like to have the option down the line to buy a house, and WTR
feels like a lifelong commitment. The "all or nothing" pressure
of wtr is intimidating, and they question, "What will make real
change?"
Small groups met to discuss the presentations and come up
with new organizing ideas, and each group presented their top
suggestions to the whole group. My small group addressed David
Waters' challenge, "Where are your children?" (David and Oliver
Waters were the only father/son duo at the conference.) We acknowledged
that our youth need mentors in addition to their parents. (Though
that doesn't get parents off the hook!) Military recruiters
try to mentor youth in order to recruit them. We should do better.
Racism also enters into the picture-people who have white privilege
feel safer in disobeying laws such as those requiring payment
of war taxes. Those of us in the middle ages admitted that we
need to leave our own comfort zones in order to communicate
better with young adults.
Another session brought out different organizing models, and
small groups met on each topic: organizing with youth through
counter-recruitment and as conscientious objectors; using technology
better; a multi-year campaign starting with a survey of peace
activists and leading to a one-year war tax boycott; Peace Tax
Campaign work and the legislative effort in Rhode Island; support
targeted outreach to intentional communities.
On Saturday evening Peter Goldberger, attorney for Inge Donato
for her sentencing and an appeal, talked about the case of Restored
Israel of Yahweh, particularly in relation to what it might
signal for war tax resistance in general. It is the first time
criminal charges of willful failure to file and pay taxes have
been brought against people who refuse to pay for war for religious
reasons. Different from most WTRs, this case revolves around
withholding taxes not paid to community members for a construction
business run by Kevin and Joe; Inge was a very part-time bookkeeper
and was treated particularly harshly by the court. [Ed.'s note:
See page 5; future issues will continue to cover the case.]
Our final session of the conference on Sunday involved a process
to narrow down all the ideas generated into some workable priorities
for NWTRCC. Everyone in the room looked over the lists and wrote
down their top three priorities. Then each person presented
their three ideas in small groups. The small group task was
to come up with three final priorities. This interesting exercise
led us to about 18 ideas grouped into 6 different categories
that were sent to the business meeting for deciding the next
steps. Local activists can choose to implement them right away.
The main ideas to be pursued in NWTRCC are as follows: 1)
an introductory and how-to video/DVD (plus a video short for
the website); 2) peace movement survey followed by a one-year
tax boycott; 3) youth-oriented actions including emphasis on
web-based materials, new W-4 and cell phone information, enhanced
links with counter-recruitment work, redirection campaigns that
connect to causes of special interest to young people; 4) outreach
and links to intentional communities, who are often a good fit
with WTR; 5) using more sources for graphics and visuals showing
military spending; 6) looking into a proposal for a field organizer
who would travel and speak on war tax resistance.
Despite a busy conference weekend, about 30 people stayed
for the Counselors' Training on Monday, facilitated by Ruth
Benn, Robert Randall, Peter Goldberger, and Ed Hedemann. Instead
of distilling my nine pages of notes, I give you this advice:
Whenever you have an opportunity to take a wtr counselor training,
do it! We can learn so much from our aggregate experience and
research.
On a more personal note, I had arrived in New York City a
day before the conference, my first time there since my high
school senior trip quite a few years ago. I visited "Ground
Zero" and the nearby St. Paul's Chapel where rescue workers
could rest, eat, pray, and receive counseling and massages as
they coped with the horrific tragedy. Hearing the stories helped
me grasp not only how terror affected so many New Yorkers, but
also how dedicated people worked selflessly to bring healing
to their neighbors. Being there showed me the similarity in
the responses of big city people to those of my small town neighbors
after the Hesston tornado. And, I thought, if only our President
would have chosen to help instead of creating more unnatural
disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country's energy and
money could help build and heal rather than kill and destroy.
Our NYC hosts deserve much gratitude for their hospitality
and hard work. We from sunshiny states, such as Kansas, forgive
them for the humid, rainy weather on the days we were together!
Susan Balzer is active with the Heartland Peace Tax Fund
in Kansas and is a member of NWTRCC's Administrative Committee.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Phone Company Policy
Here's the text of an interesting document sent to NWTRCC by
someone who worked for Cingular, and wrote, "This is the official
policy given to customer service representatives from Cingular's
upper management." Helpful to resisters having problems with Cingular,
this letter can be referenced in conversations with other companies
also:
Cingular Wireless Process for Federal Excise Tax Write-Off
for War Protester
There are organized groups that advocate non-payment of the 3%
Federal Excise Tax (FET) on telecommunications charges, based
on opposition to war. Many of the organized groups (e.g. including
groups like the War Resister's League) have prepared forms for
telecommunications customers to submit as an official request
not to be charged the FET. The war protest organization literature
may include a reference stating that the IRS requires telecommunications
companies to permit customers to be excluded from the FET. This
is somewhat misleading. The actual rules are as follows.
No Exemption: IRS does not recognize such forms nor does it
grant any type of exemption to war protesters. Cingular therefore
has no responsibility to exempt or to otherwise not charge FET
to a customer making such a request.
Refusal to Pay FET: Cingular cannot exempt the war protest
customer from FET, but it is possible that the customer may
refuse to pay the FET portion of their bill. If this should
occur, Cingular is not required to pursue collection on behalf
of the government. Cingular's only responsibility at that point
is to report to the IRS any customers who refuse to pay based
on war protester status. Cingular has therefore developed the
following procedure to address war protester requests.
FET War Protest Scenario Procedures: Customer submits a completed
form from one of the war protest organizations, or otherwise
submits a request in writing, to be exempted from the FET based
on their position as a war protester. Form or correspondence
is then forwarded to the appropriate Tax Exemption Group for
handling.
[A list of addresses follows this text.]
Counselors' Update
For those of you who are listed as war tax resistance counselors
on the NWTRCC network list, we will try to find a way to share
with you some of the topics and information from the Counselors'
Training in October. It was a very useful session, which was both
audio- and videotaped. Given that it was 4-5 hours long, we will
try to produce transcripts or an edited version of the tapes soon.
Experienced resisters who would like to participate in a training,
please be in touch with the NWTRCC office. If we can pull together
a critical mass of potential counselors, we would like to offer
another session "somewhere in the country" in the not-so-distant
future.
[Return to List of Headlines]
It's been a good year for NWTRCC, thanks to you and groups
that have given since our last newsletter:
Center on Conscience and War
and, 2005 donor-directed grants through
Vermont Community Foundation
Santa Fe Community Foundation
A special thanks to everyone who came to and contributed to
the Strategy Conference, and to the planning committee: Rick
Bickhart, Suzanne Day, Eszter Freeman, Ed Hedemann, Susan Quinlan,
and especially to Daniel Woodham, who coordinated our planning
meetings.
[Return to List of Headlines]
The "Counselors and Contacts" list on the NWTRCC website, www.nwtrcc.org/contactN2.htm,
has been updated, as has the printed version, which is available
from the NWTRCC office. Anyone on the network list who would like
a copy of the nationwide list, which includes contacts who choose
not to be listed on the internet, please contact the office.
The national affiliate list plus the appropriate regional
list are sent to people who request information from NWTRCC.
It is, of course, essential for referring inquiries to the contact
or counselor nearest to them.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Legislative News
Marian Franz Honored in Brooklyn
By Susan Balzer
NWTRCC honored Marian Franz for her leadership of the Peace
Tax Fund Campaign during the Strategy Conference in October.
Ruth Benn, NWTRCC Coordinator, along with two former Coordinators,
Mary Loehr and Carolyn Stevens, presented Franz with a bouquet
of flowers and a book of congratulatory notes from conference
attendees.
In their role as Coordinators, Benn, Loehr, and Stevens have
worked with and alongside Franz during her 22-year tenure as
Executive Director of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax
Fund (NCPTF). Franz is retiring as director in the coming months,
but plans to continue lobbying on a part-time basis.
Marian Franz has been a national and international leader
in pursuing legislation giving conscientious objectors the right
to refrain from paying for war. She heads the NCPTF office in
Washington, DC, and is a founding Board member of Conscience
and Peace Tax International, a nongovernmental organization
(NGO) in special consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Franz has attended most
of the international conferences of peace tax campaigns and
war tax resisters. She worked with Marysdaughter, Loehr, PFT
founder David Bassett, and Susan Balzer to plan and lead the
8th International Conference, which was held in Washington,
DC, in 2000.
In her response to the applause in her honor, Franz said,
"No witness for conscience is ever lost. Conscientious objection
to military taxation does not mean that we won't pay for war,
but we can't." Franz concluded by noting how much she enjoys
lobbying: "You all can go to whatever mission fields you want;
give me the United States Congress!"
Thank you, Marian, for all of your work in bringing refusal
to pay war taxes so much attention for so many years. Readers
who would like to send their own congratulatory notes can write
to Marian at NCPTF, 2121 Decatur Pl., NW, Washington, DC, 20008.
Susan Balzer is active with the Heartland Peace Tax Fund
in Kansas and is a member of NWTRCC's Administrative Committee.
Providence Endorses Peace Tax Fund
In October 20, 2005, the Council of the City of Providence, Rhode
Island, voted unanimously for a resolution supporting the Religious
Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act, making it the first city in the United
States to pass such a measure. All 15 members of the Council voted
for the resolution, which cites the necessity of religious freedom
and the high cost of war as reasons to support this legislation.
The Providence vote is part of a new Rhode Island-wide campaign
for the Peace Tax Fund. The full text of the Resolution and
other information is available from: The Rhode Island Campaign
for Conscience, 33 Chestnut St., Providence, RI 02903, (401)
521-2187, http://ri.peacetaxfund.org.
The group is holding a public hearing on the Peace Tax Fund
on Monday, December 12, 2005, 9 am - 11 am, in the State Room
at the Rhode Island State House in Providence. Call the Campaign
for directions and details.
If you are interested in starting a resolution campaign in
your town or city, please contact Tim Godshall at the NCPTF
office in Washington, 1-888-PEACETAX, or send an email to: timgodshall@peacetaxfund.org.
[Return to List of Headlines]
WTRs at DC Demonstration
By Daniel Woodham (with thanks to Robert Randall)
End the war in Iraq! was the call for the mass demonstration
in Washington, DC, on September 24. The action included a rally,
march, concert, along with a Peace Fair on the 24th and 25th
on the Washington Monument grounds. United for Peace and Justice
sponsored Fair, and NWTRCC had a table in the Direct Action
Tent (one of many tents arranged along two sides of the gathering
space). Melissa Jameson (NY) and Rick Bickhart (VA) helped staff
the table. We got to talk with a lot of people since we were
situated beneath a sign that read "Direct Action." We were especially
happy to meet many of you.
The headquarters of the IRS was near the end of the march
route, and Robert Randall from Georgia and I stood out in front
of the building to be on view for those that made it to the
last leg of the march. We held a very bold "We Refuse To Pay
For War" banner provided by the DC WTR group, along with 4,000
flyer strips announcing our table and the NWTRCC website. We
were joined by Mary Regan from Massachusetts and New Yorker
Nadette Stasa, and a few others from time to time who helped
with the leafleting. We pointed out to the marchers that they
were passing the IRS, telling them to "Watch their pockets,"
and encouraging them to learn how to stop paying for war.
It took more than three hours for the entire march to pass
by us, and we had no problem giving out the flyers. (Crowd estimates
varied widely, as usual, but 150,000 seemed about right.) The
tabling continued on into the evening and resumed the next day
while hundreds of activists visited the Peace Fair and participated
in trainings for the civil disobedience at the White House and
Pentagon on Monday.
The WTR movement has been busy these last few months. One
might say the movement's cogs are well greased and running smoothly
with the good responses we've been getting!
IRS Investigates Church
In November 7, 2005, The Los Angeles Times, reported that one
of the largest churches in Southern California, the All Saints
Episcopal Church in Pasadena, had been warned by the IRS that
its tax-exempt status is in danger. In October 2004, the IRS learned
about a sermon preached by the church's former rector. The timing
was shortly before the presidential election.
Rev. George Regas had offered a guest sermon that "imagined
Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates
George W. Bush and John Kerry." The sermon did not tell people
how to vote, but it had a strong antiwar message.
In June the church received a letter from the IRS questioning
its tax exempt status, and after some back and forth the IRS
has since launched an investigation. The IRS was willing to
drop the case if All Saints would make a public admission of
wrongdoing, which they declined.
Support for the church has formed and action steps can be
found at www.progressivechristiansuniting.org.
The church's website has updated information and an audio link
to Regas's sermon: www.allsaints-pas.org.
Letters of support can be send to All Saints Church, 132 North
Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101, or fax: (626) 796-4749.
NCPTF Seeks Executive Director
The NCPTF Board of Directors seeks applicants to fill its Executive
Director position. The ideal candidate is an organizational leader
who will nurture and support the work of being an articulate voice
and witness on the issue of conscientious objection to military
taxation. The Executive Director works with a small, dedicated
staff and should be seasoned and skilled in communication, supervision,
coordination, organizational development, and networking. If you
have a strong commitment to the Peace Tax Fund and seek a challenge
in your professional work, we would like to hear from you.
A full job description is available on the web at www.peacetaxfund.org
or through the NCPTF office. Interested candidates should send
a letter of inquiry and resume to: Search Committee, Peace Tax
Fund, 2121 Decatur Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20008 or, by email,
to: searchcommittee@peacetaxfund.org
.
Grants Awarded
The Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia (NACC), which administers
CMTC, the largest alternative fund for war tax resisters (and
others), has announced its grant awards for 2005:
- Bay-Area Military Out of Our Schools, Oakland, CA; $750
for its campaign, On The Frontlines: Options for Youth in
Times of War.
- The Center for Justice, Peace, and the Environment, Fort
Collins, CO; $625 for general operating expenses.
- Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Poulsbo, WA;
$1,000 to help rebuild its Community House, which burned down
in August.
- NOVA-Kay-Rala Sister School Project, Seattle, WA; $625
for its ongoing efforts to pay reparations to the people of
East Timor.
- Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities, Encinitas,
CA; $2,000 to enable it to respond to the enormous increase
in requests for its services.
- Riseup Networks, Seattle, WA; $1,000 for its Tech Collective
Incubator Project.
- South Dakota Peace & Justice Center, Watertown, SD; $750
for its Eyes Wide Open! campaign.
- Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, Bellingham, WA; $750 for
a two-day Nonviolence and Direct Action training.
Congratulations to the recipients, and, of course, many thanks
to the Escrow Account holders and NACC donors who make the granting
program possible.
The 2005 application and general information are online at
http://seanacc.org/grants.htm,
for those interested in getting a feel for what next year's
will look like. Anybody who would like to be added to our Grant
Info Notifications email list, simply get in touch with the
NACC office, and we'll see to it!
NACC, 4554 12th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105, (206) 547-0952,
nacc@drizzle.com.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Peace Tax Return Available
A new version of the Peace Tax Return for the coming tax season
is now available from the NWTRCC office. The Peace Tax Return
is designed to capture the anger about the war in Iraq and the
billions of dollars being wasted there. Users send one section
to the IRS, either for protest or resistance, and a section to
NWTRCC so that we can track how many participate. We already have
an order for 50 copies from someone who plans to send it out with
each of his holiday cards.
The Peace Tax Form can be ordered from NWTRCC (bulk copies
8˘ each, or send a stamped, self addressed envelope for single
copies) or downloaded from the NWTRCC website, www.nwtrcc.org/peacetaxreturn.htm.
Help for Targeted Activists!
The Rosenberg Fund for Children provides for the educational and
emotional needs of children of targeted progressive activists,
and youth (to age 24) who are targeted activists themselves. Since
1990, the RFC has awarded over $2 million to its beneficiaries,
and they are seeking out others who qualify for similar help.
If you have knowledge of or direct contact with any activists
who have been targeted, please inform them of the RFC or send
their contact information to the RFC. One of the objectives
of the Fund is to let activists know there is a growing community
of support out there for them. RFC is continually trying to
expand that support.
For more information, visit the website at www.rfc.org.
For downloadable application forms go to http://www.rfc.org/application.htm.
The Fund can also be contacted at Rosenberg Fund for Children,
116 Pleasant Street, Suite 3312, Easthampton, MA 01027, (413)
529-0063.
[Return to List of Headlines]
Nominations Needed!
What: NWTRCC's Administrative Committee (AdCom) seeks 3 new members
Deadline: March 15, 2006
Schedule: New members from nominations will be selected at
the May 2006 meeting; terms start after the meeting.
Terms: 1 full member serves 2 years; 2 alternates serve 1
year as alternate plus 2 years as full member
Costs: Travel is paid for full members or alternates filling
in for full member
Benefits: Great people to work with; pleasure of contributing
to the smooth-running of the NWTRCC network; travel to fun places
and meet interesting people
Time commitment: AdCom meetings are the full day Friday before
the two weekend gathering, occasional emails and phone calls
during the year, and some willingness to volunteer for an extra
project according to interest and availability.
Qualifications: Interest in being part of NWTRCC's decision-making
structure; willingness to attend two meetings during the year;
desire to help promote NWTRCC; geographic and gender are considerations
as determined by current members
Current members: Eszter Freeman* (CA), Lincoln Rice* (WI),
Susan Balzer (KS), Daniel Woodham (NC), Alice Liu (CA), one
position open
Please contact the office for a job description, or send
in nominations and we will follow up with further details. Affiliate
groups should make a special effort to offer nominations.
*These members complete their terms in May 2006.
Coordinating Committee Decisions
NWTRCC's business meeting was held on Sunday afternoon, October
9, after the Strategy Conference ended. Much of the time was spent
on discussing how to follow up on the conference and act on at
least some of the many great ideas that were discussed. The conference
article in this issue lists the primary ideas that are being pursued
on the national level, but local activists and groups will also
pick up on whatever they choose. At the May meeting we will continue
with the follow-up work.
Other important items on the fall business agenda are setting
objectives and a budget for the new year. NWTRCC's fiscal year
runs from December 1 through November 30, and a balanced budget
of $34,500 was approved. The approved objectives include some
of the new items and ongoing activities such as publishing this
newsletter, holding the two meetings a year, promoting war tax
resistance through radio public service announcements, tabling
at conferences of allies and potential allies, adding contacts
to our network list, and adding a discussion board to the Hang
Up On War website.
NWTRCC will send a representative to the international conference
in Germany October 26-29, 2006, with travel and expenses covered
up to $1,000. The delegate will be chosen at our May meeting,
and anyone interested may throw their hat into the ring (self-nomination
is fine). Send a short write up describing your interest in
going and anything else you think relevant to the Administrative
Committee c/o the NWTRCC office. The deadline to apply is April
7, 2006.
The full meeting minutes are on the web at www.nwtrcc.org/oct05conf.htm
along with the budget, objectives, and more complete lists of
ideas that came up at the Strategy Conference.
Join Us In Seattle!
The next NWTRCC gathering and meeting will be held May 5-7, 2006,
in Seattle, hosted by the Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia.
Mark your calendars and watch for more information in the next
issue.
If you or your group would like to host a NWTRCC gathering,
we'd love to come your way, and we will help with the organizing
too. Please contact the office for more information.
[Return to List of Headlines]
WTR Profile
The Nuclear Resister Turns 25
The issues of the day were about hostages in Iran, Ronald Reagan
and the Cold War, nuclear power protests, Cruise and Pershing
missiles headed to Europe.
The editors didn't dream of email, fax machines, computer
desktop publishing, or digital printing.
Their first feature was about the arrest of Catholic activists
in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, who took the name The Plowshares
Eight.
NWTRCC congratulates our friends Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa
for their 25 years and counting as editors and publishers of
the Nuclear Resister. They have offered a unique and important
service to the antinuclear and peace movements by keeping us
posted on the thousands of actions and thousands of individuals
who have spent days, weeks, months, and years in jails and prisons
because they refuse to accept that we must live on this earth
with nuclear weapons and war.
In 1980 The Nuclear Resister began by covering arrests
for antinuclear actions, and in 1990 they expanded the reporting
to include antiwar arrests in North America and similar arrests
in civil resistance actions overseas.
The emphasis has always been on support for prisoners of conscience,
and the lists of names and addresses in each issue ensured that
imprisoned activists would know that their actions were appreciated
well beyond the immediate witnesses.
While putting out 138 issues over these years, Jack and Felice
have raised a daughter and son, Emma and Cassidy, and eked out
a living suitable to a war tax resisting lifestyle. They've
been NWTRCC contacts in Arizona for at least 20 years and war
tax resisters living below the taxable income all of that time.
In addition they have thrown their full support into particular
cases, like that of Mordecai Vanunu in Israel, and issues like
banning the use of depleted uranium.
If you would like to learn more about the publication, contact
The Nuclear Resister, PO Box 43383, Tucson, AZ 85733,
(520) 323-8697. Email: nukeresister@igc.org;
Website: www.serve.com/nukeresister.
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