National War Tax Resistance Committee – 2009-04-15 22:26:16
http://www.nwtrcc.org/taxday2009.htm
(The) War Is Not Over
Tax Day Actions, Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Here at the NWTRCC office a few notes have come in from people saying, “I’ve decided not to resist this year to give Obama a chance.” This is a familiar problem for the peace movement when a Democrat is elected, and, there’s no denying that Obama is looking pretty good after the Bush years. He should get a lot of credit for promising an honest budget even if the numbers look bad with all the bailouts, stimulus money, and wars. The Bush folks hid the war money; it’s guesswork to try and find out what’s really been spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. The accounting lacks detail.
But a couple things remain clear: we will not see dramatic cuts in military spending soon, and the wars are not close to an end.
The whole idea of giving Obama a chance is tempting, but actually, he didn’t recommend it himself. The blog “Daily Kos” quotes Obama from 1995: “We must form grassroot structures that would hold me and other elected officials more accountable for their actions.” He expressed the same sentiment after his nomination. It seems a good idea to take him up on it.
Get out on (or before) tax day to protest the ever-obscene military budget. See the action list below, but if there’s not an action in your area, order some flyers (list at the bottom) and head out to a busy corner to leaflet for an hour.
All these events occurred on April 15 unless otherwise noted.
ARIZONA
Tucson – Members of WILPF (and friends), susan[@]susanthorpe.com or 520-312-9988. Leafleting at the Sun Station Post Office during daytime hours, and then at the main post office, Cherry Bell Station from 5 pm until midnight.
CALIFORNIA
Bay Area – Northern California War Tax Resistance, www.nowartax.org. April 14, 7 – 8 pm: Join us in front of Herbst Theater, where Amy Goodman will be speaking about “Standing Up to the Madness” to help show attendees one way they can stand up. April 15: 6 – 9 am at Glen Park BART, where we will attract the early morning media, and then educate the commuter foot traffic with our display and hand-outs. April 15th, 11 am – 1 pm, at Civic Center Plaza, where we’ll join the “Tea Party” protesters against government waste and pork, while reminding them that the worst examples are found in the military budget. 4 – 6 pm at Balboa Park BART, showing off our new federal spending banner and educating taxpayers about government spending priorities.
Sonoma County – Sonoma County Taxes for Peace, 707-823-9203. Granting $1,000 of resisted taxes from the Woody Schwartz War Tax Redirection Fund to the local branch of Farms not Arms in Petaluma. One of the costs of war, and especially the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is the psychic damage done to many of the soldiers who serve there. Farms not Arms is an organization that helps to heal this damage by giving returning vets training & jobs as farmers.
COLORADO
Colorado Springs – Citizens for Peace in Space, Email. Leafleting with tax pie charts and other information at the Post Office. Time: noon.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington – Washington Area War Tax Resistance. Email. Vigil and leafleting at IRS headquarters, 1111 Constitution NW. Noon.
GEORGIA
Atlanta – Atlanta Peace Taxpayers (APT), Email for details. Leafleting at a major 24 hr post office. Time TBA.
KANSAS
Newton – Heartland Peace Tax Fund, susanbalzer(at)gmail.com The group got an article on wtr in Mennonite Weekly Review and its website that directs people to NWTRCC. They will share with NWTRCC a collection of testimonies gathered by Stan Bohn for the article from Mennonite wtrs. Sent pie chart in Peace Connections newsletters and making it available in at least one church. Sharing a song with poetry by David Ortman and music by Harold Moyer to various places.
KENTUCKY
Louisville — Fellowship of Reconciliation (local chapter). (502) 458-8056 or Email. Leafleting and penny poll at corner of Fifth & Market. Noon.
ILLINOIS
Evanston – Neighbors for Peace and the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice. Email. Wear a colorful sandwich board with a message and distribute over 1,200 of the War Resisters League “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” flyer at the Evanston Post Office. 8 am – 5 pm.
Carbondale – Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois/Fellowship of Reconciliation, Email. Annual Tax Day action at the Carbondale Post Office on E. Main St. Peace activists will pass out flyers of information on excessive military spending vs. human needs that are not being met. 11 am – 1 pm and 4 – 6 pm.
INDIANA
South Bend–Michiana War Tax Refusers. (574) 289-2126, psmith(at)saintmarys.edu, or michianapeacejustice.org. Vigil and leafleting at the Main Post Office. 5 pm–9 pm.
IOWA
Dubuque–Citizens’ Tax Moratorium. (563) 583-2586. Vigil and leafleting downtown at Federal Building, 6th and Locust. 5:30 pm–7:30 pm. (Also every Monday, 5:30 pm–6:30 pm.)
MAINE
Across the State – Maine War Tax Resistance Resource Center and other groups. (207) 525-7776 or rosc(at)psouth.net. Call or email to help or to connect with others in your area for leafleting with flyers about war taxes, budget priorities, and related issues at post offices and busy places. Before or on April 15._Bangor: Jane Livingston, 947-4117, or Gerald Oleson, 947-2970_Belfast: Larry Dansinger, 525-7776_Bath/Brunswick: Mary Beth Sullivan, 443-9502_Ellsworth: Frank Donnelly, 461-5080_Farmington: Eileen Liddy, 645-4755_Kennebunk: Jamilla El Shafei, jamillaelshafei@gmail.com_Portland: Peace Action Maine, 772-0680 or Bill Slavick, 773-6562_Damariscotta: Suzanne Hedrick, 563-7041
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston – New England War Tax Resistance, (781) 237-4690 or lrosenwald@wellesley.edu. A festive event including presentation of grants from redirected tax dollars to three Peace and Justice groups. Outside the South Postal Annex near South Station. 8:30 PM
Greenfield – Pioneer Valley War Tax Refusers, Email or (413) 774-2640. Picket with leaflets and placards along Main St., urging non-payment of Federal Income tax.. Printed matter will be offered at a sidewalk table by the Food Co-op, with the hope of opening a friendly exchange of views on this vital concern. 9 am until noon.
MISSOURI
St. Louis – St. Louis Covenant Community of War Tax Resisters, (314) 725-5303 or Email. Actions in collaboration with Women in Black, WILPF, the Instead of War Coalition. Tuesday, April 14: 11:30 am Gather and vigil in the Delmar Loop Plaza (6635 Delmar). Noon, process and leaflet through a restaurant district with the pie chart and the leaflet that the U.S. Committee to End the Israeli Occupation on taxes and U.S. military aid to Israel. 12:30 Procession ends at Sen. Claire McCaskill Office’s (5850 Delmar). Vigil in front of the office till 1 pm and then turn in tax resistance letters to the Senator’s staff.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Portsmouth — Seacoast Peace Response, 603-335-6240 or wesflierl1@netzero.net. Annual War Tax Education Penny Poll on the sidewalk outside the Portsmouth Post Office to call attention to the costs of a militarized federal budget. Literature will be available to people as they go to the post office to mail their taxes which will give them information about how their tax dollars are being spent. 11 am to 5:30 pm.
Across the State – New Hampshire Peace Action. Tonacki06(at)nec.edu. The call is out for people to set up tables with penny polls, educational materials, a petition to deliver to members of Congress, and a bookmark to give out in towns across the state at schools, post offices and town squares.
NEW YORK
New York City – NYC War Resisters League, NYC People’s Life Fund, and the Rude Mechanical Orchestra. (718) 768-7306 or www.warresisters.org. Meet and leaflet at Manhattan IRS office,110W. 44th Street, at 4 pm, then at 5:30 pm march to main post office at 8th Ave. and 34th St. for vigil, leafleting, redirection ceremony.
New City – Rockland Coalition for Peace & Justice, www.rocklandaction.org. Annual Tax Day vigil on the steps of the Rockland County courthouse. 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville – Ashville Area War Tax Resistance, 828-242-5610. Banners and flyer distribution in front of the downtown public library, visible throughout town from the Library to the Federal Building to the Post Office on Coxe Avenue. 3-5 pm, followed by potluck and discussion with Veterans for Peace and War Resisters League.
OREGON
Eugene — Community Action of Love County. (541) 485-1755. Penny poll and literature distribution at downtown Eugene post office.
Portland – Oregon Community for War Tax Resistance/WRL. (503) 238-0605 or contact[at]wrlpdx.org. April 11: redirection of tax dollars at the public library. April 15: Holding “Burma Shave” signs on the local bridges during morning rush hours.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bethlehem – LEPOCO. (610) 691-8730, lepoco(at)fast.net, or www.lepoco.org. Contact the office to get leaflets and connect with others for leafleting at area post offices.
Newtown, Bucks County – Coalition for Peace Action and Penn Action. www.cfpabuxmont.org, www.pennaction.org or 215-380-6804. Tax Day Vigil Silver Lake Park next to Lockheed Martin, Route 413 bypass in Newtown, Bucks County, PA. Invest our Tax Dollars in a Peace Economy! NOT in Lockheed Martin. 4:30-5:30 pm. More protests at Lockheed Martin April 23.
TEXAS
Austin — Code Pink and Austin Conscientious Objectors to Military Taxation.Email. Leafletting and vigiling at post office from 4:30 to 6:30.
VERMONT
Brattleboro — Area War Tax resisters, 802-387-2798.Vigil and tabling in front of the Brattleboro post office. 9 am – 4 pm.
Burlington – —Bread and Roses Committee. (802) 355-2977 or denisefoote(at)rocketmail.com. Leafleting at Post Office.
WASHINGTON
Seattle — NACC. (206) 547-0952, nacc(at)drizzle.com. Leafletting at several post offices from 4 to 5 pm (and other times).
Olympia – Olympia Movement for Justice & Peace, www.omjp.org, Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, www.olyfor.org. Annual protest vigil against the self-destructive madness of paying for U.S. wars, occupations, and continued imperialism around the globe. Main Post Office at 9th & Jefferson. 10 am into the evening.
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee – Milwaukee War Tax Resistance and Casa Maria Catholic Worker. usury_sucks@hotmail.com or 414-344-5745. Hold signs and pass our leaflets on at Milwaukee’s main post office located at 345 W St. Paul Ave. 5 pm–6 pm.
Resources
• War Resisters League – “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” flyer
• National Priorities Project – how much does your community spend for war?
• National War Tax Resistance – brochures and information about refusing to pay for war
• Friends Committee on National Legislation – federal budget information and flyers
