Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Dr. Jill Stein (Green Party) on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox
Dear Friend,
We are presenting a GREAT show for you today starring, Jill Stein, one of the great people who are vying for the presidential nomination of the Green Party.
 |
(We previously spoke to Roseanne Barr linked here).
I don't trust the Federal Election Electoral Complex at all, but Jill's views on the issues are spot on and articulated very well in our interview.
The interview can be heard at 2pm Pacific Time at
Community Progressive Radio.
Or any time and for all time at the archives for Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox.
Love & Peace
Cindy Sheehan
Soapbox Team
RevolutionALoveStory@gmail.com
Five Days for the Cuban 5 in WashedUp, DeCeit
I was invited to Washington, DC (WashedUp, Deceit) for the Five Days for the Cuban 5 by the International Committee to Free the Five.
The first event I attended (with my friend, host, driver, author, fellow radical, and Gold Star Aunt, Missy Beattie. Click here to read her article about the Five), was a luncheon at the Cuban Interests Section (de facto embassy, since the US and Cuba do not have formal relations) with the Ambassador from Cuba to the US, Jorge Bolaños, and I was honored to be given a place of importance right next to the Ambassador. The luncheon was to honor activists, artists, filmmakers and authors who have devoted at least part of their time to ending the unconscionable and anachronistic US embargo of Cuba and to educate for release of the Cuban 5.
On the following day, April 21st, we held a rally in front of the White House with over 300 people entitled, "Obama give us 5."
The closing event was held at the Venezuelan Embassy where I was the keynote speaker. Everyone in attendance was well aware of the case of the Five, but what I wished to do was to energize people who are already busy and devoted to Cuban and Latin American activism to help us make the US the hub of this activism since our country is leading the world in anti-democratic actions in that region (and, indeed, many others).
While at the Venezuelan Embassy, I received two wonderful surprises--I was able to speak with one of the Five, Gerardo Hernandez, who was given two life terms for "conspiracy to commit murder" who called from his prison in California; AND I was presented this award (pictured below) from the Five.
THE BACK READS:
TO Cindy Sheehan,
with regard and sincere appreciation
for your continual solidarity
with the cause of the Cuban 5.
April 2012
This is a super-excellent article about the case of the Five linked here by Stephen Kimber who has been researching the case for years since he visited Cuba in 2009.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Cindy Sheehan's Award from the Cuban 5
"Big Things Cannot be done without Big Friends"
Jose Marti
The Cuban Five:
Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labañino Salazar,
Rene González Sehwerert, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez and Fernando González
¡Hasta La Victoria, Siempre!
THE BACK READS:
TO Cindy Sheehan,
with regard and sincere appreciation
for your continual solidarity
with the cause of the Cuban 5.
April 2012
Pre-IRS hearing Statement by Cindy Sheehan
On April 04, 2004, my oldest
son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq and my heart and life were shattered.
We always disagreed with
George Bush and opposed the US’s entries into Afghanistan and then Iraq, but on
May 1, 2005, the Downing Street Minutes were discovered about a meeting held at
Number 10 Downing Street on July 23, 2002 between Tony Blair and a member of
the Foreign Service who had met in Washington DC with then National Security
Advisor Condileeza Rice.
The minutes explicitly stated
that there was no intelligence indicating an immediate need to invade Iraq, but
the invasion, at that point was, “a foregone conclusion.”
In todays fast food, instant
message culture, all of this may seem like ancient history, but to the
one-million plus people who have been slaughtered for lies, imperial conquest
and this government’s lust for and devotion to war, and all the ones that their
unnecessary death left behind, the pain will always be fresh.
The US government took
something invaluable precious and priceless from me and the murder has not
abated with a new administration and not one person who is responsible for the
mayhem has been prosecuted.
I will refuse to pay my
income taxes until the time, and I hope it’s soon, that our money is used to
fully fund a national health care system; free and fully funded education;
housing for all; and a more equitable distribution of wealth—and not used for
these unending wars.
Some people ask me if I pay
my state taxes, and the answer is: not while my state sends billions of dollars
to the federal government for its war OF terror while slashing education and
other essential social services.
Although my protest is not
against, nor is my beef with the IRS, I know for sure that the IRS is used to
prosecute political enemies of the state and as I am one of the most outspoken
critics of US foreign policy, I believe this is happening to me as this nation
is now embarking on further oppressive measures against dissent and I will not
cooperate with my own persecution.
Thank you.
Peace has a day in Court
Peace has a day in Court
Cindy Sheehan
For those of you who know me
and have been following my story, you know that part of my resistance to the US
Empire is my refusal to pay income taxes.
This morning (April 19th),
a new episode unfolded in my ongoing struggle with the IRS and the Empire the
agency is nestled in.
I was subpoenaed to appear in
the 9th Circuit court of the US Federal Court system in Sacramento,
California—my state’s capitol.
For background, I have had
two meetings with the IRS agent assigned to my case where I expressed to him my
unwillingness, due to my principles, to participate in funding a system that
commits crimes almost every second of every day. At this point, the IRS is
trying to collect 105 grand that it says I owe for the tax years 2005-2006. I
first became a war tax refuser in 2005.
My defense is one based on a far superior morality than one practiced by the US government and the fact that my
outspokenness against this immorality, and my notoriety in doing
so, has put me into a precarious position in a climate where free speech and
peaceful protest is being suppressed, sometimes very violently, as we have
increasingly witnessed.
In the past after about 15 arrests, I have also had many
opportunities to appear in court, federal and otherwise, in front of judges who
never showed one bit of compassion or sympathy towards the protesters’ first
amendment right trumping the governments’ harsh rules and laws profoundly
inhibiting those rights.
I have never once “gotten
off” using a defense based on the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution.
In that Bill of Rights, there’s an especially pesky little 1st Amendment that says, “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances." Yet Congress and other legislative bodies routinely pass these
laws prohibiting the free exercise of speech and the right to peaceably assemble and our protests become more and more meaningless as we are pushed farther
and farther away from our, for want of a better word, targets. In addition, the police state
is increasingly chasing protesters away by tear gas, pepper spray, rubber
bullets, sound weaponry and other supposedly "non-lethal" means.
When I decided to be a
conscientious objector to war tax, I knew that the consequence could be
harassment and/or punishment, but I decided to do it long before I became well known
as a gadfly to Empire. I was willing to
accept those consequences because I felt that if I were put on trial, the
reasons that I don’t fund war crimes would have to also be put on trial, and I
think it’s the only way that the illegality of the wars can actually get a
hearing.
I have an advisor who is an
experienced tax attorney who advises the National War Tax Resister’s Coordinating
Committee and he feels that the Empire may be targeting me to get publicity and
to intimidate others from taking the same course of action that I actually
encourage others to do, so he could inform me as to what usually happens every step of the
way, but my case could be “special” and contain many surprises, a few which did
occur in court today.
Before I continue, I’d like
to say that since I have become an antiwar “criminal,” my respect for the legal
profession has grown by leaps and bounds. I have always managed to attract some
amazing attorneys to help me in my cases always on a pro bono basis and this
case is no exception. My attorney of record in California is San Francisco
attorney, Dennis Cunningham, who has been involved in many protest cases and advising
us is Peter Goldberger in Pennsylvania. I am so thankful for the help of my attorneys
and for the NWRTCC and I honestly don’t know what I would do without their
legal help and peer support.
Anyway, there was a
pre-hearing rally in Sacramento today and supporters came there from Los
Angeles, Ventura, San Jose, San Francisco, Nevada City and Sacramento—we filled
the small courtroom after the rally (my pre rally statement is linked here).
After we went through
security and had to relinquish cameras and the signs we had pinned to us
showing my son’s picture and my picture and NO WAR TAXES printed on top, we
went to the courtroom where my hearing was the final one on a short docket of
four.
We were arguing that I had a
1st Amendment right to the protest and a 5th Amendment
right against self-incrimination and the attorney for the IRS and her buddies
that traveled from DC (yes, of course, this is not a political persecution)
argued that a “blanket 5th” is not allowed by case law and rulings
and she wanted me to be ordered to go to a room in the federal building to
answer questions about my “assets.” (My lawyer brilliantly argued that the
“secret” agencies already had all that information on me, anyway)—but there was
no way that I was going to be blindsided by an unwarranted demand like that and
this is where some extraordinary things happened.
Dennis was able to expound at
length about our fears of political retribution and my moral opposition to the
wars and he was able to iterate that I was against militarism and the huge
proportion of our taxes that go towards it. This is what I have always
wanted—the position of Peace had its day in court today! I was thrilled beyond
belief, but what happened when Dennis finished literally blew me away.
The Magistrate who presided
over the hearing, John Moulds, is an older man whom my attorney said has been
on the bench for years and years, but is known to be “fair” and not too
“excitable.”
The Magistrate said that he
read all of our motions and he looked me right in the eyes from across the room
and with great emotion in his voice he said, "It strikes me as a civilized
way to protest uncivilized acts." (Reuters) I actually started to cry
because it was such a beautiful thing to say in such a loving way and I can’t
ever recall anyone in the government and/or establishment that has ever genuinely
acknowledged my pain and practically admitted that what happened to Casey and
my family was disordered. Oh, many democrats pretended that they were sorry for
my pain, but they were only doing it for crass political gain—and when the
republicans acknowledged it, they were “thanking” me for my son’s brave service
to the country—I don’t know which approach was worse, but I felt no compassion
until today.
Then the lady from DC said
that she could “sympathize with conscientious objectors” but “losing a son” was
no excuse to “break the law with impunity.” What’s the empire’s excuse for
breaking the law with impunity in many ways on every day?
Dennis and I agreed to meet
with the IRS at a future date so I could do a line by line 5th amendment
claim to each question and the lady from DC requested that the magistrate order
me to comply and show up for the meeting and he said something like, “I want
the parties to talk, this hearing is over and I have 45 days to make a ruling
one way or the other on your motion—I may, or I may not.” According to Peter,
this is also something unprecedented.
I came away feeling very
energized and encouraged by today’s proceedings and if the Empire wants to make
someone cower before them in fear to intimidate others, they picked the wrong
person. Even if the magistrate hadn’t been so favorable to our side, I still
would feel triumphant.
The fissures of imperial
overreach and excess are widening and the Empire is being exposed for the
ridiculous bully it really is.
No Empire lasts forever and
the terribly destructive nature of ours requires us to help its inevitable
collapse. I am doing everything I can in my own small ways with all the courage
I can muster and I appreciate all the support and help I get along the way.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Five Days for the Cuban 5 in Washington DC
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFO
APRIL 16-21st
Cindy Sheehan will be there on the 20th and 21st events
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Blood on the Tracks: The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson
Dear Soapbox Friend,
Sunday, on the Soapbox, we have a very special and brilliant guest, S. Brian Willson.
Brian's life was transformed by his experience in the U.S.'s War on the people of Vietnam.
Brian lost both of his legs in a tragic accident as he was trying to prevent weapons from heading down to Nicaragua from the Concord Naval Station in California--a munition's train ran him over as he was trying to block the track.
Tune in at 2pm Pacific Time to hear Brian's riveting story and to also learn about his war tax refusal and his struggles with the IRS.
Tune into COMMUNITY PROGRESSIVE RADIO at 2pm Pacific Time on Sunday, April 15th; or at the ARCHIVES anytime thereafter.
Love & Peace
Cindy and the Soapbox Team
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|
CLICK FOR INFO ON BRIAN'S BOOK
|
Friday, April 13, 2012
"My Entire Life is Deductible" By Cindy Sheehan
One of the accusations I have faced the most since my activism began, besides those of "anti-American," "Communist," "traitor," and "bad mother," is that I am "profiting off of my son's death."
Of course, most of these (but by no means all) attacks come from the rightwing reactionaries who oftentimes don't allow pesky facts to get in the way of their unfounded accusations. When I am attacked by email, the subject line looks similar to this: YOUR A TRADER. The only thing I can do is chuckle and correct the spelling and grammar errors before I reply. Most of the time, however, I just dump the message in the garbage where it belongs.
First of all, it is true that since my son was killed and my passion for peace and justice became well-known, I have earned some money. However, I don't know if most people know that whenever they saw me on TV, I wasn't being paid like the plastic anchors and/or other talking heads. Just because a person is on TV doesn't mean he/she is wealthy.
Secondly, when I go out to protest, or on trips to speak to various groups, or when I am in jail, or camped out near George Bush's faux-ranch in Texas, or Barack Obama's White House, I am not collecting a salary. The money that I do earn from the work of my own hands (my books, speaking fees and my radio show) goes right back into the movement or to pay my scant (by USAian standards) living expenses.
Thirdly, when one becomes an activist who is outside established acceptable parameters and challenges the entire system, not just one tiny portion of it, the base of support narrows as the real problem of Empire (not just Republicans) is expanded. Trust me, it was far easier to be an activist when Bush was prez and most of the movements were just focused on getting warmongers with D's after their names in office. Back then, I had a staff of two (tiny by Movement Industrial Complex standards) and no shortage of invitations to receive awards so that the awarding organization could raise money off of the ceremony with me as the honored "guest."
Finally, I guess it's okay for war profiteers like General Electric to make billions of dollars off of, not just my son's death, but the deaths of, in point of fact, millions. The profits are gathered in blood and gore but, also in the quest for profit workers are exploited all over the world and the environment is being destroyed.
General Electric is just one example of something that has profited off of my "son's death," yet, while I am being persecuted by the U.S. government for being a conscientious war tax resister, General Electric got a whopping three-billion dollar tax refund for 2010! I don't hear any rightwing extremist screaming at GE that it is profiting off of my "son's death." Dick Cheney, who received a new heart that should have gone to someone else on the waiting list, profited off of my "son's death," but as long as he files his income tax return, he is allowed to roam free after he virtually wrote the book on the inhumanity of torture with other lowlifes like John Yoo.
Charitable donations are able to be deducted from what we supposedly owe in income taxes and it is much ballyhooed by the same rightwing reactionaries that Mitt Romney donates 10% of his tens of millions of dollars to charity (because he church forces him to), but I have donated nearly 100% of my time, energy and resources to the movements that I have become part of.
Besides, my oldest, dear child (who was buried on this day, eight years ago) had his life stolen from him in the Imperial quest for profit, control of natural resources, and power. GE gets three-billion extra US taxpayer dollars and I get the memory of having the undertaker tell us, Casey's family, that we could "touch him," in his coffin. but don't "move his head" because the "back of his head is missing." Dick Cheney gets a new heart and I get the memory of driving to the airport in San Francisco to pick up Casey's body (encased in a cardboard box) from the United Airlines loading dock.
I can never erase those memories and I can never give any of my money to the US government to kill anybody's else's child. I don't want any refunds, I just want to be left alone to try and do what I can to make this world a better place before I have to leave.
I owe it to Casey and I owe it to humanity.
Of course, most of these (but by no means all) attacks come from the rightwing reactionaries who oftentimes don't allow pesky facts to get in the way of their unfounded accusations. When I am attacked by email, the subject line looks similar to this: YOUR A TRADER. The only thing I can do is chuckle and correct the spelling and grammar errors before I reply. Most of the time, however, I just dump the message in the garbage where it belongs.
First of all, it is true that since my son was killed and my passion for peace and justice became well-known, I have earned some money. However, I don't know if most people know that whenever they saw me on TV, I wasn't being paid like the plastic anchors and/or other talking heads. Just because a person is on TV doesn't mean he/she is wealthy.
Secondly, when I go out to protest, or on trips to speak to various groups, or when I am in jail, or camped out near George Bush's faux-ranch in Texas, or Barack Obama's White House, I am not collecting a salary. The money that I do earn from the work of my own hands (my books, speaking fees and my radio show) goes right back into the movement or to pay my scant (by USAian standards) living expenses.
Thirdly, when one becomes an activist who is outside established acceptable parameters and challenges the entire system, not just one tiny portion of it, the base of support narrows as the real problem of Empire (not just Republicans) is expanded. Trust me, it was far easier to be an activist when Bush was prez and most of the movements were just focused on getting warmongers with D's after their names in office. Back then, I had a staff of two (tiny by Movement Industrial Complex standards) and no shortage of invitations to receive awards so that the awarding organization could raise money off of the ceremony with me as the honored "guest."
Finally, I guess it's okay for war profiteers like General Electric to make billions of dollars off of, not just my son's death, but the deaths of, in point of fact, millions. The profits are gathered in blood and gore but, also in the quest for profit workers are exploited all over the world and the environment is being destroyed.
General Electric is just one example of something that has profited off of my "son's death," yet, while I am being persecuted by the U.S. government for being a conscientious war tax resister, General Electric got a whopping three-billion dollar tax refund for 2010! I don't hear any rightwing extremist screaming at GE that it is profiting off of my "son's death." Dick Cheney, who received a new heart that should have gone to someone else on the waiting list, profited off of my "son's death," but as long as he files his income tax return, he is allowed to roam free after he virtually wrote the book on the inhumanity of torture with other lowlifes like John Yoo.
Charitable donations are able to be deducted from what we supposedly owe in income taxes and it is much ballyhooed by the same rightwing reactionaries that Mitt Romney donates 10% of his tens of millions of dollars to charity (because he church forces him to), but I have donated nearly 100% of my time, energy and resources to the movements that I have become part of.
Besides, my oldest, dear child (who was buried on this day, eight years ago) had his life stolen from him in the Imperial quest for profit, control of natural resources, and power. GE gets three-billion extra US taxpayer dollars and I get the memory of having the undertaker tell us, Casey's family, that we could "touch him," in his coffin. but don't "move his head" because the "back of his head is missing." Dick Cheney gets a new heart and I get the memory of driving to the airport in San Francisco to pick up Casey's body (encased in a cardboard box) from the United Airlines loading dock.
I can never erase those memories and I can never give any of my money to the US government to kill anybody's else's child. I don't want any refunds, I just want to be left alone to try and do what I can to make this world a better place before I have to leave.
I owe it to Casey and I owe it to humanity.
PLEASE CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MY
IRS CHALLENGES
 |
| ANDY SHEEHAN KISSES HIS BROTHER, CASEY'S COFFIN BEFORE IT IS LOWERED TO THE GROUND APRIL 13, 2004 |
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Occupy Jersey City GA Supports Cindy Sheehan against IRS "tyranny."
April 3rd, 2012,
Dear Cindy Sheehan,
It was brought to OCCUPY JERSEY CITY'S attention of your efforts to resist the so-called 'war-taxes' by refusing to pay them.
We realize this is a brave, bold and challenging action to take and we applaud your efforts to legally resist what are perceived as immoral and illegal taxes on U.S. residents and citizens, which in turn pay for endless wars abroad.
Please know that we value and admire all you do as an activist. Thank you for taking a stand against the illegal entity called the IRS who is squeezing every nickle possible from those who can least afford it to fund tyranny abroad.
We send you our blessings and best wishes for victory against the IRS tyranny. Many of us stand in solidarity with you and your peaceful actions as you are being targeted by the Internal Revenue Service at this time.
In Solidarity,
OCCUPY JERSEY CITY
- General Assembly
Dear Cindy Sheehan,
It was brought to OCCUPY JERSEY CITY'S attention of your efforts to resist the so-called 'war-taxes' by refusing to pay them.
We realize this is a brave, bold and challenging action to take and we applaud your efforts to legally resist what are perceived as immoral and illegal taxes on U.S. residents and citizens, which in turn pay for endless wars abroad.
Please know that we value and admire all you do as an activist. Thank you for taking a stand against the illegal entity called the IRS who is squeezing every nickle possible from those who can least afford it to fund tyranny abroad.
We send you our blessings and best wishes for victory against the IRS tyranny. Many of us stand in solidarity with you and your peaceful actions as you are being targeted by the Internal Revenue Service at this time.
In Solidarity,
OCCUPY JERSEY CITY
- General Assembly
NorCal War Tax Resisters Support Cindy Sheehan
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/04/08/18710985.php
When the IRS takes Cindy Sheehan to court to try to force her to support the war machine that killed her son, other war tax resisters from Northern California will be standing with her.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – 9 APRIL 2012 – When the
IRS takes Cindy Sheehan to court to try to force her to support the war
machine that killed her son, other war tax resisters from Northern
California will be standing with her.
On April 19th at 10:30 a.m., the IRS will ask a judge of the U.S. Federal Court, California Eastern District (501 I St., Sacramento) to compel Cindy Sheehan to give them information that would help them collect money from her. Northern California War Tax Resistance supports Sheehan's continued refusal to cooperate.
Cindy Sheehan is not waiting for Congress to shut off the spigot of funding for war and militarism – she's taking a stand of conscience by refusing to pay the taxes that make the wars possible. And she's not alone: war tax resisters across the country are refusing to pay into the Pentagon's budget.
Among them are members of the group Northern California War Tax Resistance.
“I wish more antiwar activists would put their money where their mouth is like Cindy does,” says David Gross, 43, of Berkeley, California. Gross hasn't paid any federal income tax since 2003. “I didn't feel like I could really say I was against the wars until I stopped supporting them with my tax dollars, so I decided to stop paying. Now I put all of my energy on the side of my values instead of being a reluctant parttime worker for the Pentagon.”
Jan and David Hartsough of San Francisco, California, have been resisting the federal telephone excise tax since 1968, and today they also refuse to pay half of their federal income tax. “The U.S. Government has already taken Cindy's son for the immoral and illegal war in Iraq,” David says. “She should not in addition be forced to pay for other mothers' sons to kill and be killed in Afghanistan.”
“This year I'm celebrating 25 years of refusing to pay war taxes to the federal government,” says Jon Marley, 50, of Berkeley, California. “I choose this kind of civil disobedience because I believe it is morally wrong for the U.S. to spend nearly 50% of our taxes on murder, torture, and rape in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We should be using those dollars for projects that provide housing and food and education and health care. Cindy Sheehan understands this, and that's why she has my full support in her brave stand as a war tax resister.”
“How many of our sons and daughters must die in faraway lands? And how many faraway sons and daughters must die at their hands?” asks war tax resister Susan Quinlan of Berkeley, California, who has been resisting taxes since 1981. “Thank you to Cindy Sheehan and to the other mothers and fathers who say 'no!' to this military madness! Not our children, not their children, and not with our taxes!”
Martha Cain, of Berkeley, California, says: “[Former U.S. Secretary of State] Alexander Haig said [of antiwar protesters], 'Let them march all they want as long as they continue to pay their taxes.' Cindy Sheehan interpreted this advice and acted on it. I support and admire Cindy for her courage and commitment in refusing to pay for more violence in this world.”
“I refuse to allow any of my tax money to be spent on wars, torture, rape, and killing people for whatever excuse the government and our corporations want to make up,” says Xan Joi, of Berkeley, California. “To attempt to force Cindy Sheehan to pay for this war on Iraq that actually took her child’s life is unconscionable, immoral – and demanding that she participate in supporting, condoning, and accepting the murder of her own child – let alone other mothers’ children. I feel so tender toward the women of this nation and other nations that I will not allow myself or others to injure their sons and daughters. Cindy Sheehan is a courageous mother who is refusing to be bought by the greed of our nation. I support her stands.”
“I have been resisting the military portion of my income taxes since Vietnam,” says Lorin Peters, 69, of Lafayette, California. “For two reasons: our military is being used for domination and empire, and not for defense; [and] nonviolent defense works better than violent defense, as was demonstrated by Gandhi and others.”
Sheehan appreciates the company: “I would like this to be a movement,” she says. “There are many, many people who are conscientious tax resisters around the country, but I think we need to make it a movement with more and more people joining us. There are many ways people can be conscientious tax objectors. You don’t have to do it 100% like I do.”
ABOUT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WAR TAX RESISTANCE:
=============================================
Northern California War Tax Resistance (http://nowartax.org) is one of many local groups of war tax resisters that are nationally coordinated with the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, or NWTRCC (http://nwtrcc.org/). Northern California War Tax Resistance provides information and support for conscientious war tax resisters in Northern California (primarily the San Francisco bay area) and also operates the People's Life Fund, through which war tax resisters can redirect their taxes from the federal government to local charities in need.
CONTACTS:
=========
Susan Quinlan
Northern California War Tax Resistance
(510) 8426124
nowartax [at] riseup.net
Ruth Benn
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)
PO Box 150553, Brooklyn, NY 112150553
(718) 7683420 • (800) 2697464
nwtrcc [at] nwtrcc.org
Cindy Sheehan
cindy [at] cindysheehanssoapbox.com
David Gross
dave [at] eorbit.net
(415) 3414048
Jon Marley
marley [at] stanfordalumni.org
(510) 5484040 x 321
Xan Joi
(404) 8539990
Lorin Peters
lorinpeters [at] yahoo.com
###
On April 19th at 10:30 a.m., the IRS will ask a judge of the U.S. Federal Court, California Eastern District (501 I St., Sacramento) to compel Cindy Sheehan to give them information that would help them collect money from her. Northern California War Tax Resistance supports Sheehan's continued refusal to cooperate.
Cindy Sheehan is not waiting for Congress to shut off the spigot of funding for war and militarism – she's taking a stand of conscience by refusing to pay the taxes that make the wars possible. And she's not alone: war tax resisters across the country are refusing to pay into the Pentagon's budget.
Among them are members of the group Northern California War Tax Resistance.
“I wish more antiwar activists would put their money where their mouth is like Cindy does,” says David Gross, 43, of Berkeley, California. Gross hasn't paid any federal income tax since 2003. “I didn't feel like I could really say I was against the wars until I stopped supporting them with my tax dollars, so I decided to stop paying. Now I put all of my energy on the side of my values instead of being a reluctant parttime worker for the Pentagon.”
Jan and David Hartsough of San Francisco, California, have been resisting the federal telephone excise tax since 1968, and today they also refuse to pay half of their federal income tax. “The U.S. Government has already taken Cindy's son for the immoral and illegal war in Iraq,” David says. “She should not in addition be forced to pay for other mothers' sons to kill and be killed in Afghanistan.”
“This year I'm celebrating 25 years of refusing to pay war taxes to the federal government,” says Jon Marley, 50, of Berkeley, California. “I choose this kind of civil disobedience because I believe it is morally wrong for the U.S. to spend nearly 50% of our taxes on murder, torture, and rape in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We should be using those dollars for projects that provide housing and food and education and health care. Cindy Sheehan understands this, and that's why she has my full support in her brave stand as a war tax resister.”
“How many of our sons and daughters must die in faraway lands? And how many faraway sons and daughters must die at their hands?” asks war tax resister Susan Quinlan of Berkeley, California, who has been resisting taxes since 1981. “Thank you to Cindy Sheehan and to the other mothers and fathers who say 'no!' to this military madness! Not our children, not their children, and not with our taxes!”
Martha Cain, of Berkeley, California, says: “[Former U.S. Secretary of State] Alexander Haig said [of antiwar protesters], 'Let them march all they want as long as they continue to pay their taxes.' Cindy Sheehan interpreted this advice and acted on it. I support and admire Cindy for her courage and commitment in refusing to pay for more violence in this world.”
“I refuse to allow any of my tax money to be spent on wars, torture, rape, and killing people for whatever excuse the government and our corporations want to make up,” says Xan Joi, of Berkeley, California. “To attempt to force Cindy Sheehan to pay for this war on Iraq that actually took her child’s life is unconscionable, immoral – and demanding that she participate in supporting, condoning, and accepting the murder of her own child – let alone other mothers’ children. I feel so tender toward the women of this nation and other nations that I will not allow myself or others to injure their sons and daughters. Cindy Sheehan is a courageous mother who is refusing to be bought by the greed of our nation. I support her stands.”
“I have been resisting the military portion of my income taxes since Vietnam,” says Lorin Peters, 69, of Lafayette, California. “For two reasons: our military is being used for domination and empire, and not for defense; [and] nonviolent defense works better than violent defense, as was demonstrated by Gandhi and others.”
Sheehan appreciates the company: “I would like this to be a movement,” she says. “There are many, many people who are conscientious tax resisters around the country, but I think we need to make it a movement with more and more people joining us. There are many ways people can be conscientious tax objectors. You don’t have to do it 100% like I do.”
ABOUT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WAR TAX RESISTANCE:
=============================================
Northern California War Tax Resistance (http://nowartax.org) is one of many local groups of war tax resisters that are nationally coordinated with the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, or NWTRCC (http://nwtrcc.org/). Northern California War Tax Resistance provides information and support for conscientious war tax resisters in Northern California (primarily the San Francisco bay area) and also operates the People's Life Fund, through which war tax resisters can redirect their taxes from the federal government to local charities in need.
CONTACTS:
=========
Susan Quinlan
Northern California War Tax Resistance
(510) 8426124
nowartax [at] riseup.net
Ruth Benn
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)
PO Box 150553, Brooklyn, NY 112150553
(718) 7683420 • (800) 2697464
nwtrcc [at] nwtrcc.org
Cindy Sheehan
cindy [at] cindysheehanssoapbox.com
David Gross
dave [at] eorbit.net
(415) 3414048
Jon Marley
marley [at] stanfordalumni.org
(510) 5484040 x 321
Xan Joi
(404) 8539990
Lorin Peters
lorinpeters [at] yahoo.com
###
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Cindy vs. The Empire
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Dear Friend,
Even if one only counts foreign military invasions, the United States of America has long been an Empire, but if we talk about our nation's First People, it has always been so. This is a true story: A few months before I went to Crawford, Texas in August of 2005, to ask George Bush the infamous question, "What Noble Cause," I visited my Congressional Representative, George Miller (D). I begged him to do what he could to end the wars and hold the Bush crime syndicate accountable for killing my son, Casey. Miller told me that he was sympathetic to my cause, but he couldn't do anything because the Democrats were at that time, a "minority." (We would all soon learn that the Democrats wouldn't do anything even when they were the majority, but that's another story.) Anyway, I said, "George, I am only one person, but I will do whatever I can to hold Bush accountable. The Bush family has been murdering people for generations, but when they murdered by son, Casey, they murdered the wrong person." Well, since that meeting, I have been doing everything I can to hold BushCo (etc) accountable, but in my quest for accountability, I learned my target was too narrow--George Bush was never the bullseye. The bullseye is the Robber Class that uses the Military Empire for profit and power. One of my many protest actions is to not pay my income taxes which mostly go for war and other police state tyrannies. Now, the Empire is Striking Back as my hearing date to force me to provide information to the IRS against my 5th amendment right to not incriminate myself, is rapidly approaching. I need all the support I can muster because The Empire is a formidable foe--yet the worst it can do to me is imprison me--my son, and millions of others, have had their lives stolen from them in the Empire's lust for blood. I am attaching all the information anyone needs for coming to the pre-hearing rally in Sacramento on April 19, and/or other ways to support me and other war tax conscientious objectors. Peace and love all the way to victory, Cindy Sheehan (Please share this email with your contacts to spread the word. Sharing doesn't cost anything, except a few minute's time).
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JUST A FEW REASONS I DON'T PAY THE U.S.A.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Power to the Peeple!
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
If You Work For Peace, Stop Paying for War (Press Release)
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National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)
PO Box 150553, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Tax Day Actions - http://www.nwtrcc.org/
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 5, 2012
Contact: Ruth Benn, NWTRCC Coordinator
800-269-7464 (718-768-3420) or nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org
“Tax Day” Antiwar Protests
Individuals Publicly Refuse to Pay Taxes for War
On April 19, 2012, two days after the April 17 tax deadline, peace activist and Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan will appear in court in Sacramento, California. The Justice Department, on behalf of the IRS, is seeking to discover why she hasn’t paid taxes in recent years. Sheehan has responded that “If the feds can give me my son back, I’ll pay my taxes.” She became a relentless peace activist following her son’s 2004 combat death in Iraq.
Sheehan will be joining thousands of others expected to demonstrate between now and tax day to oppose what they see as excessive spending on military and wars around the world to the detriment of human needs. On or before April 17, demonstrators in dozens of communities will be leafleting, protesting, picketing at post offices, IRS offices, federal buildings, and other public spaces with messages such as “Money for Schools Not War” and “Occupy the IRS” or “Fund the Future of the 99%, Not the Wars of the 1%.”
Cindy Sheehan’s refusal to pay is neither unique nor new. There are many documented instances of individuals refusing to pay taxes for war since ancient times. For example, in Aristophanes 411 BCE play Lysistrata, the heroine responds to a magistrate’s question by saying, “We want to keep the money safe and stop you from waging war.”
Today’s “war tax resisters” include Marjorie Swann Edwin (CA), whose resistance began as a response to World War II; Ed Hedemann (NY), who began refusing in 1970 because of the Vietnam War; David Waters (AL), who started during the first Gulf War in 1991; and Erica Weiland (WA), who began her refusal to pay the IRS during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
These and other war tax resisters are available for interviews.
More than 280 individuals have made their refusal public on the War Tax Boycott website, http://wartaxboycott.org, an online campaign initiated by National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. NWTRCC endorses the second annual Global Day of Action on Military Spending, coinciding with tax day and the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s new figures on world military spending, which rose to an all-time high of $1.63 trillion in 2010.
NWTRCC was founded in 1982 as a coalition of local, regional and national groups providing information and support to people who are conscientious objectors to paying taxes for war.
There are many protests around taxes. The list of actions collected by NWTRCC, http://www.nwtrcc.org/
- 30 –
Tax Day Actions – http://www.nwtrcc.org/
War tax resisters are available for interviews.
Ruth Benn, Coordinator
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
PO Box 150553
Brooklyn, NY 11215
800-269-7464
www.nwtrcc.org
PO Box 150553, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Tax Day Actions - http://www.nwtrcc.org/
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 5, 2012
Contact: Ruth Benn, NWTRCC Coordinator
800-269-7464 (718-768-3420) or nwtrcc@nwtrcc.org
“Tax Day” Antiwar Protests
Individuals Publicly Refuse to Pay Taxes for War
On April 19, 2012, two days after the April 17 tax deadline, peace activist and Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan will appear in court in Sacramento, California. The Justice Department, on behalf of the IRS, is seeking to discover why she hasn’t paid taxes in recent years. Sheehan has responded that “If the feds can give me my son back, I’ll pay my taxes.” She became a relentless peace activist following her son’s 2004 combat death in Iraq.
Sheehan will be joining thousands of others expected to demonstrate between now and tax day to oppose what they see as excessive spending on military and wars around the world to the detriment of human needs. On or before April 17, demonstrators in dozens of communities will be leafleting, protesting, picketing at post offices, IRS offices, federal buildings, and other public spaces with messages such as “Money for Schools Not War” and “Occupy the IRS” or “Fund the Future of the 99%, Not the Wars of the 1%.”
Cindy Sheehan’s refusal to pay is neither unique nor new. There are many documented instances of individuals refusing to pay taxes for war since ancient times. For example, in Aristophanes 411 BCE play Lysistrata, the heroine responds to a magistrate’s question by saying, “We want to keep the money safe and stop you from waging war.”
Today’s “war tax resisters” include Marjorie Swann Edwin (CA), whose resistance began as a response to World War II; Ed Hedemann (NY), who began refusing in 1970 because of the Vietnam War; David Waters (AL), who started during the first Gulf War in 1991; and Erica Weiland (WA), who began her refusal to pay the IRS during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
These and other war tax resisters are available for interviews.
More than 280 individuals have made their refusal public on the War Tax Boycott website, http://wartaxboycott.org, an online campaign initiated by National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. NWTRCC endorses the second annual Global Day of Action on Military Spending, coinciding with tax day and the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s new figures on world military spending, which rose to an all-time high of $1.63 trillion in 2010.
NWTRCC was founded in 1982 as a coalition of local, regional and national groups providing information and support to people who are conscientious objectors to paying taxes for war.
There are many protests around taxes. The list of actions collected by NWTRCC, http://www.nwtrcc.org/
- 30 –
Tax Day Actions – http://www.nwtrcc.org/
War tax resisters are available for interviews.
Ruth Benn, Coordinator
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
PO Box 150553
Brooklyn, NY 11215
800-269-7464
www.nwtrcc.org
Sunday, April 1, 2012
MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX AT 50
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CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX WITH
ACTIVIST/AUTHOR
DAVID SWANSON
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| DAVID AND CINDY AT IMPEACHMENT RALLY |
APRIL 01, 2012
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