Ray—
I read with interest your remarks about Cindy Sheehan’s vigil in Crawford, and your attempt to find ways that more of us can take a stronger stand in support of Sheehan’s struggle and the anti-war effort in general ["things we might consider doing to walk the talk"].
I’m surprised you didn’t mention war tax resistance as an option. That’s something we all can do that is in direct solidarity with Cindy Sheehan’s own tax resistance pledge and that firmly terminates our own reluctant support for the government policies we abhor.
I stopped paying federal income tax in March, 2003 when the invasion of Iraq began. I’m resisting the federal income tax completely and legally (by lowering my income below the tax line) but there are many ways to resist — some less completely, some less legally, some easier than others.
One war tax resister told me that it seems there are as many ways to do war tax resistance as there are war tax resisters — the point being that there’s a method for everyone and that anyone can join in to the extent of their ability, their level of commitment, the results they want to achieve and the amount of risk they want to take.
I hope you will consider war tax resistance as a possible avenue for people who want to expand their resistance.
I may end up having to turn this into a form letter, since there are so many other folks in the anti-war movement who could use this message.