More tax resistance news is trickling in during .
The Brooklyn Eagle quotes war tax resisters Ed Hedemann, Robin Harper, and Karl Meyer.
Hedemann… has not paid any federal income tax and has no intention of starting now.
The 62-year-old, mild-mannered pacifist says he owes the government $70,000. This sum is worth several cluster bombs at $14,000 each and dozens of $9 hand grenades, but instead, he has donated the money to Global Exchange, American Friends Service Committee and other humanitarian efforts. Hedemann says he sleeps better knowing his tax dollars are being redirected to peaceful causes. “I run a risk of getting in trouble for not paying my taxes, but not as big a risk as the people of Iraq will suffer if I do pay,” said Hedemann, the author of War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military.
The antiwar activist is so dedicated to his cause that he lives on the brink of poverty; he doesn’t own a home, car or bank account for fear the IRS will seize his assets. “I don’t want to finance this country’s war-making machine,” Hedemann said.
Elsewhere: In South Bend, Indiana, a dozen people held signs and distributed War Resisters League pie charts to last-minute filers at the post office. And in Austin, Texas, the groups Austin Conscientious Objectors to Military Taxation and CodePink Austin joined up at the downtown post office to hold signs and hand out flyers about military spending and taxes.
In Portland, Oregon, CodePink and the War Resisters League were joined by Physicians for Social Responsibility and the American Friends Service Committee to make that much more upsetting for taxpayers.
On in Pittsburgh, the Raging Grannies, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the American Friends Service Committee “sang and distributed 400 ‘where your tax money really goes’ leaflets outside the Squirrel Hill post office.”
The Occupation Project in St. Louis, Missouri held up large orange “Caution Signs” at the post office on :
The first sign will say: “Caution, War Tax Payment Zone”. The next will read “Pause before you Pay for”. And the then the following signs will read, “House to House Searches”, “Torture”, “Hundreds of Thousand of Refugees”, “Over 3200 U.S. Military Dead”, “Over 600,000 Iraqi Dead”.
Five protesters in sackcloth and ashes were arrested at the Chicago federal building on .
