The Ruckus Society — a nonviolent direct action training group — has signed on to the Don’t Buy Bush’s War campaign:
Say No to War Tax
In for the audacity of his dreams, the “militarism, materialism and racism” he warned would be our downfall have become more apparent, more drastic, and more vicious. The gap between those in poverty and those in luxury is wider than ever, the racial dynamics of that gap are undeniable, and we carry our racism abroad in the form of preemptive wars. we also mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War.
Each birthday of King’s becomes a chance for a million people to join his vision. He was trying to change everything, and he was doing that through a campaign of impacted people using organizing and action to leverage their numbers against institutional power at the government and corporate level. We definitely feel aligned with his dreams and his actual work here at Ruckus.
In , we’d like to ask you all to join us in responding to a call to civil disobedience on a massive scale to stand up against our current racist, materialistic military effort in Iraq. We don’t want to pay for this war anymore. If 100,000 people join this pledge to refuse to pay their taxes , this could be one of the most impactful stands against the war.
The campaign asks people of conscience like you — people who have tirelessly marched, written letters, signed petitions and protested in the streets; we who want to take a stand against the war in Iraq or the threat of war in Iran — to sign a pledge that, when joined by 100,000 other signatories, they will refuse to pay their taxes until the U.S. gets a fully operational plan in place to get our military out of Iraq. The idea is safety in numbers and a firm strike at the Administration’s capacity to fund the war. This is one of the strongest actions we can take, and indeed the time has arrived for us to show this level of commitment. This will make a difference. As Alexander Haig, U.S. Secretary of State said in : “Let them march all they want, as long as they continue to pay their taxes.”
You can help to counter the fear and misconceptions about this powerful tactic. With the support of leading tax lawyers, we will prepare people to file (not evade) but not pay taxes to fuel Bush’s War. The most people face is fines adding up to 7% of the total they owe, and very few war tax resisters have ever been prosecuted. Folks who are initiating this call to action are working with people who have been resisting since the war began, are in constant dialogue with the IRS and nothing has happened to them. Sign up and check out FAQ at (www.dontbuybushswar.org).
