War Tax Resisters Hold National Gathering in Eugene, Oregon

I’m in Eugene, Oregon at the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee conference.

Kathy Kelly looks on as Ruth Benn addresses the NWTRCC conference

So far it’s been a long administrative committee meeting (I’m an alternate on the administrative committee) talking budget and objectives and scheduling, and then meeting the people who have arrived for our regular sessions, which began after dinner tonight.

We have a pretty big crowd this time around, about fifty so far and there are more coming tomorrow morning.

And despite the numbers, we got through the “let’s go around and introduce ourselves” segment with time to spare. This group gets points for staying on-point and not getting thrown off much. In this way it bucks the trend of many grassroots activist groups, many of which can’t seem to run a meeting to save their lives. And it’s certainly not because we’re ideologically unified or lack talkative eccentrics! Somehow when it comes down to brass tacks, we get down to brass tacks.

Robert Randall addressing some of the NWTRCC conference attendees

Well, this is interesting. None other than Melissa Etheridge has jumped on the gay marriage tax resistance bandwagon:

Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don’t mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We’re gay! I am sure there will be a little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check here if you are gay, yeah, that’s not so bad. Of course all of the waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such, they won’t have to pay their taxes either.

Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.

Gay marriage rights tax resisting pioneers Charles Merrill and John Bisceglia were quick to praise the action and urge others to join in.