Miscellaneous tax resisters → individual war tax resisters → Doug & Maureen Mackenzie

Code Pink notes, of its audacious campaign to get 100,000 Americans to pledge to resist taxes, that “if we succeed, it will be the single largest war tax resistance in U.S. history.”

It has been heartwarming to read the comments left by some of those who have signed the pledge so far:

After my son’s second deployment when he related to me the horrors of the occupation in Iraq, I vowed I would do whatever it took to end it. As we urge our lawmakers to stop funding the war, we have to be willing to do the same. It is time we stop funding with our tax dollars.
Tina Richards, founder, Grassroots America
The world and history will judge us by how vigorously we resist the illegal and immoral war tactics of the Bush Administration. My husband, friends and I have decided we can’t pay for war anymore.
Jodie Evans, Cofounder, Code Pink
I won’t pay my taxes if you won’t pay yours.
Nina Rothschild Utne, Utne Reader
We should stop the war, whatever it takes. If withholding our income taxes is a way to do it, I am all for that.
Lee Newman, Retired Captain. U.S. Air Corp, World War Ⅱ
We must stop supporting policies that use our tax dollars to bring violence around the world. Not one cent more.
Maricela Guzman, Iraq War Veteran U.S. Navy,
I am one of the majority of Americans who want the war to end and will be happy to pay my taxes when democracy and the rule of law and the Constitution is restored to our once great nation.
Steve Savitch, Tuscon, Arizona
I increased my deductions to 10 . I am so glad for this movement to show me what to do next and for the safety in numbers. I will no longer help kill people.
andee Scott, Pacific Grove, California
We must renew the American Revolutionary Spirit. We must have a Velvet Revolution to save America.
Theadora de Soyza, New Rochelle, New York
If our leaders won’t stop this travesty, then We, the People must
anonymous, Oregon, Wisconsin
Stop feeding the bush war machine… if he thinks the war is so damn important why aren’t his daughters on the front lines?
Gina Arcuri, Barneveld, New York
Time to act for justice and do the right thing. I refuse to pay a war tax!
Herb Gonzales, Jr., San Antonio, Texas
We must have the courage to take a stand. If enough of us will take this stand, I believe this government will listen.
Leo Anderson, Austin, Texas
I will not pay my taxes to support the war in Iraq.
Renata Ahmed, Brooklyn, New York
As a matter of conscience I will not voluntarily pay my hard earned money to a government whose daily order of business is waging war.
Michael Zargarov, Houston, Texas
When government is out-of-control, citizens must exert control.
Den Mark Wichar, Vancouver, Washington
I refused to pay for an illegal war. It is unconscionable and disgusting that U.S. Congress continues to fund President Bush’s war-crimes.
anonymous, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
I am so impressed and proud of your actions. Blessed be.
Vicki Noble, Freedom, California
I may not have much to withhold, but it’s all worth it! It’s time to stop this crap…
Daniel Bryan, Granc Blanc, Michigan
Hell nay, I won’t pay!
Avi Peterson, San Francisco, California
United we stand; divided we fall.
Kristine Abney, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Taxation without representation. Let’s fight this together and start restoring democracy.
Shawn DeFrance, Dallas, Texas
Throw the tea into the harbor. 70% of the American people oppose this war. That constitutes taxation without representation. It is time to throw the tea into the harbor. Coincidentally, that is exactly what I have been saying. Let’s have a tea party.
Bobi Meola, Berkeley, California
We are retired and don’t pay any tax. I fully support your courageous efforts to end this bloody occupation.
Chris Caldwell, Anaheim, California
Yes and though dangerous, I pledge to join in not paying the 7% taxes!
Nat Vance, Muskogee, Oklahoma
I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Iraq. I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Afghanistan. I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Nicaragua. I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Vietnam. I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Laos. I will not pay my taxes if we bomb Cambodia. Therefore, I don’t pay my taxes.
Dani Visalli, Winthrop, Washington
Spend my tax dollars on the good of the nation, not war.
Jennifer Chacon, Portland, Oregon
Together we can bleed the war machine dry by using this non-violent civil disobedience.
anonymous, Modesto, California
Already had planned to put all of my taxes for in escrow. Refusing to pay 7% is a good start, but is it really impacting enough? As Michael Venturi suggests, they will only borrow from the resources for our poor to kill their poor. The war will continue, and the 7% will be stolen from the ‘lock-box.’
Alan Scouten, Charlottesville, Virginia
Thank you for organizing this.… It is time to act. CodePink consistently does excellent work.
anonymous, Olympia, Washington
‘A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.’ — Martin Luther King Jr.
Thomas Fatone, Brooklyn, New York
Bravo. I have been advocating for just this to happen for several years.
Duncan Dow, South San Francisco, California
Cherish the people, defund the military machine.
Doug Mackenzie, Los Gatos, California
This is a great idea. Next a national strike!
Claire Chang, Gill, Massachusetts
I already signed onto NWTRCC’s War Tax Boycott, refused to file for and have quit my full-time job to live below the taxable threshold. If Congress won’t defund the war, the last bulwark of democracy, The People, must.
NTodd Pritsky, Cambridge, Vermont
This is a bandwagon that most Republicans should hop onto since they abhor paying taxes. Alert everyone you know about this cause there is larger safety in larger numbers.
Laura Martin, Clarkson, Georgia
Let’s protest with our dollars this time.
Maria Kanaan, Chicago, Illinois
Thank you all! If Congress wimps out by giving Bush more $$, than we must not provide it. Enough! I refuse to pay for murder.
Friend Burton, St. Louis, Missouri
Time to defund the war.
Larry Harper, Sebastopol, California
I consider myself in good company — like all the ‘traitors’ who fought off British control and taxation without representation, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Friend Johnson, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Let’s put our money where our mouths are — since Congress doesn’t have the courage to stop funding war — the people will.
Susan Eleuterio, Highland, Indiana
Things have to change with this disastrous war and administration, and women will be the ones to do it.
Joni Goodale, Orlando, Florida
In a governmental system based on money and corporate profits, the most effective form of protest comes from withholding payment of taxes.
Daniel Woodham, Greensboro, North Carolina
Thank You! It is about time… I am so ready to join those who are ready to live their convictions.
Tighe Barry, Santa Monica, California
With 50% of the federal budget being used for military purposes, I cannot in good conscience pay for war while praying for peace.
Lincoln Rice, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I will refuse to pay taxes for war even if fewer than 100,000 people pledge because I cannot in conscience pay for these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Peter Smith, South Bend, Indiana
It’s about time citizens used their green to bring peace.
Heli Taylor, Los Angeles, California
Not one more dollar!
Deidra Lynch, Orlando, Florida

And this is just from those who have signed up by the beginning of !

in the United States, and all across the country people were scrambling to get to the post office in time to have their tax returns postmarked by the deadline. There to meet them were tax resisters:

  • The Ryder Report has video of the protest in Keene, New Hampshire, including feedback from passers-by.
  • In Brattleboro, Vermont, war tax resisters including Bob Bady and Daniel Sicken redirected their taxes to local charities:

    Kevin Flaherty, a postal employee who ducked out in the afternoon for a smoke break, said it was encouraging to see the war tax resisters give away their money.

    “It’s great,” he said, pointing out that it was Kevin Flaherty the citizen — not Kevin Flaherty the postal worker — who was supporting the group.

    “Sometimes when people are paying their taxes, I joke that somebody has to pay for the Iraq War. Maybe this will make them pay attention.”

  • Tax resisters in New York City handed out War Resisters League budget pie charts at the midtown post office.
  • Joshua Klein of Nashua, New Hampshire filed his tax returns , but decided to include a protest letter instead of a check. “Klein would not reveal how much he owed but said he’s donating the money to America’s Second Harvest, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country, and the American Civil Liberties Union, although he’s not affiliated with either group.”
  • In Los Alamos, New Mexico, two protesters were arrested for trespassing during a vigil at the Los Alamos National Laboratories. The protesters said they were there “to prayerfully encourage the nonviolent, safe, clean disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, along with the clean-up of LANL… [and] to visibly celebrate the war-tax boycott organized by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee.”
  • War tax resisters in Bangor, Maine, including Larry Dansinger, protested at the post office and gave away redirected taxes. One of the grants was a scholarship to a student who, because he has refused to register with the selective service system (for the military draft), will be ineligible to apply for college financial aid.
  • The Home News Tribune of New Jersey has a video report of the war tax protest at the post office there.
  • In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, peace activists held a “penny poll” in which they asked passers-by how they would prioritize the nation’s budget. Meanwhile, constitutionalist tax protesters handed out documentaries and documentation about their theories.
  • In Berkeley, California, Code Pink was out with their “Don’t Buy Bush’s War” banner.
  • U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky and a handful of other House Democrats held a press conference highlighting how much the Iraq War was costing individual taxpayers. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now interviewed Schakowsky before the press conference, along with tax resisters John & Pat Schwiebert.
  • Free Speech Radio News covered national protests over war taxes, government spending priorities, and the Capitol Hill press conference.

Along with the news coverage, bloggers commemorated with more personal commentary:

  • At The Begging Bowl, Jake writes about his tax resistance: “The money I would have paid the government has gone to the Chicago Anti-Hunger Foundation. When votes no longer matter we vote with our dollars. I vote for the works of mercy and feeding the hungry. And if it means the IRS is gonna come knocking on my door for $119, I will offer them some food too. And if they ask for a check, I’ll go with them to jail. That’s another work of mercy, visit the imprisoned. If we took the works of mercy as seriously as we took our 1040s and economic stimulus package, the Kingdom of God would be at hand.”
  • J.D. Tuccille, at Disloyal Opposition, gives a thumbs up for tax resisters — “whatever their reasons, I think it’s worth saluting folks who go out of the way to avoiding feeding the beast.”
  • Rusty Pipes, at Street Prophets, does some background research on the Schwieberts’ tax resistance and their campaign to get their church to come on board. And he shares some notes on the debate on war tax resistance in his own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
  • Kerrie, at State & Local Politics, reacts to news coverage of the Schwieberts: “It takes a whole lot of nerve to do what his couple is doing. But I wonder if Bush would take notice and stop the war if more people took this route to protest the war? I know that we have to do something because things are getting worse not better.”
  • Will Shetterly, at It’s All One Thing, discusses tax resistance, and includes some inspirational quotes from tax resisters.
  • Doug & Maureen Mackenzie and Nicholas Collins shared the letters they sent to the IRS to explain their resistance.

There has been some discussion of my series on the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act going on at the wtr-s email discussion list:

“It has always seemed to me that the good thing about this is that it may allow some WTRs to stop their resistance, however, I suspect that many will continue.” — Martin Bates
Which just goes to show that what to me seems like a bug, to some people seems like a feature.
“It has bothered me that this really doesn’t have any affect on the military budget, and I rejoice that people could then finally vote with their tax dollars. I suspect that a better move would be for the Department of Peace, and the study and practice of nonviolence so eventually the weapons would be obsolete. I suspect we wouldn’t mind paying if we knew there was a department of the army that looked like CPT and there were several layers of nonviolent response to conflict before a weapon were ever considered.” — Martin Bates
“The Peace Tax Fund can be looked at as simply a tool — one that I hope very much that we bring into reality. The Dept. of Peace is another tool. The choice is not an either/or; in my opinion, both of these tools compliment each other. Neither is perfect, both will require vigilance on our part to ensure that they do what we want them to, and as well as we want. I have no doubt that there are other equally important tools ‘out there’ that we need to bring into being.” — Pam Allee
It’s a tool, but it’s important to ask: is it the right tool for the job? Will it even do the job? What else will it do?
“Our group gives workshops every month (except December) and speaks on different occasions about wtr. What we hear the most often from people is fear. The Peace Tax Fund would remove that fear. Many (if not most) current wtr’s would [not] switch to the PTF — but, if we did our job, we would relatively quickly have a real number to use as a lever against our representatives in Congress — something we do not have now.” — Pam Allee
If the price for making conscientious objection to military taxation feel “safe” is to make it counterproductive, is that price worth paying?
“The argument that I’ve heard that most sways me toward supporting PTF legislation is that it would basically establish CO status for taxpayers. This would be such an important precedent to be set, that conscientious objection to paying for war be acknowledged and accommodated by law. Even if the mechanism isn’t to everyone’s satisfaction, getting that toe-hold is an important, vital step toward what we want — it helps move us in that direction.” — Tana Hastings
This seems very speculative to me. I’m reluctant to ask Congress to let us take one step backwards in the hopes that this will encourage them to let us take two steps forwards some time in the future. What do you base this confidence on? How do you distinguish it from mere wishful thinking?
“Even if all wtrs didn’t avail themselves of the fund, wouldn’t/shouldn’t that precedent give greater legal defense/grounds for refusing to pay?” — Tana Hastings
I worry that just the opposite would happen. Rather than being a precedent that war tax resisters could use to their advantage, it would be a cudgel the government could use against war tax resisters: “We gave you the ‘Peace Tax Fund’ you wanted — now you’ve got no more excuses not to pay up.”
“I don’t resist federal tax collection for religious reasons. I agree with Marx and Joe Hill that religions are opiates that keep us down and inactive.” — Doug Mackenzie
There is something a little grating about calling the proposed legislation the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act, at least to those of us whose conscientious objection isn’t religiously-motivated. But this is just marketing, for the most part, hoping to capitalize on Congress’s occasional whim to stand up for religious-based conscientious objection (for instance in ’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”). The actual legislation applies to religious and non-religious objectors equally.