Isthmus, a weekly newsmagazine from Madison, Wisconsin, published a brief article about Marion Stuenkel in its issue. Excerpts:
When last we checked in on Marion Stuenkel (Watchdog, 5/16/03), the Madison grandma was buying reams of yellow caution tape to send to Iraq, where the U.S. military was blaming a lack of tape for its failure to protect Iraqi children from abandoned munitions. Now Stuenkel, who turns 60 this Sunday, is taking an equally iconoclastic and principled stance with regard to her own life: She’s quitting her job so that she can be poor.
“This allows me to fulfill my dream of being a Simple Living War Tax Resister,” writes Stuenkel in her letter of resignation from the state Department of Health and Human Services, where she’s worked for 13 years. She figures her $734 per month retirement income will put her below the federal poverty line, meaning she’ll no longer be paying taxes that go to support war.
Stuenkel says that on important issues like the future health of the planet, it’s wrong for people “to keep looking for someone to lead us.” Instead, “We all have to take personal responsibility.” So that’s what’s she’s doing. “I want people to know this is an alternative.”
