Activists, start your typewriters!
NACC's 2004 Grant Cycle is now underway. Grant applications are available through the office, or online. The application deadline is August 15, 2004; and grants will be awarded on October 1, 2004. The funding limit is $2,000.
NACC grants are made possible through interest received from NACC's CMTC Escrow account, the nation's largest fund of resisted War Taxes; and will be bolstered this year by the very generous response to our fundraising appeal of a few months ago. Extra special thanks, then, are in order for Escrow Account holders, and for NACC donors.
Those wishing to open an Escrow Account or submit a donation are of course welcome to do so using the form on this website.
As always, NACC would be thrilled to receive your help conducting outreach for this year's grant cycle. If you know of an organization that should apply, please pass along the grant page's website address: http://seanacc.org/grants.htm.
There are also ads located at that web page, which any organization may feel free to insert into its newsletter or publication. Finally, there's also a text-only version of the ad, which may be e-mailed far and wide.
If past years' funding cycles are an indication, there are a very great many activist organizations performing great and necessary work, yet in dire need of funding (because "too radical" to receive mainstream funding). We want to hear from as many of them as possible.
Good luck to all 2004 applicants!
In these; the days of the infamous "PATRIOT" and "Homeland Security" Acts, of "disappeared" citizens and "enemy combatants", of Abu Ghraib and Camp X-Ray, of Miami and Genoa, of "total information awareness", and their like; the reach of The State seems as invasive as it possibly can be.
Some citizens are willing to take a stand of conscience in opposition to the depredations of the Empire, even knowing such stands are likely to result in incarceration. NACC sent emissaries to speak with a few of these. All of them, perhaps not coincidentally, are steadfast practitioners of War Tax Resistance.
I spoke on June 18 with Ann Huntwork, a longtime peace activist and War Tax resister. We talked about her recent relief work in Iran, SOA Watch, activism, and Tax Resistance.
What work having you been doing recently? Last time I saw you, you had just returned from Iran.
Actually I was in Iran again in February for three weeks, after the earthquake in Bam. I went with a group of Presbyterian and ecumenical relief groups to assess the situation. Many of the Europeans in our group had extensive relief experience, but not in the Middle East.
Part of my role was as an interpreter, both a language and cultural interpreter. The decision was made to build homes for 200 families, and to give psycho-social support for those families, which would involve training Iranian social workers.
The houses are in the process of being laid out now, and it's getting very hot there. Right after the earthquake, all the barriers were down, but now the bureaucracy and government restrictions are back in place, and there are lots of delays. I may go back at some point.
What about your current work with School Of The Americas Watch?
There are three of us in Portland who are coordinating things. I was arrested in November two years ago, and the trial was in January 2003. I was in prison from the first of April to the first of October at the federal women's prison in Dublin, California.
How was your experience in jail?
It was worth doing. I learned a lot. What we found was a cross-radicalization. The inmates had no problem understanding what we were doing, and we learned a lot about the injustices of the prison system, especially mandatory minimum sentences.
I started my sentence alone for three weeks, but eventually there were five of us SOA folks together. Every Thursday evening when supporters outside were thinking of us, we had our own gathering and reflection time.
I've been arrested five times at the SOA, but I'd never had a trial before.
Can you talk about the connection between War Tax Resistance and your other anti-war activities?
Oh, the connection is so clear. Government spending priorities are so out of whack. It's so easy to say that I'm not going to support that hypocrisy. The military budget is just obscene with Iraq and Afghanistan, and there's still nothing to show for it for the people. And it's robbery from our own people here.
You and Bruce are tax resisters together, correct?
Yes, we are. When we first came back from Iran in 1973, we hadn't filed income tax in years and years. We moved to Portland and found a group of like-minded people, and starting resisting then.
What have been the consequences of your War Tax Resistance?
There have been some. It does things to your credit rating. We don't have any property in our name, except for our vehicle that we're now parking in a garage because the IRS seems more persistent in trying to get something out of us. It is an inconvenience, there's no question about it. It's difficult when you want to do financial things; people ask you about it then.
Right now the IRS is deducting $86 a month from my Social Security. The reason it's from my check is because we realized years ago that I had the lower income, so we listed me as the first name on our tax return. The IRS just looked at the person listed as primary and garnished me. Given how much we owe them, they'll never collect it all at $86 per month.
Probably you've been placed on automatic payment, and no one is looking at you any more.
That may be it. We didn't pay any taxes this year or last year because we were so mad about the Iraq war.
Do you think that government repression of non-violent activism is ratcheting up because of the current political climate?
I think so. Letters from the IRS are coming a lot earlier, and as far as civil disobedience is concerned, there's no question about it. Before September 11, several hundred people were going on to the Fort Benning base [home of the School Of The Americas], but only a few would be tried. Usually nothing happened to first-timers. Now, everyone who goes on the base goes to trial. There were seventy-eight of us in my group, and every one of us got some prison time.
How does this impact what you're willing to do in the future? Is it a motivator or a deterrent?
It's not a deterrent at all. The only deterrents I have are personal considerations that I have to take into account. The penalties aren't a deterrent, not in the least.
What about for other people?
We've had several other people go back to Fort Benning again. Several people have gone to prison twice. I don't think it's a deterrent at all, and more new people are coming forward all the time.
The government's losing out in a lot of ways. The cross-radicalization that goes on inside prison is really wonderful. There were two nuns who, after their time in prison, were passing out flyers on Tax Day about the wastefulness of long mandatory sentences. All of us are keeping our eyes open on this issue; I'm much more tuned into prison reform issues than I was before.
When you look into the near future, are you feeling optimistic, or bleak, about the political landscape?
It does seem bleak, but I feel that if we don't have hope, then they're going to win. When I got to prison, an inmate handed me a letter with a message from an earlier SOA prisoner. Inside was a white cloth with the word "hope" stenciled on it. This, of course, was contraband. I got acquainted with the Muslim women in prison, and they invited me to come to their Friday evening teaching time, which I did regularly. I didn't have a scarf, so I used this cloth. It inspired a conversation about hope, and whether hope, as a principle, was contraband or not. It was such an energizing discussion for me. What makes the difference between people who have hope, and those who give it up? I don't think that U.S. activists have any right to give up hope. Sometimes I do feel bad about how things are going, and mad about the state the world is in. But then I think about the Central Americans who struggled for all those years, and the struggle of the Palestinians. They're facing so much more than we are, and they still feel hope. I've seen people in refugee camps who talk about a better life for their children. They have hope, so we have the same obligation.
--Carolyn Stevens
Marion Ward's early years were those of a Navy daughter, and her first marriage found her a Navy wife. Her father was an Admiral with a 36-year military career, and her first husband commanded a nuclear submarine. She is no stranger to military life.
That set her up to want a life less caught up in violence. She is now retired from work. Her last employment was as Finance Director for the FaithTrust Institute, which is a multi-faith effort to prevent sexual and domestic violence.
Marion actively opposed the Vietnam War. She was told by the Navy that her free speech would not be interfered with, but not to get her picture in the paper. She has also been active in fighting for women's reproductive rights, and in environmental issues, since her early 20s.
Like everyone else, she reports being bombarded by the Bush Administration and the media with fear, following 9/11. She made a vow to herself that has catalyzed an impressive life of activism ever since.
So what finally moved you to the point of becoming an anti-war activist?
I was actually in the shower, shortly after 9/11. I heard an airplane flying overhead and I felt a level of fear I had not felt before. I did not like it. I resolved then and there: "I am not afraid."
What have been your subsequent anti-war activities?
I am a founding member of WATIR (Washington Truth In Recruiting) founded in February of this year. I am on the board of directors. I am also an associate member of VFP (Veterans For Peace) of Western Washington, Chapter 92.
Aren't you also an officer there?
I am the Secretary. I'm also a member and Treasurer of Eastside FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation), and I'm involved in many of the activities of the Evergreen Peace and Justice chapter of SNOW (Puget Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War).
Can you describe the connection between War Tax Resistance and all your other anti-war work?
I object to all war. This is my first year to withhold taxes for anti-war purposes. I redirected 31% of the amount I was supposed to pay. I got this from a pie chart I got from the War Resisters League. It represents 28% "current military" and 3% "Iraq & Afghan wars". I sent a letter to my Congressional representative, Senators, Officials of the IRS, and President Bush. [In her letter Marian states: "Because my government has chosen to invest its future in the oppression of other nations as well as in oppression of its own people, I will commit 31% of my current taxes to assist those who aren't benefiting from funds that could better spend to improve the human condition. This is a drastic step…one that I never, in my wildest dreams thought I would take. However, I can no longer provide the fuel for the totally irresponsible and oppressive policies of my country."]
Has your commitment to activism resulted in legal consequences?
I was arrested at the "Ground Zero" function at Bangor, Washington on May 9th of this year. This was powerfully symbolic for me because of my first husband's involvement with nuclear subs. I also protested in January and October of '03 at Navy yards in D.C., where I lived as a child. That was very powerful for me, but I didn't get arrested there. I have received a letter from the IRS demanding my taxes and completely ignoring my protest letter. I know they will come after the money somehow. You know, I don't feel at all heroic about this. My age, and the fact that my kids are raised, make it something I can now do that I would not have risked before. But, you know, I just don't know what kind of world we are leaving for our grandkids..."
--John Chisholm
Donald H. Rumsfeld's lobbying of the Congress for $25 Billion extra dollars for its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan -- to tide it over until the end of the Fiscal Year, the initial $87 Billion "supplemental" having been spent -- made clear what we'd already known. Namely, that without our tax dollars, the Bush Administration would be unable to make war upon the Third World.
It may not listen to "focus groups" comprising approximately 90% of the World's population, including a steadily increasing chunk of American citizens. It may not listen to its "allies", or the United Nations. It may not even listen to disgruntled former members of the Administration, highly placed military figures, or longtime diplomats. But we can be damned sure that the Bush Administration would be all ears were Congress to remove the needle from the Administration's vein.
Alas, Congress, despite some obligatory grumbling about not liking "surprises", cannot be counted upon to disable the War Machine. So that means it's up to us. As usual.
Yes, there are consequences of War Tax Resistance. Serving time hasn't historically been one of them, and doesn't seem likely to become one. But in order to prevent the IRS from eventually collecting the principle, interest, and penalties from resisted taxes; real lifestyle alterations will certainly be required.
But there are also consequences of not refusing to fund the military. The website costofwar.com puts the total cost to-date of the war in Iraq at just under $120 Billion -- about $1,000 per second. This is in addition to the roughly $875 Billion allocated to the Pentagon for its "normal" Fiscal Year 2005 budget (see the War Resisters League's indispensable annual pie-chart).
So where is this money coming from? Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist recently remarked that, "This is probably the No. 1 issue for the American people: getting the deficit down. The governors must expect flat funding on everything other than homeland security and defense. Not just the governors, but the American people."
This is not to mention the enormous costs borne by the Iraqi and Afghan populations, the victims of the American "poverty draft" (a report on PBS' NOW, reveals that the total number of wounded American soldiers is three times the official count - owing to a semantic misdirection employed by the Pentagon) and their families, or the ecological depredations of war-making.
So again we say it: War Tax Resistance, now more than ever. For assistance and/or information, check out the NACC website or the website of the Brooklyn-based National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, or get in touch with us at the NACC office. Confronting the government (especially one as berserk as is our current government) can be frightening. But with a little bit of preparation and advance knowledge, it can also be supremely liberating.
If one reads the paper closely enough, he or she will occasionally spot a small item regarding the need to send more money, or more military equipment, or more "advisers", or, even, American troops to Colombia. It's a war that's not been receiving much attention, in the shadow of the United States' Middle East adventures. But the ravages are significant: hundreds of thousands of refugees, and the permanent destruction of peasants' livelihoods via the U.S.-backed chemical warfare campaign (ostensibly undertaken to root out "narco-terrorists").
NACCer Vivien Sharples traveled to Colombia last summer to represent the War Resisters League in a conference entitled "Active Nonviolence and Resistance to War". Viv's report from her travels appeared in the March-April edition of the WRL's magazine, Nonviolent Activist. It's also online, and is highly recommended.
--Eddie Tews
As NACC prepares to begin its 2004 Grant Cycle, here is a look back at the uses to which two of last year's grant recipients have put this funding. As can readily be seen, a little bit can go a very long way.
Good morning, friends:
I just wanted to send you a quick update on the "Liberating Ourselves"
grant funds you awarded to the Appalachian Peace and Justice Network. We
have completed the project in two of our four counties (Athens and Vinton),
we have a program scheduled for Morgan County on May 23, and we are about
to schedule our program in Meigs County.
Our work in Morgan and Meigs is happening a little later than I had planned
due to the premature birth (2 months early) of my baby girl, but she's fine
now and we are back on track.
I wanted to tell you, also, that this grant has attracted new volunteers to
APJN who are particularly interested in the economics of the war. They
have been very helpful. And, we were so thrilled with how the program went
in Athens County that we wrote a proposal to the Appalachian Community Fund
to expand the program into West Virginia. I heard on Friday that we have
made the initial cut for that funding, and we should receive final
confirmation of the funding amount mid-May. I know that wouldn't have
happened if NACC hadn't believed in us back in the summer!!
So, thank you again for your support. I will send a final report when
everything is completed.
Peace,
Christie Truly
Program and Development Coordinator
Nonviolent Action is published biannually by the Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia (NACC), formerly the Conscience and Military Tax Campaign.
NACC, 4554 12th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105, (206) 547-0952, nacc (at) drizzle (dot) com, http://seanacc.org/.
The Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia is a Seattle-based organization which uses nonviolent direct action to create political and social change. NACC acts to interrupt and transform militarism and other forms of violence, and to build a society based upon community, economic justice, environmental awareness, personal empowerment, and feminist, queer-positive and anti-racist principles.
NACC uses creative nonviolent direct action, war tax resistance, public education, grants to activist groups, and coalition building towards these ends, creating community and developing empowerment and conflict-resolution skills in the process.
NACC has an office staffed part-time by Geov Parrish, Scott McClay, and Eddie Tews. We welcome new members. For more information, contact us at the address, phone number, or e-mail address above.
NACC is an affiliate of the War Resisters League, the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, and the Northwest Disarmament Coalition.
The Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia
4554-12th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. An affiliate of the
War Resisters League and NWTRCC
Tel: (206) 547-0952, Fax: (206) 547-2631. E-mail: nacc (at) drizzle (dot) com