Briarpatch Magazine » anti-war

Not in my name, not on my dime: Conscientious objection to military taxation

dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:20:59 +0000

**By Jan Slakov Briarpatch Magazine May 2008**

"Let them demonstrate, just as long as they continue to pay their taxes."

-Alexander Haig

If you feel strongly that it is wrong to pay for war and militarism, then you are a conscientious objector to military taxation. If you act on those beliefs by redirecting the military portion of your taxes towards a peace tax trust fund that invests in non-violent programs, then you are an active conscientious objector to military taxation. In times of conscription, many governments recognize the rights of conscientious objectors-people whose ethics or religious beliefs forbid them from killing people during a war-to refuse military service. During the Second World War, for instance, Canada had about 10,000 conscientious objectors to military service. Instead of participating in killing, they were given alternate duties in agriculture, industry or other work.

Other poppies, other battlefields

dave — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:20:16 +0000

In Afghan Fields By David MacKinnon, Battleford, Saskatchewan In farmers’ fields the poppies blow between the soldiers row on row marked in their place, their place to die The vultures so confidently fly not seen amid the guns below There will be dead, short days ago Youth lived, saw dawn, saw sunset glow Loved and were loved, whose blood is shed in Afghan fields Take your [...]

War vets take Manhatten: Operation First Casualty

admin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:05:24 +0000

Hard to imagine a more powerful use of political street theatre than this.

Troops go A.W.O.L. on cynical photo op?

admin — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:48:10 +0000

You’d have to read right to the end of this article on Harper’s frontline pep rally to find this gem of a punchline: But there were visible signs his audience, which crowded around the podium and sat atop armoured vehicles parked behind Harper for the benefit of the cameras, was decidedly non-partisan. Scores of soldiers began filing [...]

Solidarity with the soldiers who lay down their arms

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 20:47:35 +0000

Image courtesy of the war resisters support campaign War Resisters Brandi and Josh Keys speak with Tyler McCreary about life and death in the US army, the war in Iraq, and the War Resisters Support Campaign Can history repeat itself? In 1969, when Canada opened its border to deserters and draft dodgers from the US war on [...]

“Now I am the Vietcong”: A Review of Stan Goff ’s Full Spectrum Disorder.

dave — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 19:00:23 +0000

“Everywhere I turn - past, present, and future - I am inside imperialism, and not just positioned somewhere in it, but slipped like a little plastic dustcover over the barrel of its gun. Former instrument of it, enemy of it, parent of one of its fresh tools - unable to rejoice at either its advances [...]