Join us for the second film of the Pagan Film Series
Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In and Community Seed presents:
BLACK ORPHEUS (Orfeu Negro) Friday, March 28th, 8pm at SubRosa, 703 Pacific Ave. BLACK ORPHEUS (Orfeu Negro) A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Orfeo is a trolley conductor and musician, engaged to Mira. During Carnival week, he sees Eurydice, who's fled her village in fear of a stalker - it's love at first sight. But she is being stalked by Death, can Orfeo conduct her to safety? Don't look back. Portuguese with English subtitles. Rated PG
This series is an opportunity to come together, to watch engaging films and also to engage each other, to share thoughts and experiences, and to create more of an overlap of the many social circles that exist in this town. More info at http://www.guerilladrivein.org/
About Community Seed: Our mission is to provide the local Santa Cruz Pagan community with opportunities to create closer bonds of perfect love and perfect trust, and understanding with one another, through community service, publications, gatherings, and ritual celebrations. We organize, host, and promote events that enrich and improve our lives, our world, and our community at large in the Santa Cruz region. (excerpt from their website http://www.communityseed.org/)
About Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In: an outdoor movie theater under the stars that springs up unexpectedly in the fields and industrial wastelands. Beyond showing great free movies year-round and bringing a broad community together, part of our mission is reclaiming public space and transforming our urban environment. (http://www.guerilladrivein.org/)
Do we use our limited resources of time and money primarily to advance
the idea of war tax resistance and a legal peace tax fund for
conscientious objectors? Or do we use those resources to speak to the
larger policy framework and ethos? To put it crassly, do we advocate for
special accommodations for the few? Or do we confront the system that
says peace can be built through war and military force?
Jesus taught us to love not just our neighbours but also our enemies.
He showed us by his life and example how to resist evil not with
violence but with loving, persistent, firm, active non-violence. It was
this revolutionary patience on behalf of the poor and oppressed that,
humanly speaking, led to him being arrested, tried, tortured and
executed by the powers that be. The acts of witness that resulted in the
fines I have refused to pay were a form of conscientious objection.
Refusing to pay them is a continuation of that objection. It is a
privilege to be able to follow on the path that led Jesus to the way of
the cross and resurrection.
Italy
While everyone was busy watching the kerfluffle in Crimea, the people of Venice voted to restore the Venetian Republic and secede from Italy. Italy itself is disregarding the vote and claiming that Venice has no authority to secede. So the movement is moving on to stronger measures. They are taking ideas from other seperatist movements: The referendum itself was inspired by a similar effort in Scotland, and they plan now to redirect their federal taxes to the local government, which is a technique they picked up from the Catalan nationalists.
Christiaan Elderhorst writes about the recent imprisonment of
Toine Manders for his work
counseling tax avoidance:
Toine Manders works at the Haags Juristen College (Hague Lawyers Board) and
specializes in tax avoidance. Manders refers to tax avoidance as a moral
duty. Tax revenue is used by the state to pay for war, prisons, the
militarization of the police force and the regulatory agencies which
constantly privilege big business. This moral duty is connected the Haags
Juristen College’s former business practice which was to help individuals
avoid the military draft. Avoiding the draft and avoiding taxes are both ways
by which personal contribution to state oppression and war is reduced.
Calling this a moral duty is not a far-fetched idea.
“Something has to happen at the grassroots, so that those on top notice how
much discontent there already is among the population,” says Höller. He was
actually a completely apolitical man, he stressed, but the scandals and the
squandering of tax money — “from Eurofighters to the Mortgage Banks” — had
gotten on his last nerve. “Enough is enough.”
When I last visited the site with the article covering Höller’s case, it had a
reader poll attached to it that asked people to give their opinion of tax
resistance as a protest tactic:
Venezuela
I’m hearing a lot of buzz in the twitterverse about tax resistance as a
possible component of the ongoing demonstrations in Venezuela, but I haven’t
found much more solid information yet. Here’s an example:
“These particularily impact on poor people,” he told the court. “We live in a
country where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.”
He claimed there were 20,000 people in Nottingham in council tax arrears.
“I refuse to pay in solidarity with and in support of the victims of
austerity measures. I encourage everyone in court, including the magistrates,
don't pay up.”
Magistrates explained to Longhurst, who arrived with a large group of
supporters, that he was likely to go to prison if he refused to pay. Justices
even urged him to consult with a duty solicitor. But he confidently said he
he had spoken with a lawyer and he did not think there was any need for him
to see another one.
Another account adds that “[a]s he was led down to the cells by prison guards he was applauded by his supporters and one could be heard shouting: ‘It’s absolutely disgraceful.’”
One of his supporters, who did not want to be named, said afterwards: “It is
a travesty that he has been jailed. It is disgusting, he is an elderly man
who was trying to make a stand, he was trying to make the area a better place
and this is why he is now behind bars. He has worked and paid council tax,
but as all of us do, he got sick of it, he was braver than everyone because
he stood up for what he thought was right.”
A recent pie chart from
the War Resisters League shows that even as we're told the Pentagon is
getting cuts in its budget, a full 45% of the federal budget is still
going to the military and to
U.S. warmongering.
War tax resistance is one way we can redirect our money, time, and efforts
away from the war machine and toward a better, more peaceful future.
Ari, Katherine, and Shaolida will discuss why and how they practice war tax
resistance — refusing to pay federal income taxes that support the war
machine. Followed by Q&A.
The hour-long hangout will start .
There’s a
new Statistics of Income Bulletin out, with preliminary numbers from the
filing season that show the number and
percentage of “lucky duckies” who file tax returns showing that they owed no
federal income tax all year:
And just in time for events like these the War Resisters League has just
updated their popular
“pie chart” flyer
which is meant to show the percentage of your income tax dollar that goes to
military spending.
The chart is based on Obama’s proposed budget for
, but from what
I hear, nobody really expects his budget to even come up for a vote. Instead,
a divided Congress will wrangle their own budget together. Knowing that his
budget would be ignored by Congress, Obama decided to use it more as a public
relations vehicle than an actual budget.
Part of this public relations included Pentagon budget “cuts”
which, though they’re the sort of “cuts” that always seem to leave the budget
bigger than it was last year, and though they are accompanied by an
anticipated supplemental slush-fund that isn’t part of the budget, still
raised howls from the usual warmongers. In any case, the real budget
Congress passes is predicted to stuff all of the usual military pork back in.
So the “pie chart,” which is based on the for-show Obama budget, as bad as it
looks, probably understates how dreadful the budget will end up looking.
or what are we to do about Maoism One of the reasons that anarchism has become a popular political perspective is because in many contexts (for instance mass mobilizations or broad direct action campaigns) we seem open, friendly, and nonsectarian. This is in great contrast to visible (and visibly) Marxist or Leftist organizations, which either […]
-Saturday March 15th, 12-3pm- Really Really Free Market
No money. No trades. Everything is free. This market is based on a gift-economy and thinks capitalism sucks. Bring food to share. Bring your special items that you don't use but can't throw away (ex. clothes, toys, art supplies, instruments, books and zines...your free box). Bring your special talents to offer people (ex. haircuts, message, reiki...). Come and take what you can use and say thanks! We will have folks to check in with as you arrive. First come first served, space may be limited. Mutual respect. If you bring things, you are expected to take away whatever is left at the end of the market.
-Wednesday March 19th, 7-9pm- When the State Attacks, using organizing models that are built to withstand political repression with Garrett Fitzgerald, traveling from Minneapolis MN, formerly charged with terrorism as an RNC8 defendant and an organizer against state repression.
Amidst a political climate where people face prison time, unprecedented surveillance, and terrorist charges for their beliefs and actions in solidarity with each other and the earth, it seems ever more important to engage together to create organizing models that are build to withstand state repression. State repression is an inevitable response to our empowered communities acting in defense of the land, water, and one another. How can our organizing lay the groundwork to stand up to the states' attempts to undermine our efforts? And once repression is happening, how can our communities respond in a way that is strengthening and advances our struggles? Join us for this presentation and discussion to talk about these questions and more.
*The Spring Free Skool Calendar is out now! You can find calendars around town or download it here. Lots of great classes are happening in the days ahead. There are many opportunities to learn about and explore ourselves and the world around us in the company of others. You can download the calendar at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/03/10/18752412.php and more info at free skool in-your-facebook **Also of note: some folks who have the forest related classes in the Free Skool calendar (some are detailed above) also have their own Forest Walks Calendar for Spring!
***Remember! Support the Santa Cruz 11! The Santa Cruz Eleven are local community members who have been charged with an unprecedented variety of offenses arising from their alleged involvement with the occupation of a long-time vacant bank building late last fall, 2011. Four of the eleven still face charges over two years later. It is often a strategy of the court to draw things out and strain defendants to the point of taking whatever is offered, and we see vocal and on-going support as important not only to the defendants but in highlighting the poor state of our justice system. More information at http://santacruz11.wordpress.com/
The truth can be simply stated: everyone in the West Midlands who pays
Council Tax is funding the activities of the military-industrial complex, led
by the likes of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman.
As a long-term resident of Coventry, I [Paul McGowan] was well used to
hearing the place described as “the city of Peace and Reconciliation.” But
the contradiction between this reputation and the discovery that Coventry is
one of the seven District Councils of the West Midlands who together founded,
and now run, the West Midlands Pension Fund
(WMPF), and invests £90 million in
arms-dealers, has altered everything I thought I ever knew about the city.
When the discovery was shared with the Deanery Justice and Peace Group, we
knew we had to act. became the year of the
WMPF
campaign.
was
the Global Day of Action on Arms Spending. Thanks to the interactive map
produced by
CAAT,
we knew that we had two giants of the international arms business operating
in our city. (No, we didn’t know beforehand!) These were General Dynamics and
Northrop Grumman. We picked on General Dynamics because it was bigger than
Northrop Grumman, and closer to where most of us lived, made our placards and
banners, informed the local media, and set up a two-hour silent protest
outside the factory. One of the free papers gave it a good write-up and a
photo. General Dynamics refused to comment. A few weeks later, however,
General Dynamics closed its Coventry factory. It just shows what can happen
when do-gooders are allowed to get their hands on pieces of card and felt-tip
pens!
In , we sent a letter to all Councillors,
explaining the background to the campaign and asking for their support. No
one replied. Several members of the group wrote to their Councillors, asking
for meetings. We took advantage of the installation of the new Lord Mayor to
hold another demonstration as the Councillors processed ceremonially into the
Cathedral. Even if they hadn’t read their letters, at least they had seen us.
Over the next four weeks we collected signatures for a petition highlighting
our aims — divestment from arms companies and an undertaking to work towards
an arms-free city. 424 signatures were collected and presented to the Council
(by a Conservative Councillor) on
. The
petition was handled in accordance with council procedures, but because of
the summer holidays, it was
before it reached the relevant sub-committee.
In the meantime, we demonstrated silently at the Council House before each
monthly meeting of the full Council, and individual Councillors were pressed
for their views on specific questions, such as whether an investment in
Textron (cluster bombs) reflected well on the City’s image. A further
opportunity came on , Hiroshima Memorial Day. For a quarter of a century, this has
featured a ceremony held in Coventry Cathedral attended by the Lord Mayor.
This year, it contained a silent demonstration to draw attention to the
financial support which the
WMPF
gives to companies directly involved in the nuclear weapons programmes of
Britain, France, and the
U.S.A.
There are other funds across the
U.K. run by many
of the local councils of the major towns and cities, again funded from
Council Tax, e.g. West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater
Manchester and Merseyside. Many of us rely on pensions built up in this way,
but we can begin to dismantle the existing arrangements and build new ones.
With total assets of £90 billion, local government pension schemes can exert
massive influence on big business and big politics, of which the arms trade
is certainly part.
As we start , we know that the petition has
been through the bureaucratic process, and turned down. I have it in writing
from our Pension Fund representative that he regards this as the end of the
matter. Sadly, for him, this is not the case. The struggle continues.
Another note by Paul McGowan in the same issue details the research Pax Christi
has done into which companies manufacture “cluster munitions,” which have been
outlawed by a Convention that was signed by the
U.K.. Excerpt:
By comparing the data in the IKV–Pax Christi report with the latest
statement from the West Midlands Pension Fund on its Equity Holdings, it has
been possible to draw up a list of firms known for certain to be still
producing cluster bombs, and receiving direct investments of Council Tax
money. In addition, and this is entirely new for us, we now know which
financial institutions in receipt of direct
WMPF
investments are themselves lending money and managing the assets of cluster
bomb manufacturers such as Alliant Techsystems
(U.S.A.), Hanwha
Corporation (South Korea), Singapore Technologies Engineering, and Textron
(U.S.A.).
This throws a little more light on Hedley Lester’s refusal to pay his council
tax, which I reported on
.
, Rebecca and her daughters appeared
at the Plaindealings and Cotts Gates, in the neighbourhood of Narbeth. It is
said that the party mustered about 100 strong, and in each instance the gates
were completely demolished in the very short space of ten minutes. The
Pembrokeshire grand jury have returned a true bill of felony against Thomas
and David Howell, two of Rebecca’s daughters.
This may be older news than it appears to be, as the Pembrokeshire assizes
had already acquitted Thomas Howell and David Howell on
. On the other hand,
Henry Tobit Evans’s book on
the Rebecca Riots puts the destruction of the Plaindealings and Cott’s
Lane gates as having taken place on — eleven days after the date of this newspaper. Again,
it seems like it is going to be difficult to arrive at an accurate chronology
of the Rebeccaite activity.
One student donates to the social struggle an award presented by
[Education Minister] Dolores Serrat
Alba Pedro, a student of Computer and Telecommunications Engineering from the
University of Zaragoza who
received one of six Student Prizes (education and values) issued by the Social
Council of the Aragonese campus, will donate the amount received (500 euros)
to “a resistance fund,” which is a temporary institution based on support and
solidarity used to alleviate specific economic problems.
The academic, who received in a green shirt
[a symbol of protests
against education budget reductions] against cuts the prize from the
hands of the Minister of Education, said that “my outcomes, my effort, and my
very existence have been possible thanks to all those who came before me. I
would not be here without a public education and the incredible teachers that
I have had, who have not only formed me academically, but have inculcated in
me enormously worthy and noble values,” he elaborated later in a statement.
The recipient is the antimilitarist activist collective
Mambrú, which carries out campaigns such as War Tax
Resistance, which will begin at the end of this month with the objective of
not accepting previous declarations that the Treasury submitted for the
income tax return and then redirecting the funds from military spending to
social projects.
You can read Pedro’s full statement (in Spanish) at
this link
Some resisters describe war tax resistance as something they do so they
can live with themselves, or something they do to assuage their
conscience about where tax money goes. Being able to live in alignment
with your beliefs is a profound form of self-care — think about the
dis-ease you experience when you do something against your beliefs. War
tax resistance not only brings you into alignment with your beliefs
about war, it can also help you integrate your beliefs on other issues.
If you’re self-employed as a sole proprietorship in the
U.S., you’re
supposed to pay self-employment tax on all of your profits, just as though
you were employed and it was your salary. But if you’ve organized yourself
as an “S Corporation” — you can instead pay yourself a specific salary
out of your profits and you’ll only owe self-employment tax on
that. Seems an arbitrary and even sketchy loophole? Tax expert Peter J.
Reilly says it’s “a valid self-employment tax avoidance strategy… organizing as an S Corporation and avoiding self-employment tax seems like a no-brainer for a sole proprietor”
though he also warns that “you really should not use the strategy to avoid
SE/payroll
taxes entirely.”
NPR
looked into
Why More Americans Are Renouncing
U.S.
Citizenship and concluded that there isn’t one single cause, but
instead it is the result of “dominoes falling, one after another, leading
to an unexpected outcome.” But all of the dominoes have to do with taxes,
and how the U.S.
tax system makes life difficult for citizens living overseas.
Tax Resistance in Spain
Professor Roberto Centeno, writing at El
Confidencial, made a bit of a stir by arguing that since much of
the Spanish government debt is not legitimate, the people of Spain do not
owe it and ought not to pay for it through their taxes. Excerpts:
Following the marvelous example of civil dignity that Henry David
Thoreau gave us with the practice of disobedience against unjust taxes,
created and used against the interest of the citizens, now more than
ever it has become indispensible to put an end to the
particracy of
lies and corruption. And to do this by means of an exemplary action of
tax withholding against the enrichment without reason of the political
and financial oligarchs, by means of those taxes created and a debt
assumed to defend their interests, and so it will be them who reassume
this debt or answer for the consequences of its nonpayment.
It is a debt of the regime, a personal debt of the government that
contracted it, because it does not comply with the essential requirements
of a legitimate debt, which would be that it was contracted for the
exclusive benefit of the people.
I feel like I have way too little context to make sense of all of this,
but various industrial and commericial unions are squabbling over whether
to support a business strike
in the Dominican Republic over the expansion of a value-added tax
there.
Tax Resistance in Argentina
, twenty “productores,
industriales forestales, empresas de servicios, y colonos” (roughly:
“manufacturers, foresters, service businesses, and farmers,” I think) in
Colonia Delicia decided to stop paying taxes in protest at the poor state of the government-maintained roads.
The businesses say that the poor condition of the roads is making their
businesses impossible to operate.
Happenings Around Town This Week and Beyond! SubRosa is a community space and also a place to find out about happenings in town. So, in that spirit here are some events happening in the next …
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other assorted anti-statists.