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Julia Butterfly Hill Boycotts the War Machine
Julia Butterfly Hill has announced that she refuses to pay federal tax, since federal taxes are used to fund the out-of-control war machine that exists in the country and around the globe. Also points out the corporate corruption of Haliburton and the U.S. Gov.
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Contact: For Julia Butterfly Hill
Paul Bassis, 707-923-4619
Northern California War Tax Resistance
Susan Quinlan, 510-843-9877
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
800-269-7464
http://www.nwtrcc.org
http://www.warresisters.org
Internationally Known Activist Carrying Out Single Largest War Tax Resistance in US History
Renowned for 2 year tree-sit, activist/author Julia Butterfly Hill announces her refusal to pay taxes that support war and government corruption.
What: Press Conference to announce the redirection of over $150,000 in federal taxes away from the US government and into various not-for-profit social service and environmental organizations.
When: Wednesday, October15th, 2003, 12:00 Noon
Where: Federal Building, San Francisco
450 Golden Gate @ Polk, Lower Plaza Area
Why: To speak out and stand up against the devastating effects of the US led war machine.
Statement of Julia Butterfly Hill:
"The annual US military spending far exceeds that of China, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Libya combined. Yet, for all this spending, we as a nation are not safer, only more brutal. We live in
a time of profoundly devastating war, a war that threatens our democracy, human rights, free speech, education, health care, social security, environment and of course, there is the murdering of an unknown tens of thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq who we dare to marginalize as 'casualties'. "
"United States soldiers are being killed nearly every day. And what is this war for? To protect the big-money, oil interests of the elite. Now the Bush Administration is demanding $87 BILLION DOLLARS
($87,000,000,000) from the US citizens to rebuild a country that was destroyed by our bombs on the exaggerated pretense of Iraq¹s alleged possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. "
"Meanwhile, the greatest accumulations of weapons of mass destruction exist right here in the United States. These weapons of death are funded by US citizens' tax dollars stolen from the basic necessities that better our society such as social services, education, health care and the safeguarding of human rights and our environment. For example, under the Bush tax cuts that help to provide for war
funding, Medicaid benefits are cut by $93 billion; Food Stamps will be cut by $13 billion; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will be cut by $8 billion and in a move that reminds us who truly benefits from war and who loses, $14.6 billion is being cut from benefits for Veterans, including money for disabilities.
Furthermore, our tax dollars are not only being spent to build the largest death machine humankind has ever known, but also the largest prison industrial complex in the world. We seem to be able to come up with endless billions for war, yet we have children without textbooks in schools that are falling apart, where it is statistically more likely for a child of color to end up in prison than to get into college, where the laws that protect air and water quality and biodiversity are being destroyed, and health services are not equally accessible to all citizens as is the case in every other civilized nation on earth."
"I was raised by Christian parents who taught me about the Ten Commandments, the first of which is 'Thou Shall Not Kill.' Paying for the murder of innocent people with my tax dollars is something that I
cannot do in good conscience. It goes against every moral fiber of my being to support this cycle of uncontrolled madness, especially at the expense of such critical human necessities."
"I find it especially disturbing to see the Bush Administration having blatant ties to convicted corporate criminals such as Haliburton, which formed 35 offshore tax shelters when Vice President Dick Cheney was CEO. While Haliburton has been avoiding paying untold millions of dollars in federal taxes, it was awarded a closed-door, no-bid contract from the Bush Administration to secure the oil supply of Iraq. Unfortunately, this is just one example of the many instances where a corrupt system allows politically connected, mega-corporations to avoid paying taxes while the working class is forced to pay subsidies for big business with their hard-earned tax dollars."
"Thousands of others before me have taken this stand. I am not avoiding paying taxes. I have thought through this very carefully, and with a clear mind and heart I am humanely re-directing my tax payments to where they belong, because our current federal government refuses to do so."
Contact: For Julia Butterfly Hill
Paul Bassis, 707-923-4619
Northern California War Tax Resistance
Susan Quinlan, 510-843-9877
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
800-269-7464
http://www.nwtrcc.org
http://www.warresisters.org
Internationally Known Activist Carrying Out Single Largest War Tax Resistance in US History
Renowned for 2 year tree-sit, activist/author Julia Butterfly Hill announces her refusal to pay taxes that support war and government corruption.
What: Press Conference to announce the redirection of over $150,000 in federal taxes away from the US government and into various not-for-profit social service and environmental organizations.
When: Wednesday, October15th, 2003, 12:00 Noon
Where: Federal Building, San Francisco
450 Golden Gate @ Polk, Lower Plaza Area
Why: To speak out and stand up against the devastating effects of the US led war machine.
Statement of Julia Butterfly Hill:
"The annual US military spending far exceeds that of China, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Libya combined. Yet, for all this spending, we as a nation are not safer, only more brutal. We live in
a time of profoundly devastating war, a war that threatens our democracy, human rights, free speech, education, health care, social security, environment and of course, there is the murdering of an unknown tens of thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq who we dare to marginalize as 'casualties'. "
"United States soldiers are being killed nearly every day. And what is this war for? To protect the big-money, oil interests of the elite. Now the Bush Administration is demanding $87 BILLION DOLLARS
($87,000,000,000) from the US citizens to rebuild a country that was destroyed by our bombs on the exaggerated pretense of Iraq¹s alleged possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. "
"Meanwhile, the greatest accumulations of weapons of mass destruction exist right here in the United States. These weapons of death are funded by US citizens' tax dollars stolen from the basic necessities that better our society such as social services, education, health care and the safeguarding of human rights and our environment. For example, under the Bush tax cuts that help to provide for war
funding, Medicaid benefits are cut by $93 billion; Food Stamps will be cut by $13 billion; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will be cut by $8 billion and in a move that reminds us who truly benefits from war and who loses, $14.6 billion is being cut from benefits for Veterans, including money for disabilities.
Furthermore, our tax dollars are not only being spent to build the largest death machine humankind has ever known, but also the largest prison industrial complex in the world. We seem to be able to come up with endless billions for war, yet we have children without textbooks in schools that are falling apart, where it is statistically more likely for a child of color to end up in prison than to get into college, where the laws that protect air and water quality and biodiversity are being destroyed, and health services are not equally accessible to all citizens as is the case in every other civilized nation on earth."
"I was raised by Christian parents who taught me about the Ten Commandments, the first of which is 'Thou Shall Not Kill.' Paying for the murder of innocent people with my tax dollars is something that I
cannot do in good conscience. It goes against every moral fiber of my being to support this cycle of uncontrolled madness, especially at the expense of such critical human necessities."
"I find it especially disturbing to see the Bush Administration having blatant ties to convicted corporate criminals such as Haliburton, which formed 35 offshore tax shelters when Vice President Dick Cheney was CEO. While Haliburton has been avoiding paying untold millions of dollars in federal taxes, it was awarded a closed-door, no-bid contract from the Bush Administration to secure the oil supply of Iraq. Unfortunately, this is just one example of the many instances where a corrupt system allows politically connected, mega-corporations to avoid paying taxes while the working class is forced to pay subsidies for big business with their hard-earned tax dollars."
"Thousands of others before me have taken this stand. I am not avoiding paying taxes. I have thought through this very carefully, and with a clear mind and heart I am humanely re-directing my tax payments to where they belong, because our current federal government refuses to do so."
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Wow, what a bold move to disapprove of the latest war! I'm glad to know Julia has still got that cutting edge. How dare anyone ever criticize the bravest woman ever to climb a tree! Hurrah for Julia! She really makes full use of her media attention. And oh yes, in support of her anti-consumerist message, please be sure to pick up a copy of her book, video, t-shirt, audio cassette, poster, coffee mug, water bottle, etc.
http://www.circleoflife.org
http://www.circleoflife.org
For more information:
http://www.eces.org
is not the action of someone devoid of intelligence and religious beliefs
indeed, it is the only non-violent action that would inevitably succeed if done by enough people
anyone willing to take this risk, and publicly announce it to make a political statement should be praised
indeed, it is the only non-violent action that would inevitably succeed if done by enough people
anyone willing to take this risk, and publicly announce it to make a political statement should be praised
So what if she redirects her tax flow. She may be some sort of ultra-rich celebrity now but the war machine will function just fine without her cash. What is she going to do, give more of it to the lumber industry just like she did when she bought "Luna?" When people talk about supporting the compulsory school system of Amerika they are still basically talking about supporting the war machine. Kids go to schools and learn to be good patriots and scientific bureaucrats - how is that at all positive? Personally, I don't think Julia is a butterfly at all - at best she is still a caterpillar. She still needs to open her eyes and see the real depth of modern problems and then she needs to promote more radical solutions to them. Who knows if she ever will though? We can't wait for her.
For more information:
http://www.well.com/user/davidu/extinction...
Julia's a celebrity, Julia's a caterpillar instead of a butterfly, Julia's myopic and doesn't understand the need for radical change . . . .
so what?
refusing to pay taxes is, contrary to your post, a radical form of protest
if publicly announcing your intention to stop paying taxes to support the war machine is so easy and meaningless, why isn't everyone doing it?
maybe, it's because the government arrests people, tries them and puts them in jail for it, and seizes any assets they can find
and, as I said, if enough people did it, then, there wouldn't be any money to fund all these military adventures around the world
and, the government might not even have enough money to build logging roads through the forest for "timber harvesting"
I'd let it go without a response, it's not very important if you like Julia or not, but it is important when people are so driven by animus towards another person that they mislead everyone by denigrating very difficult, challenging forms of protest
so what?
refusing to pay taxes is, contrary to your post, a radical form of protest
if publicly announcing your intention to stop paying taxes to support the war machine is so easy and meaningless, why isn't everyone doing it?
maybe, it's because the government arrests people, tries them and puts them in jail for it, and seizes any assets they can find
and, as I said, if enough people did it, then, there wouldn't be any money to fund all these military adventures around the world
and, the government might not even have enough money to build logging roads through the forest for "timber harvesting"
I'd let it go without a response, it's not very important if you like Julia or not, but it is important when people are so driven by animus towards another person that they mislead everyone by denigrating very difficult, challenging forms of protest
for some one who's greatist claim to fame is to live in a tree, well........some pepole make strange choices.
and since this new found fame is slipping I guess she thinks that pulling this kindd of stunt will make her famous again.....not likely
but this will be the least of her problems!
my self having a tax problem over a minor amount of money drug on for years and was a long term problem
for several years.ten years later still comming back on credit reports... If you think it would be cute to try to duck out of your taxes and wag your finger at the government about their behavior, well let me say .....
long after this war has ended, you will still be regreting your actions.
And
she has no legitimate income, only what she scams off the net under the guise of enviromental defence
(what a joke) then she lives off the donations
(what a joke) then she lives off the donations
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