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"You must rid yourself of all anger," I heard a yoga instructor say. I sputtered my protest, "What about my righteous anger over the military budget?" His reply, "I share your concern, but not your anger." After further admonition he asked for my response. I said, "Any time I spend being angry takes away from the fun I can have figuring out what to do about it."
I've since learned that when anger is converted into deliberate, calculated, just-plain "having fun," we access a fresh quantity and quality of zest and stamina. Anger only usurps our nerve and verve.
When the 60th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights met in Geneva, Switzerland in March and April, members of Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI) again had the fun of figuring out how to extend the right of conscientious objection to military service (COMS) to include conscientious objection to military taxes (COMT). NCPTF board members Rosa Packard, John Randall (and his wife, Nana, who works with Kofi Annan) and I attended. Also participating were CPTI representatives from the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and Switzerland.
In addition to CPTI board meetings, we presented written testimony in three languages, gave oral testimony before the UN Commission, contributed to a report on "best practices", and called together a panel discussion on conscientious objection.
Testimony: Derek Brett, CPTI representative in Geneva, presented a moving oral testimony on COMT. Here is some of what the UN country delegates on the Commission heard; "Just as in many states alternative non-military service is now fully recognized, we want to see overt arrangements to enable those who object to military taxation to perform their financial duty as citizens in ways which, after all, follow the spirit of the United Nations Charter itself." (Our submission can be found on www.cpti.ws .)
Best Practices: Some countries severely punish their conscientious objectors.
As a remedy, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked for a report on
the "best practices" of how COMS is accommodated by various governments.
These cases serve as an example for others to follow. CPTI presented its own
"best practices" report on how punishments for COMT are sometimes
relaxed. Italy is a unique example. A number of cases were brought to court
not only for refusal to pay war taxes, but for inciting others not to pay. Remarkably,
these cases were all acquitted. As a result Italians are
now allowed to pay the military portion of their taxes to one of four Italian
non-governmental organizations that actively work for peace. Some even choose
to pay an appropriate portion directly to the National Bureau for Civil Service
and Non-Violent Popular Defense instead of to the Ministry of Finance. To date
that practice remains unchallenged.
Panel: Three panelists gave presentations. An officer from the High Commissioner
on Human Rights asked that conscientious objectors not be subject to repeated
punishment for failure to perform military service, and that claims to be a
conscientious objector be accepted without further inquiry. Yong-Wook Jung of
Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection told of the marginalization and
imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Korea, a majority of whom are 7th
Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. We also learned from another panelist
that in Israel some "refuseniks," who refuse assignment to
the occupied territories, are also pacifists. One of these is the nephew of
former Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. These refusers are subject to repeated
jail sentences.
Participating in these events in Geneva was thrilling. In a thousand ways, you and we are figuring out how to make the case against participation in war. Gandhi's words offer wisdom and inspiration. He spoke of one supreme lesson: "to conserve my anger, and, as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so, our anger controlled can be transmuted into power." Joy, he says,lies in the attempt. Yes it does.
Marian will have fun figuring out what to do about militarism at the 10th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns in Brussels, Belgium. Marian, Tim and several board members will represent the work for COMT in the U.S. at the conference, July 8-11. Read the next Update for a full report.