In March of 2008, the war in Iraq will begin its sixth year. In that month we will be half way to matching the record, held currently by the war in Vietnam, for lengthiest military exercise the United States has committed itself to. With new estimates projecting that the U.S. military may be stationed in Iraq until 2017, if not longer, we will soon have a new all time record holder to add to our collection. Semper Fi indeed.
A general rule of war, in a system in which the people are given the power to rule and effect change, is that a conflict cannot be sustained once the will of the people has turned against it. Another rule is that you never lower taxes in wartime, but we’ve already broken so many of our other rules and laws in the past 7 years, what’s one more?
In the case of the 2nd Bush/Iraq War, the people have already dissented. The election in 2006 was a powerful statement: the people no longer support this conflict. We have voiced our opinions at the polls and changed the leadership in Congress, we have petitioned, we have even half-heartily demonstrated, but we haven’t stopped the war. It seems that voting is not enough to stop a war once it’s out of the bottle.
There are several factors that you have to consider in all of this. First is a grounding in history. America is a nation that has involved itself in a major war once on an average of every twenty years since its founding, and some other various ‘minor’ conflict at least every ten. We are a nation almost constantly at war, from the Revolution onward, and we have become far too accustomed to it.
America still thinks big, but we (the people) don’t do much, even when we know we should. We live in a bubble of power, freedom, and prosperity that is unequaled by the entire history of civilization combined. And as such, what have we done? We shop and continue with our daily lives as if nothing has changed while our government continues to pursue foreign wars in our name.
Since the election of the Democrats to Congress in 2006, the controversy surrounding any and all legislation has been a prolonged on-again, off-again game of chicken concerning the war funding. Contrary to what they say, the Democrats hold the keys to ending this war. They could cut off the money, bringing a sudden and effective end to the U.S. presence in Iraq, they just don’t want to risk it politically. This means that we must wait until after the 2008 election for anything to really change…if then.
I don’t feel as if my government is representing me, and from my understanding regarding the mood of the country, neither does anyone else. Our country was founded over a tax dispute. From 1763 until the Revolution, “No taxation without representation,” was the unifying motto that rallied the many into one. Likewise, if we continue to have a government that refuses to listen to its citizens, it may be time for the citizens to stop listening to their government.
In the 1960’s the people protested. In the 21st Century we do not. We’re too busy, we’re generally not informed, and since our daily lives haven’t been disturbed by this very real war…why should we? The way to reclaim our government is simple. It requires no action at all, in fact, it requires inaction. If we want America back, we should stop paying our taxes.
America has a long history of civil protests. It’s a part of our heritage, even though it seems to have fallen out of fashion in recent decades. Protests usually require the people to act, but the beauty of not paying your taxes is that it encourages just the opposite. Sit on the couch, order a pizza, cancel that appointment with your accountant in March, and save the world! It really is that simple. What if you, and the 200 million plus people who oppose the war in this country, simply refused to pay their taxes until the United States withdrew from Iraq? Do you think the people’s voices would be heard again? It would effectively shut down the Federal Government. Money is the only language politicians understand.
It’s very nice to know that we have that final card to play, just in case we need it.
However, for now, we wait. We wait for the 2008 Elections with great anticipation for what it means for the future. America will not stand for an unnecessary war that they are being forced to pay for. If a miracle happens, and real change grabs hold after Bush finally makes his exit, I will rejoice and rush to dance in the streets. But if the status-quo wins, and the war looks to drag on for another 10 years, then at that point….it may be time for another tea party.