Letter: No U.S. citizen should support war with a foreign nation

Editor,

When would it be right for an enemy nation to murder your family? If never, how can it be right for the United States to murder families in enemy nations?

Would I, as an openly gay man, celebrate acceptance into the Mafia? Would I, as an openly gay man, celebrate acceptance into a violent street gang? Would I, as an openly gay man, celebrate acceptance into a band of drug dealers or bank robbers?

The U.S. military has murdered far more moms, dads and kids than all the drug dealers, street gangs and Mafia combined!

I know no street gang, no Mafia that pays a preacher to ease their conciences and to pay with them for God’s help in slaughtering their enemies, but the U.S. military does — paid chaplains in U.S. military uniforms.

Governments lie! Especially in times of war, all governments lie.

Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said, “If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army.”

I oppose all war! Fourty-nine years ago, I began two years of non-military community service under the draft during the Vietnam War. First in Arizona and then in Albuquerque — that is how I first came here in 1970. I refused to go murder people in Vietnam.

So for me to pay federal income tax to train and equip other USA-ans, largely people of color and of low income, to become professional hired killers to murder on command with no concience would be more evil than being a soldier myself.

How much good is it to pray, hope and march for peace if we pay for war? Almost half of federal income tax goes for U.S. wars — past, present and future.

Secretary of State Alexander Haig, under Reagan, said about the anti-war protesters, “Let them demonstrate all they want, as long as they pay their taxes.”

If your tax dollars burned homes and killed families on your street, would you pay? Are neighbors abroad less human, less precious than neighbors on our street?

I have paid no federal income tax for 39 years. I enjoy living simply far below the taxable level.

Don Schrader