April 14, 1997

Internal Revenue Service

Dear Sir or Madame:

It is with heavy heart that I submit my tax forms. I find it harder every year to live with the fact that as a taxpayer, I am helping to fund the wars and other violence that our country inflicts upon innocent people. It violates my deeply held religious beliefs to support such destructive actions. As a provider of money, I am as guilty as the government decision-makers who authorize the bloodshed. I am deeply troubled by the fact that there is no legal way for me to direct my tax money only to life-affirming causes. For now, under protest, I abide by the law of my country and pay the taxes due. However, I pray for the courage to abide instead by a higher law, that of a God who commands, "Thou shalt not kill."

Sincerely,

Katherine C. Coon

cc: Minneapolis Friends Meeting

Friends for a Non-Violent World

Minnesota Military Tax Resistance Network

Women Against Military Madness