Peace Witness Fatigue

by Joseph Olejak
Old Chatham Meeting

I am a convinced Quaker. I joined Old Chatham Quakers in 2009. What attracted me to the Quakers was the peace testimony. I withheld paying income tax from the Federal government since 1998 due to the concerns I had over how that money was used; by some estimates 50% is used to fund wars.

In 2013 I was prosecuted for my act of civil disobedience; that story has been printed in Friends Journal and there is an interview on the YouTube site Quaker Speaks, pioneered by John Watts. This is not that story but rather a reflection backward.

It has been nearly 10 years from the date I was ordered to the county jail. Looking back, I've noticed a few things that might be worth sharing in terms of how my experience relates to how my peace witness was corporate or personal, comfortable or difficult and how flexible it can be in its applicability.

I chose “Peace Witness Fatigue” as the title of this article because no part of what I did was comfortable. I pulled out of the federal income tax system in one fell swoop because I did not have the benefit of a clearness committee in 1998. As a chiropractor, I was what the IRS called a "high profile target." Namely, that prosecution of a professional person would send a strong message to others in the community to avoid stepping out of line. The IRS publicized my case in the Albany Times Union which had many undesirable knock on effects. For example, that story led the NYS Office of the Professions to revoke my chiropractic license. A felony tax conviction also places many restrictions on the kinds of employment one can perform.

Are there flexible ways to apply the peace witness? Yes. Be a barnacle. One barnacle on a ship is no big deal, but if there are 10,000 barnacles it creates enough drag to reduce efficiency by 60% and increase fuel consumption by 40% on a vessel. We need more peace barnacles on the ship of state. Each act of non-compliance creates drag. Many small acts add up. Complaints are one way to create drag, but lots of folks don’t think their words to elected representatives matter. They do. Even if the funding for campaigns is bought and paid for by big biz they still have to appear to be un-bought. Each person has to decide how much drag to exert. Coming up with creative ways to exert that drag will be important.

Since biblical times Christians have been faced with hard choices. Ignatius of Antioch was thrown to the lions. These days it’s less dramatic but still a deeply personal choice fraught with ramifications. In the case of money it is never easy. We need money to live. If you end up dealing with the legal system all you have are tough choices. If you choose a very simple life pared down to the basics (about $16,500) you're faced with a lot of sacrifice. If you keep the lifestyle you currently enjoy and donate that tax money to charitable organizations you will be chronically harassed and eventually prosecuted. The stress takes a toll either way.

In a way, I was quite lucky as I had a lot of support from my Quaker meeting, but let me be clear about one thing­—one person takes on the direct consequences of the peace testimony. If you have young children or a life partner they’ll be collateral damage. There is a corporate aspect of the peace testimony (in the sense that the meeting provides support and that might be financial, emotional and/or spiritual) but taking action on one's beliefs is a deeply personal undertaking.