Tax Strike

A courageous lady I have come to know of by reading her blog is on a federal income tax strike.  She isn't trying to get away without paying taxes for selfish reasons, in fact she has told the I.R.S. goons to their faces her reasons.  Specifically, she can not support this evil government, which not only condones child murder, but now through the new health care mandates, pays for this manifest evil.  Add to this, she has watched these cronies systematically destroy all the integrity of the financial markets which translates to stealing, in huge amounts of money, from all of us and will eventually wreck our country, permanently.  Inspired by her Catholic faith and the value of martyrdom over co-operation with evil when fighting such evil, she is going to Rome, like Peter and it will not be a pleasant trip for her.  I am praying for her.

This has me thinking.  I do not question her convictions and I believe them to be correct, for her.  God gives us all different graces and stations in life.  But I have not reached the point of believing this action to be proper for me and my family.  I must admit though, I am becoming more uncomfortable everyday as to the licitness of paying federal taxes.  I have contemplated, endlessly, the "render unto Caesar"  lesson.   Up to a point, I believe we are given a pass on culpability given the fact that these taxes are collected at the point of a gun and that we do not support or condone the evil the government does with the monies.  However, have we yet crossed that point?  Have we reached the times that require courageous men to say "enough! no more!"?  For over thirty years we have had pro-life rallies, prayer groups, court challenges, campaign efforts, and for thirty years we have been getting steamrolled and losing ground and innocent lives.  Now, we are paying for the murder with money.  While we were fighting pro-life causes, the rest of our civil, moral fabric has been coming unraveled with alarming rapidity.  We are not only losing the pro-life cause, for children, but our country is dying as well.  I do know that the time for civil discourse and political efforts is past.  We must start fighting this war with our bodies.  These are the times cited by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence when men must pledge their lives, fortunes and their sacred honor.  For me, the point of no return nears!  May Christ guide me in His ways and may my family and I meet Him in paradise.