Protesters Don’t Want Taxes To Pay For Death

The Inquirer brings the story today of two South Jersey men who are in jail for failing to pay their taxes. Kevin McKee and Joseph Donato are members of a small religious group called Restored Israel of Yahweh that is opposed to war and opposed to paying taxes into the military-industrial complex.

Usually tax evaders are simply taken to civil court, but since the Restored Israel of Yahweh isn’t a big religious group like, say, the Quakers — which sometimes have members that refuse to pay taxes — so they’re serving about two years in prison each.

Donato’s wife also went to prison, but not in the minimum security ones that McKee and her husband are in. She was in the Federal Detention Center in Philly (probably with Lil’ Kim!) and said she adapted in her own way:

“Everyone sizes one another up for about a month or so. I fell back, almost, to high school,” she said. “I didn’t have an attitude. I didn’t act like ‘I’m here, but I really shouldn’t be here.’ “

Prison? A lot like high school. I hope if I ever end up there I can make the basketball team.

Hard time for S. Jersey tax protesters [Inquirer]