CHICAGO (WBBM) -- The tax filing deadline always seems to bring out protesters. And it's no exception this year, even though the filing deadline has been extended till Monday.
WBBM Newsradio 780's Bob Roberts reports antiwar protesters talked taxes at the Geneva and Batavia post offices on Saturday.
The protesters, coordinated by the Illinois Coalition for Peace & Justice, engaged in a bit of political theatre, adopting such names as "Roland Init," "Phil T. Rich" and "Erna Bigcheck" to drive home their point, calling themselves "Billionaires for Bush's War."
"Never before has one man done so much for so few, at the expense of everybody else," said one protester.
Protester Jack Wentland, who adopted the name "Phil T. Rich," played up the problems being encountered by the U.S. military in Iraq, and the recent attention given to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"They've lost $1.8 billion in Iraq. they'll probably do the same thing in Iran," he said.
The protesters conceded that some of those filing their returns appeared none too pleased to see the street theater, but said they believe they got their point across with such comments as, "It's a clever war. We've gotten all these Iraqi terrorists to attack us in Iraq, and we're saving them plane fare on top of it. It's a win-win situation."
The protesters distributed leaflets claiming that 49 percent of tax revenue being collected this year goes to the military, when supplemental appropriations are included.
"We believe tax dollars should go to human needs, not war," said Siobhan Kolar of Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice, one of several groups that took part in the protest.
Look for more street theatre Monday, when the group will spend most of the day at the Evanston Post Office.
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