Her case drew a seemingly incongruous picture of death penalty supporters speaking out in her defense like rightist Pat Robertson, while liberals who describe themselves as opponents of the death penalty and supporters of equal rights for women called for her execution.

But the real issue for working people is that the capitalist state has no right to put anyone to death. The rulers' drive to execute encourages and appeals to resentment and vengeance to cover their intent to use more brutal methods against the working class, and place greater limits on our democratic rights. This also gives encouragement to rightist forces, like the crowd that cheered on the execution, standing across from death penalty opponents in front of the prison in Huntsville on the day of the state-sanctioned murder.

It's worth noting the thinly veiled racism of the death penalty proponents who supported Tucker's plea for clemency by repeatedly referring to her as a "beautiful, saved woman." Currently Texas has 437 men and 6 women on death row, 40 percent of whom are Black. Over one-third of those executed in 1997 were Black. Tucker was white.

The death penalty is used as an instrument of terror by a government that represents the wealthy class of employers, landlords, and bankers. While the rulers' courts are quick to condemn more and more working people as criminals, their cops are allowed to brutalize and kill with impunity. In a state with a mounting series of industrial disasters - from environmental pollution by oil companies, to deaths of rail workers overworked by companies loathe to hire enough people - no bosses will be found awaiting trial for these crimes. But when workers try to stand up against speedup, cutbacks, and deteriorating safety conditions they often meet the obstacle of cops and courts, issuing injunctions and declaring job actions illegal.

It is especially important to stand against the use of terror methods by the government at a time when Washington is preparing to rain down bombs on the Iraqi population. This will be accompanied with the attempt to silence critics of the war. Part of defending the right to speak out against this war policy must include the fight to defend democratic rights and against the growing use of murder as a weapon of the state.  
 
 
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