Blows against this punishment, including the commutations and pardons of January 10 and 11, should not be credited to the consciences of capitalist politicians. Rather, they are the product of struggles by workers and farmers. In particular, resistance against racist violence by working people who are Black has ensured that today lynchings of all kinds are apt to face protests and stir debate.

The recent protests in Illinois, including the "Dead Men Walking" relay, are part of a long history of such struggles. Far from leading such protests, Ryan has devoted his energy to unsuccessful efforts to rehabilitate the death penalty through installing more checks and balances. At the same time, his action is a reflection of how support for the use of this weapon has eroded.

The government’s reinstatement of capital punishment nearly three decades ago was a truly reactionary act by a ruling class that intends to defend its interests and rule by any means at hand. Under capitalism, the death penalty has always been 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.

Opponents of capitalist injustice will gain confidence from these recent developments and step up their struggles against its many abuses. Far more working people are executed by a policeman’s bullet, chokehold, or hog-tying than by lethal injection or electrocution. There were at least 2,000 deaths at the hands of police and prison guards between 1990 and the beginning of 1998, in addition to the judicially sanctioned deaths of 312 people.

In opposition to the social conquests we have achieved in struggle, the capitalists will employ rougher methods to safeguard their profits and defend their rule. This can be seen from the streets of U.S. cities to the Middle East, where the imperialists are marching toward a bloody war on the people of Iraq. In the course of such wars and attacks, however, they generate resistance. Through increasingly weighty struggles, working people will gain the experiences necessary to chart a course to overthrow capitalist rule and its endemic brutality for good.
 
 
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Move by Governor Ryan focuses attention on death penalty  
 
 
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