David Bryant - Letter January 20, 1998

Death and Hypocrisy in Texas

Letter to the Editor - January 20, 1998

Background:

Karla Faye Tucker killed two people with a pickaxe, claiming to have had an orgasm as she did it. The state of Texas sentenced her to die by lethal injection.

After years in prison, Ms. Tucker converted to Christianity. While I am no devotee of organized religion, I will not deny that a conversion experience can effect some remarkable personality changes. I saw her interviewed on television, and the impression I got was not that of someone pulling a scam.

Much of the Christian community rallied behind Ms. Tucker, asking that her sentence be commuted to life in prison. Television evangelists, some of the most vocal supporters of the death penalty, held that this case was different because Ms. Tucker was a woman and (coincidentally) a Christian and had something valuable to offer society. Even the Pope got involved, sending a telegram to Texas Governor George "Blood'n'Guts" Bush, Jr. requesting that her life be spared.

The hypocrisy of all of this made me sick.

Within 10 minutes of emailing this letter to the San Antonio Express-News, one of the editors called and thanked me for sending it.

To the Editors:
As a lifelong opponent of the death penalty, I have to wonder... would Karla Faye Tucker be the focus of a campaign to spare her life had she converted to Islam, Judaism or Buddhism?
Perhaps the conservative Christians who are so rabidly in favor of state-sanctioned executions except in this particular instance need to do some soul-searching. Either redemption is possible, in which case the death penalty is wrong, or it is impossible, and Ms. Tucker's conversion is an opportunistic sham. You can't have it both ways.

The first woman in Texas to be executed since the Civil War died with dignity, according to all reports. Governor Bush did not find it politically expedient to spare her life. The slaughter in Texas continued without pause the following week, when a man with brown skin was quietly injected with poison.
The Pope didn't send any telegrams, and the televangelists were silent. How utterly odd.
At least the published letter seems to have had a small effect. My argument was used in several local editorials in the days leading up to the execution. Let's put it in an easy-to-remember formula, so you can hit pro-death penalty Christians over the head with it, should you be so inclined:

The absolute bedrock of Christianity is the possibility of redemption. By executing criminals, you are denying them the possibility of ever repenting and turning to Christ.

There you have it. Go get 'em, kids.

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