When the stamps first came out of my fax machine, I was less than impressed. After reading the comments to our web site, I am very concerned.
Over the next few months, Texas is scheduled to kill a mother of three (Sheppard), someone who is boderline retarded and a juvenile at the time
of his crime (Cannon), a retarded person (Penry), and several who are probably innocent. One of the criticisms raised earlier this year,
was that Tucker received so much attention even though similar circumstances existed in a number of other cases. I think the attention raised by the
Tucker case was wonderful. It was the first time many were able to see a human face on the death penalty. But the people scheduled to die in
the next few months are no less human, and it is our job to communicate that fact to the rest of the world.
The non-existance of clemency, the juvenile death penalty, and the way the Texas justice system deals with the mentally ill and retarded, are still very much with us.
Properly communicated, these issues will resonate with many people, and further change public opinion. The Journey of Hope from Violence to Healing is a positive way of raising public consiousness about the death penalty. Our plate is full, and there are more than enough new outrages to confront.
Unfortunately, there are several things wrong with the stamp idea. Although John & Jane Q. Public may have felt very troubled by the killing of Karla,
I do not think very many people saw her as a hero. Karla herself, felt she deserved severe punishment for committing a very senseless act of violence.
The stamps were created outside of the U.S., by people who have a very different understanding of the death penalty than the average American.
I think the stamps will be viewed by some potential allies as anti-American and pro-crime.
Among some of Tucker's strongest supporters, were Evangelical Christians, many of whom were confronting this issue for the first time.
The Evangelicals were responsible for much of the positve publicity surrounding this case. We need to build as many coalitions with such people as possible,
and I think the stamp affair will make that job harder.
We in the anti-death penalty movement are so involved in our issue, that it is sometimes hard to understand how the general public feels about the death penalty.
It is very important for us to communicate that we share their concerns about violent crime and justice. In the end, I think our common concerns will eventually
bring about a change in public opinion. I'm very concerned that controversy over the medium may drown out the message.

Alan Cohen
Austin, Tx.

As a Roman Catholic and humanitarian, I was shocked and embarrassed when the state executed Ms. Tucker in my name. Death penalty supporters -
many of whom claim to be Christians - had difficulty rationalizing killing a gentle, affable, confined (and admittedly not dangerous) woman.
Governor Bush was visibly shaken in his short speech when he washed his hands of the execution. I don't think that any Christian can in good faith say
that if confronted by our Lord, he could look Him in the eye and say that the world was better off by taking the life of this harmless Christian woman
for no other reason that it was the rules. Man made rules and not divinely guided rules. As followers of Jesus, I don't imagine that Christians, who are supposed to
emulate our God, could claim that Jesus would ever give the order to carry out this execution or any execution for that matter. Killing a women also goes
against years of chivalry and respect for the fairer sex in Texas. It is no accident that even in the state that executes inmates at a reckless rate compared to other
states, no woman had been executed since the Civil War. In light of the execution, death penalty support is down. As death penalty opponents,
I feel that you had the opposition questioning their beliefs with the effective campaign humanizing Ms. Tucker.
This has been thrown out the window with this stupid postage stamp idea. Postage stamps are traditionally for universally acclaimed heroes and celebrities.
No matter what you say about Ms. Tucker's character, nothing will change the fact that she was an admitted axe murderer.
The canonization of Ms. Tucker can also be seen as a slap in the face to the victims who were so brutally murdered. It is also an insult to all who have had loved
ones taken from them by the violent actions of others.
That is one problem with the abolition movement. You don't just humanize inmates - you glorify them. Sometimes it seems that facts are glossed over and
guilty are portrayed as innocent. This just makes all the rest of your arguments seem bogus.
You have the moral high road - appeal to people's sense of decency and civility. That is what worked on changing attitudes with the Karla Tucker execution.
I think she would be embarrassed by the postage stamp since she admitted her guilt and felt a duty to make it up to society and the families of her victims.
She was in touch with her humanity and the flaws that are inherent with being a human. She would surely have recognized the pain that this campaign
would cause to the families of murder victims and the negative effect it would have on the abolition movement.
This stamp is an idea with good intentions but a bad idea.
Please consider letting it go away quietly (after the furor and outrage you will generate from inspired opponents) once the attention goes away.