Father fights for Aliyah's Law after daughter's fatal DUI crash
She would have been 19 years old this year.
She - my daughter, Aliyah Emily Braden, who inspired 'Aliyah's Law' - was killed by a drunk driver May 23, 2009.
Aliyah was killed by someone who knows better than to drive drunk and at a blood alcohol content level of .245, you would think?
Since her death, more than 250 have died on our roadways on the Big Island.
Judy Fitzgerald, Anina Masaichy and her baby were my 'last straw.' What is your 'last straw'?
It's been years of begging our elected people to stop DUI driving with tons of suggestions.
The less people who do not see their child dead, the better for me and the memory of Aliyah, Judy, Anina and the hundreds of others.
Join me. Let's be partners. We will end death and injuries on our public roadways due to driving drunk. Thank you.
Email me, add to my ideas, at [email protected].
Wayne Henry Braden
Hilo
PETA's response to story about cat legislation
This is regarding 'Bills seek to rein in free-roaming cat population in Hawaii' (West Hawaii Today, Feb. 10).
Hawaii's proposed spay and neuter requirements would prevent untold suffering and save countless lives.
Spaying and neutering prevent cats and dogs from worsening the animal overpopulation and homelessness crises, which result in hundreds of thousands of animals suffering and dying badly on the streets or ending up in overflowing shelters.
Sterilization also provides many health benefits. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 'Studies have repeatedly shown that spayed or neutered dogs and cats live longer, on average.'
Spaying and neutering protect animals from serious, often deadly diseases, including uterine infection, breast cancer, testicular cancer and enlarged prostate glands. They can improve animals' psychological well-being, too, by sparing females the stress and discomfort of heat periods and reducing males' urge to roam or fight.
However, even if they are 'fixed,' leaving cats on the streets is never humane. Cats are domesticated and depend on humans for all their needs.
Left outdoors, cats inevitably suffer and die badly - most after just one to five years. They starve; languish with untreated infections, injuries and diseases; are hit by cars, torn apart by dogs, tortured by cruel people; and more.
Cats left outdoors also decimate wildlife. Regardless of whether they are fed, cats instinctively attack and kill birds, amphibians and other wildlife who are already struggling to survive.
A study in Nature Communications found that cats eat more than 2,000 species, including nearly 350 that are imperiled or at risk of it.
Humans created these crises, and we must right them by ensuring that all animals are spayed, neutered and kept responsibly indoors, where they are safe.
Teresa Chagrin
Animal care and control issues manager,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
