People Against Car Kills Today I witnessed with stark clarity the transformation of a healthy siamese kitty cat into a bloody lifeless pulp. This occurred in the street in front of my neighbor's house. The driver of the murder weapon stopped when he realized what he had hit, though he wasn't required by law to do so. We stood and watched as the body writhed in agony, giving way, within seconds to shock and death. I was surprised but glad that he possessed the integrity to go knocking on the doors nearby to determine whose cat it was. The owner and I dug the grave near a young apple tree in her back yard. The worst day of my life was the day my best friend, Lucky, was murdered. I was ten and he was hit by a car. I was told that he dragged himself to the side of the road, where some compassionate soul found him and took him to the animal hospital. My father decided he wasn't savable and ordered euthanasia. I cried louder, harder and longer than I ever imagined possible. I've come to understand that this tragedy and loss happens many times every day across the nation, across this proud nation of rugged individualists, proud of the technology which offers the freedom to go any where at any time, at a rate of speed many times faster than was possible during the first 10,000 years of human civilization. And with this power has come the arrogance to believe that we will always have this option and that this convenience is worth any price, even the senseless, merciless murder of a child's best friend. The price is too high. In a society which defines itself as compassionate, reasonable and concerned for the welfare of its children, I challenge anyone to place convenience as more important than the lives of our children's best friends, and often our best friend too. There are both-short term and long-term measures that can alleviate the risk of this type of tragedy. Ultimately, however, we must come to terms with our addiction to automobiles and the convenience they provide. Ultimately, we must reinvent our neighborhoods, rich and poor, in such a way that animals and children can play without fear of being smashed or squashed at any moment. It can be done. Humans existed for thousands of years without automobiles. This can be one of society's greatest achievements, and will be one of its greatest challenges, requiring from each of us our creative energy, focused intention, cooperation and courage. Let's all pool our ideas together and begin the transformation process. People Against Car Kills c/o Paul Franklin paul@scruznet.com Post Office Box 7590 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 408/426-3251