Backyard Militia

You might be well served to recognize this pattern before the snake wearing it recognizes the heat from your foot or hand and mistakes it for a meal or potential threat. Copperheads are so well camouflaged that, depending on it's immediate habitat, it's possible you could look right at one at close range and not notice it. With this in mind, if you're doing yard work or cleaning up around your house or cabin, you should always look before you reach under a bush or into some kind of hole or crevice, and as I recently experienced, before you reach down and gather up a nice clump of yard stuff. Had this guy/gal not moved a little bit when I blew the leaves off it's back, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have seen it; which might have resulted in my stepping on it or grabbing it when I scooped up the yard paraphernalia it was under.

Now, I know there are a lot of well intentioned nature lovers (like myself) who would have a problem with "eliminating" anything that draws a breath, even when it has the potential to do you harm, or worse. Some light web-research (sorry Klietus, but you weren't around to ask) pulled up 3 different sites that all suggest the Copperhead is one of the "least venomous snakes of all venomous snakes", which is kind of like saying the .22 is one of the least lethal firearms of all lethal firearms. Even with that in mind, had I encountered this particular "not all that venomous of a venomous snake" out in the woods and well off the beaten path, he/she would likely still be crawling around looking for it's next monthly meal. But since I encountered this "not really all that venomous of a snake" in my back yard about 15' from our backdoor and within easy striking distance of my granddaughter or grandson, or for that matter, any number of neighborhood little folks e.g.: look Mr. Man; see the pretty OOOOOOOW!...well you get the picture.

Bottom line: I don't personally have an issue with L.A. gang-bangers, as long as they stay in L.A. I'll leave it up to the L.A. folks to figure out specifically how to deal with that problem. But if an L.A. gang-banger starts slithering around my yard just outside my back door, or hiding behind our shrubs, that's a completely different situation and calls for completely different action. Situations like gang-bangers and venomous reptiles are just a couple of the many reasons why God gave us common sense, and why Tom Jefferson and the gang gave us the second amendment.
Thank you Lord for giving us common sense, and thank you Tommy J. for giving us the right to a "well regulated militia": which is sometimes necessary to deploy right in your own backyard!