Can you make friends with a Copperhead?

Have you ever stumbled across a Copperhead snake? More properly known as the Eastern Copperhead, it is a venomous pit viper that is pretty common in these parts. It is known to be a very stealthy snake that can blend in with its surroundings, such as rocky areas or leaf and rock piles.

They aren’t aggressive, but they will give you a nasty bite when disturbed. There are really two alternatives to dealing with copperheads: 1. Stay away from them, or 2. Get too close and be faced with either killing the snake or allowing it to give you a bite that will make you sick or lead to amputations.

You’ll notice that there is no third alternative. You can’t pick it up, cuddle it and make friends with it.

There are people and groups out there who mimic the Copperhead’s ability to camouflage itself, and there are also some people who think you can make friends with a Copperhead, and that’s dangerous.

Here in Franklin County, we have a notable example of the above with a $40 million Biden Administration-funded program, called “Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program,” funded through “Open Border” Alejandro Mayorkas and his Department of Homeland Security. This program, through an organization called Urban Rural Action, which euphemistically states its purpose as “preventing targeted violence,” is being looked into by Congress, along with others as examples of the Biden Administration’s weaponizing of government against conservatives, Christians and Republicans. The program was originally formed to combat terrorism but morphed under Biden into a program designed to quell the speech of conservatives.

One such group funded by this grant was exposed by Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center in a FOXNEWS article and video last year.

Urban-Rural Action and its offshoot, “Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence,” which is funded by $769,169 of our tax money, is described in a WITF website article as follows: “A new group in the mid-state will discuss how to work to minimize the threat of hate crimes in Pa., which have more than doubled since 2020, according to state police. Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence (UPTV) brings together 28 Pennsylvanians, known as Uniters, to focus on factors leading to political, cultural and faith-based violence. These include political polarization, misinformation and social isolation.”

Please remember that when the Biden administration talks about “misinformation,” they mean free speech that may conflict with their warped ideas. For the left, speech that they don’t like is the same as violence, as stated in an excellent article from The Hill e.g.: “The redefinition of opposing views as “violence” is a favorite excuse for violent groups like antifa, which continue to physically assault speakers with pro-life and other disfavored views. As explained by Rutgers professor Mark Bray’s in his “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” the group believes that “‘free speech’ as such is merely a bourgeois fantasy unworthy of consideration.”

According to a PA Capital Star article, UPTV  is led by seven program coordinators who live and work in central Pennsylvania, including Adams County coordinators Kierstan Belle and Chad Collie, Dauphin County coordinator Logan Grubb, Franklin County coordinator Michele Jansen and York County coordinator Erec Smith.

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A deep dive into the program reveals , not surprisingly, a leftward and anti-Trump bias, as this statement about a participant reveals, “His research generally focuses on authoritarian and populist movements with an emphasis on fascist and religious fundamentalist movements.”

Sound familiar? It should because it is all code for conservative Christians. There also seems to be a heavy emphasis on “protecting” the LGBTQ folks from those ol’ meanies who disapprove of their lifestyle because of their religious beliefs.

When something is called “non-partisan,” it means that the lefties running it have managed to rope in a few Republican-types who will fit into our group of people mentioned above who think you can make friends with a Copperhead. Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin used to refer to them as “Useful idiots.”

Oh yes, one of the 28 “Uniters” selected for this group is Janon “Jay” Gray, the local liberal GOP establishment choice to succeed retiring Rep. Paul Schemel. Gray “was” a Democrat until he moved here and decided to run for office, and he left behind a record of support for Barack Obama, revealed through some syrupy-sweet Tweets he made on X (formerly Twitter), not to mention some cute photos of he and some drag queens. Gray is running against conservative Republican Chad Reichard.

I know Chad Reichard. He is a conservative who grew up here on a farm, and he’s wise enough to know you can’t make friends with a Copperhead.

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Dwight Weidman is a resident of Greene Township and is a graduate of Shepherd University. He is retired from the United States Department of Defense, where his career included assignments In Europe, Asia, and Central America. He has been in leadership roles for the Republican Party in two states, most recently serving two terms as Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party. He has been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1988, getting his first license in Germany, a past volunteer with both Navy and Army MARS, Military Auxiliary Radio Service, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor. In his spare time, he dabbles in genealogy and learning new languages.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: There are many reasons not to make friends with a Copperhead