The Gadsden Rattler

The historical record tells us that, in 1776, “Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American navy; being a yellow field with a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle, in the attitude of going to strike, and these words underneath: ‘DON’T TREAD ON ME!”

A year earlier, Benjamin Franklin wrote that the rattlesnake “never begins an attack nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders … she never wounds ’til she has generously given notice to her enemy and has cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.” Ben Franklin believed that the rattlesnake perfectly symbolized the “temper and conduct” of his compatriots, and he urged that the rattlesnake (rather than the eagle, that ancient symbol of imperialism) be our national symbol.

The rattlesnake exists in dozens of subspecies (diamondback, cottonmouth, etc) and is native to America: the rattlesnake was unknown in Europe. The redcoats had never before encountered a rattlesnake and, during the Revolutionary War, the rattlesnake was seen as the symbol of the upstart Colonies: slow to anger but deadly when roused.

I live on the family farm, homesteaded a century ago, on the banks of the Gila, just on the perimeter of the Gadsden Purchase. The farm happens to straddle an age-old snake road. During snake season, almost daily, long rattlesnakes routinely cross my path. I give them wide berth. I do not attack them and they do not attack me. I respect their inalienable right to life and liberty. We co-exist.

Peaceful co-existence is not possible when the other party holds no respect for your inalienable right to life and liberty. In the last several years, we have been bullied into lockdowns, into masking, into mandatory injections of deadly meds. We have been bullied into accepting an illegitimate POTUS, into accepting drag-queen shows in public libraries, into seeing millions of invaders walk across our borders to then be supported by our tax-dollars. Bullied by NWO tyrants who despise us, eking out our existence (burdened by crushing inflation and shortages), living under what can only be described as siege, we have been patient – patient as a rattlesnake.

But the rattlesnake is rearing up. Do the tyrants in Washington, in Maricopa, in the Yuma County Health Department hear the warning rattle?

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Rosalie Stafford is editor of The Gadsden Rattler and is solely responsible for all content. All content is copyrighted by Rosalie Stafford or by guest authors. Contact Editor Rosalie Stafford for permission to re-post content appearing in The Gadsden Rattler.