Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

lol at kw... only good snake is a dead snake eh.... i like them but am not an advocate of people keeping them as pets.... but i also respect them enough not to go around picking them up and try not to disturb their habitat.. you make a good point about the rats ... i d rather have snakes than rats any day.... and actually they did forget one poisonous snake.. the coral snake which although its numbers are declining its still around... check out the website for all snakes indigenous to alabama...

http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-...

and you will find that we have quite host of those critters to help keep the rat population down.

Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

oops i see he did mention them.. sorry mr cook

Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'd rather have a snake or spider over a rat, mouse, or cockroach any day.

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 10:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sankes can become very aggressive if they have not fed lately or if it is a female who has recently laid eggs. I had a large cottonmouth chase me onto the bank at Wind Creek several summers ago. I do not know if it came any further as I accelerated exponentially (how do you like that big word Graves?) when my feet hit dry land.

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 10:57 p.m.

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Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:05 p.m.

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Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:18 p.m.

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Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:24 p.m.

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Posted by mack13 (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:27 p.m.

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Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Believe me, you are not alone.

Posted by KatherineReece (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hawks are nice... I like hawks ... they eat snakes AND mice! Plus they look really pretty flying overhead. We need more hawks.

Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

lol kat i love all birds of prey... but the snakes get most the mice on the ground.. then the hawks eagles and other birds of prey eat the snakes ... sounds like a good idea to me.. lol

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 11:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kat, keeping late hours, aren't you? Lisa says hi.

Posted by KatherineReece (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 12:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm usually up late Phil ... I love the night life ... I like to boogie...
(well I don't boogie so much anymore...lol... the spirit is willing but the hip is weak)

Hi back atcha Lisa!

Posted by Ruckerdog (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 2:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Snakes always have, and always will have a bad reputation just because they are snakes. Don't fear snakes, respect them. Snakes do far more good for this world than they do harm,

Posted by dottie2008 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 4:01 a.m.

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Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on July 9, 2009 at 6:55 a.m.

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Posted by rclgel1 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Since this seems to be the only place I can leave a comment, here goes. First on snakes. They steal my chickens eggs and eat the baby chickens. Hawks will even take off adult chickens. This is life in the wild and we should respect it and leave it alone. The only time to worry about snakes is when they get where our children are.

As to the hospital. Any small hospital will not have the quality or doctors or equipment a large hospital has. Have the Chilton County hospital is better than no hospital at all. It is getting better.

Lastly on the newspaper itself. I am very disappointed that the paper did not run any article about Dr Crues passing (other than the obit). She gave 16 years to Clanton, was a very good doctor and a truly compassionate person. For the Advertiser to ignore her passing truly says something about what a poor newspaper it is.

Posted by juswannabeheard (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Snakes are scary creatures. They don't have to be out to harm you. You'll kill yourself just to get away from them. We need more than a simple article telling us to stay away. How about some detailed pictures with specs on habits of the deadly snakes so that we as ignorant humans don't risk disrupting their habitats.

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of our hospital. But it serves a purpose. Have you ever tried having a "city" without a hospital. You'd just be a township. The hospital is a leading employer in our county and often the only medical resource for the poor, young, and elderly.

New life has been breathed into the facilities. We are getting better doctors than the old "horse doctors" from the past. It may never be as big or diversified as Shelby, but it is accessible and more apt to treat you without insurance than any bigger facility.

We are always harping about how we need to draw money into Chilton County and quit giving our hard earned dollars away. Having local medical treatment is key to attracting the big bucks of corporate America.

Posted by rclgel1 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 7:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

There is one very positive thing to add about the Chilton County Hospital. The wait to get seen in the ER. I have been there on two occasions and both time it took longer to fill out the paper work than the waiting time. Even when I was having a heart attack in progress the waiting time at Baptist was longer than at CCH.

Posted by SECorBust (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 7:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Has anyone seen a coral snake in Alabama? I haven,t seen one in years, but I have seen my share of the other three. The Cottonmouth Moccasain is one of the most aggressive snakes out there. "This dangerous semi-aquatic snake is truly an aggressive reptile that will stand its ground or even approach an intruder." (www.wf.net/~snake/moccasin.htm) I had a Cottonmouth chase a fishing lure (www.smithwicklures.com/devilshorse.htm) clear out of a pond when I was little. I reeled that lure in and threw down the pole and ran. If the temperature is right and you are in the wrong place these snakes will attack you. There is a reason that they are one of the deadliest snakes in North America.

There is also a reason that Fire/EMS send all patients to Shelby or Birmingham. Every time that I've been to Shelby I've some people that I know from Chilton Co, I can't say the same for the CMC.

When I tore my ACL/MCL I went to the CMC ER basically because for some reason I thought that they might have an MRI machine or that they would give me a splint and crutches. They insisted on taking x-rays after I told them that I was an EMT and knew that there were no broken bones. I guess I Wasted that insurance money. Then they wouldn't let me drive home after I had driven up there. Don't go there.

Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes, CMC is inferior to larger facilities. But towns of 6,000 people are not coing to lure a Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins. They are not going to have the equipment available for every situation. Many small towns do not even have a hospital.

Posted by livinginthorsby (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I ran over a 4'5 foot rattle snake in front of Union Grove Church right after I dropped my son off for Wednesday night services last summer! I would have left it alone but I didn't want it to get to the playground!

As for the hospital issue, I have had a few "experiences" with CMC. One visit went as well as could be expected; can't say the same for the other visits. However, I remember when everyone in Shelby County absolutely refused to go to Shelby. Brookwood received all the business. Now, I go to Shelby when we have broken bones. Maybe CMC can learn something from Shelby Hospital's administration.

Posted by justchecking (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The poisonous "coral" snake mentioned in this article is not found in our area. HOWEVER, it IS found in the eastern part of South Carolina, Florida, and Louisianna. Those places seem pretty close when you consider how deadly poisonous the real coral snake is.

In Alabama, we have mimics such as the scarlet snake and the milk snake which are non-poisonous. When observing the pattern of colored rings, this rhyme helps distinguish between the real coral snake and its mimics: "Red touching yellow will kill a fellow. Red touching black, you can pat him on his back."

Posted by nuttyoak (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

justchecking....did you not see the news last week about a guy finding a coral snake in Rockford? Sure, there are not alot of coral snakes around (at least we don't think there are), but there are some. Better check your color patterns real close just to be sure!

Posted by bama1870 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry, I have no comment about the snakes, but I would like to comment on CMC. Have you folks noticed that CMC has an advertisement on the Home Page of this website? I'm pretty sure that is the reasoning for shutting down the comment section on the article.

I'm sure many of the posters on here have had a bad expierience at CMC, and the CA knew that it would be brutal if the comment section was enabled.

I have to admit, I have lost a lot of respect for the CA if that's the reasoning behind it. If they are going to continue to have this comment section, then open it up, Don't pick and choose what folks can, and cannot voice their opinion on.

That's my two cents, For what it's worth...

Posted by horsnround (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Snakes deserve to live just like everything else. It's sad to hear about people killing them just because they ARE a snake.

Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on July 9, 2009 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

RIGHT ON, bama! Man, there are a lot of herpetologist's puttin' in their 3 cents worth about snakes. We all ought to feel safe in knowing we're surrounded by such likes around hea!

Oh, and kw, herpetology is NOT the study of herpes. DOH!

Posted by hbean (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

We live on Lake Mitchell and I have seen more snakes this year than I have seen in a really long time! Two copperheads (which are very aggressive), one water snake and the other ones we are not sure what they were. Everyone needs to be on the lookout this year!

Posted by bama1870 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dude, I have not been on in awhile. Understand you have been a little under the weather. Hope all is well. Good to see you back.

Posted by hbean (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:26 a.m.

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Posted by myhumbleopinion (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Snakes......not getting close enough to do the rhyme thing or look at the shape of the head UNLESS they are heading for my kids....then all bets are off!

As for the "Disabled Comments" issue.......it seems that, even in this day and age where they can say just about anything on television....and have it considered "free speech"......no matter how tasteless it is......when it comes to offending the advertisers who line the pockets....CENSORSHIP ABOUNDS.....now, let's see how long it takes to censor THIS comment! Where is the journalistic integrity????

Posted by m2xoxom2 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have been bitten by a copperhead.The poor thing died I guess that's the pate blood in me lol

Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Does CMC keep antivenom on hand to treat bites from our local poisonous snakes?

Posted by kittycreek (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I've heard tales where snake bite victims were told to bring the snake with them so they would know which antivenom to use (not CMC). That would be pretty scary.

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hmm, seems if your comment is critical of CMC, even about factual events in the past, you canexpect to have it removed. What next? Will they ban those of us who speak the truth? This amounts to censorship and cowardice.

I thought our local staff might be better than that. Sad to see i was wrong.

Posted by KatherineReece (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I just wish that this story falls off the front page soon! Every time I come to the site today I'm faced with that picture of the snake!

I had a nasty encounter with a snake when I was very young while gathering eggs in the chicken pen... I've never forgiven them.

I don't think snakes are more scared of me than I am of them... I've never seen a snake jump five feet up in the air and run screaming in the opposite direction when they see me.

Posted by bama1870 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Phil, I saw the comment by hbean before it was zapped, and I didn't see anything in that post that would violate the terms for posting here. Just an expierience a family member had at CMC. No names mentioned, and no foul language.

What's up with that CA?

Posted by Tommy (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Somebody got happy with the comment removal button today I think.

Posted by PhilBurnette (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Interesting. The comments have been enabled on the hospital article but three fo the five have been removed. The remaining two are in praise of CMC. I will stand by my earlier comment. The press should tell both sides of the story or allow both sides to be told. To do less is to fail their responsibility to the public.

Posted by Littlelady8451 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 4:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As Far as snakes they are nasty.And scare the mess out of me.And our local hospital scares the mess out of me too.When you can't give child birth at a hospital that is scary.

Posted by Ruckerdog (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 5:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes, SEC or Bust,
I caught a Coral Snake that was about 10 inches long just last year. It was only the 2nd one I have seen in my 53 yrs. on Earth. I was actually looking for speckled Mud Puppies, and when I turned over an old rotten log, there it was. Of all times to be without my camera. I fooled around with it for a little bit, and just put him/ her back where I found it. It never once even opened it's mouth and was very docile. Funny how a snake that's as deadly as a Cobra would be like that, huh?

Posted by gkeys (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

A king snake decided to wander into our building at work. He was lying in the lobby minding his own business, people were freaking out and I didn’t want for him to be killed. I picked him up gently and took him back outside. It never even tried to bite me; however I was not trying to decapitate him with a hoe like a lot of people would do. I would have taken him home and put him in my woods if I would have had a pillowcase to put him in. Fear of them is all a mindset. It doesn’t hurt to be bitten by a non-venomous snake any more than it hurts to be bitten by a cat. I don’t see people screaming and running from cats. :-)

Posted by livinginthorsby (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 6:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's ironic that a newspaper that thrives on the first amendment will censor their readers...

Posted by livinginthorsby (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, I read all of the comments today (slow day at the office) and there wasn't one comment that should have been removed, sometimes the truth hurts.

Posted by hbean (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 6:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hhhmmm....I wonder why my hospital comment got removed?

Posted by Venom (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 9:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

First of all, everyone belly aching about posts about Chilton Medical Center being removed need to read this article again. It has nothing whatsoever to do with CMC. In fact there is no mention of CMC anywhere in the article.

Now to comment on the article on this page. Snakes are animals, nothing more, nothing less. Dogs and cats are animals, lots of people go to great lengths to help save dogs and cats. Why is it so different for animals who are not cute and fuzzy? All animals deserve to live. Killing a snake just because it's a snake is no different than committing a hate crime. The only difference is there are no laws governing the welfare of snakes.

To the people who would rather kill a snake than deal with the inconvenience of having it pass through their back yard, perhaps you would rather the world be overrun with rats, mice, and diseases. There are many other options. My suggestion has always been, go do something else for 15-20 minutes, then come back. If the snake is still there, call someone to deal with it in a humane manner.

As for coral snakes, yes they still exist in Alabama in large numbers. Mostly in extreme South Alabama, but there is a concentration of them around Jefferson and Shelby Counties. They are however rarely seen because of their preferred living arrangements. They are very secretive and semi-fossorial. They spend most of their lives underground, in leaf litter, in rotten logs and stumps. While their venom IS very potent, a bite from an adult eastern diamondback rattlesnake would be much worse due to the amount of venom injected. This would depend on the amount of venom injected. Venomous snakes do not always inject venom when they bite, nor do they always inject a full dose when they do inject venom.

The article states that there are "several" types of rattlesnakes in Alabama. I'm not sure 3 types of rattlesnakes warrants the use of the word several.

As for antivenom, a single anti-venom, (CroFab) is now used for the treatment of venomous snake bites from all of the native venomous snakes except for the eastern coral snake.

On the subject of aggressive behavior, copperheads ARE territorial, and defensive, but definately not aggressive.

Posted by thirdforce (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Definition of a snake: Satan's lttle hand puppet!
It will guarantee me a trip to the hospital (not CMC) not because of the bite but because I injured myself trying to get away from it.....

Posted by dottie2008 (anonymous) on July 9, 2009 at 10:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So much for freedom of speech, makes you sometimes wonder why our founding fathers done all they done.
And to think our country is free, that we can't say what we want to, guess that depends on who and what it is about.
Now to snakes, in most cases they will not bite you unless you are threating them.
The worse bites come from baby snakes and the reason being they can't control there venom.
I remember 2 summers ago on our boat I was taking a nap and felt something move under the blanket, I moved real fast.
I didn't get bitten and was lucky it was a female cotton mouth with babies.
We found them when we got back to our pier when my husband went to looking for more snakes because I refused to get back on the boat.
You hear the saying that certain snakes and spiders won't hurt you, this may be true to a point but they will make you hurt yourself.

Posted by angieid (anonymous) on July 10, 2009 at 4:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

lol yes i can attest to a snake making you hurt yourself.. my sister will literally climb up the closest person in total paranoia... and if she doesnt injure herself in all her commotions she will durn sure give her human tree a backache lol.. once my mom was standing on the tailgate of our pick up truck loading up cans to go to the recycler and a lil ol green garden snake about as big around as a sharpie marker come slithering out of of one of the bags next to the back window.. she jumped backwards and landed about 20 feet away from the truck where she promptly realized she was in pain .... broken tailbone ankle and wrist..... that was the last time mom kept recyclables outside lol

Posted by myhumbleopinion (anonymous) on July 10, 2009 at 6:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"First of all, everyone belly aching about posts about Chilton Medical Center being removed need to read this article again. It has nothing whatsoever to do with CMC. In fact there is no mention of CMC anywhere in the article."

Venom, at the time we were posting here, the other article had "Comments Disabled"....we commented (asserted our right to free speech) where we were able.

Thank you, however, for the wonderful information about the anti-venom.....

Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on July 10, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks bama.
... hey Venom, yer a Bama fan aren't ya?

Well, if the Advertiser wouldn't leave these freakin' stories on here for FIVE DAYS AT A TIME maybe the commenter's wouldn't start loosin' their gummy worms havin' to make up things and change topics on the same story! GEEZ! Startin' tomorrow when they put out that "weekend edition" paper, the on-line stories will start collectin' cobwebs until about Monday or Tuesday. That's why ya got so many dadgum off-the-wall comments (60+) on ONE STORY.

Yeah, somebody's carpel tunnel syndrome musta acted up hittin' the "delete" button on this story. DOH!

Posted by reddcorp (anonymous) on July 10, 2009 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Snakes are some of God's creations, so I don't question that the Almighty had a good reason to put them here on earth. They keep rats, mice, and other vermin in check. They tend to leave us alone if we do the same to them.
"A good snake is a dead snake" is a bad policy, for a lot of reasons. Just be aware of your surroundings and give snakes room to get away.
Now I am a little puzzled over why the Good Lord made mosquitos, chiggers and most politicians. I've yet to find a good use for those.

Posted by ccleckler (anonymous) on July 10, 2009 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My 19 month old son was bitten by a chicken snake last month. He was apparently crossing the yard. I was only 10 feet away and all I knew was my son bent down and came up crying. I looked and there was a 4.5 foot snake going away from him. I got my son and found teeth marks and drips of blood coming from his shoulder. I am sure that my curious toddler was trying to pick it up. I have never been so scared in my life. I took my son to the CMC to be checked out and they were great with him. I have had problems in the past with them but they seem to be getting it together now! OH... as for my son he got an upset stomach the next day but is doing GREAT. Thank GOD it was only a chicken snake and for the record the only GOOD snake is a DEAD one!!!!

Posted by LittleLady (anonymous) on July 11, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hmmmm....snakes or hospital. I can't decide which topic I should give an opinion on...? Let's see I'll scroll back up and see what the story is about! ;) he he