One of the most misunderstood creatures in this country is crotalus, a genus of venomous pit vipers most people simply call rattlesnakes. Crotalus horridus, also known as the timber rattlesnake or canebrake snake, epitomizes the deeply ambivalent relationship Americans have with this animal, which Benjamin Franklin considered a symbol of our nascent country-and which remains a symbol of freedom and defiance of unjust government-yet has been hunted to extinction or near-extinction throughout New England.

The fear and loathing with which most Americans view rattlesnakes is illustrated most vividly by events like the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, wherein thousands of rattlesnakes are captured, killed, and skinned-often in gruesome ways-as a means of promoting local tourism. This deep revulsion is exhibited towards an animal that in normal circumstances does not threaten or harm humans, who are rarely-if ever-killed when an encounter does occur. It should be noted that some of these fatalities include people who wantonly abuse snakes.

With this sort of deep misunderstanding and distrust, Ted Levin’s insightful book, America’s Snake: The Rise And Fall Of The Timber Rattlesnake, is such a welcome resource. It not only debunks some common misconceptions about this increasingly threatened species, it explores why timber rattlesnakes were able to inhabit Maine, Long Island, and even New York City, although you’ll no longer find any dens-or rattlesnakes-in these places. One of the proximate causes of the rattlesnake’s decline in the Northeast, and a key part of the puzzle Levin hopes to unlock in his book, is Ophidiomyces ophiodilcola, a fungus which can prove fatal if a snake is not rehabilitated.

Although Ophidiomyces is the immediate villain, as Levin’s story unfolds the reader realizes that the greatest threat to the survival of the timber rattlesnake in the northeast is the increasing encroachment of humans upon this species’ habitat. The disruption of the mating process through development-particularly roads which cut between snake dens-the rapacious poaching, especially of gravid females, and general indifference of society towards the welfare of this fascinating animal all imperil its continued survival in this region.

To get a better idea of what this book is about, and learn why you should be concerned about its future, I would recommend watching this video of a talk delivered by Ted Levin last year. It might give you a new perspective on a quintessentially American reptile.

•  The Atlantic is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is bundling in the DREAM Act, which provides a path to citizenship for children brought into the country illegally, into a larger defense authorization bill. The DREAM Act has the support of some Republicans like Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. Harry Reid faces a tough challenge for re-election this year, and has been accused of pandering for Hispanic votes.

•  Declaring US borders secure, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called on Congress to provide a path to citizenship for America’s 11 million resident illegal aliens. “We need Congress to fix our broken immigration system,” she said at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s public policy conference. Meanwhile, Arizonans still must heed official signs in the desert warning them that the border with Mexico is a dangerous and lawless place.

•  Cecilia Romero, Mexico’s top immigration official, resigned on Monday. Her resignation comes in the wake of a massacre of 72 immigrants. As Mexico’s drug war has become more violent, human smuggling has come under their control, and become more dangerous. “She’s revamped the institute and made it a more human and respectful place,” one Mexican official said. “Given that organized crime has gotten into the business, we need a different type of head with a different type of background.”

•  The federal program the deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws has seen a sharp drop off in enrollment over the last two years. One factor cited is the economy, as local law enforcement cannot afford to bear the cost of the federal government’s responsibility. Gaining popularity is the “Secure Communities” program, where fingerprints of all local jail inmates are sent to Immigration and Custom Enforment (ICE) authorities, who then process them and follow through with their own federal agents, requiring less local manpower.

•  The French Senate has voted to ban face-covering veils like the burqa. The law still needs approval from the lower house of parliment before it would take effect next spring. Passage is likely since the measure has overwhelming public support. The burqa is seen as incompatible with assimilating Muslim immigrants into the larger French society, especially when it pertains to legal equality between the sexes. You can’t be a full and equal member of society when you go about your daily public business wearing a tent.

•  In South Africa, immigrants from neighboring Zimbabwe take many menial, low-paying jobs. Where discrimination in South Africa was once a matter of white against black, it is now one of black against black, with native black South Africans angry at foreign workers for taking their jobs and straining the welfare system. Black South African leaders have been accused of stoking xenophobia to hide their own failures after Apartheid.  Along with North Korea,  Zimbabwe is the worst-governed country on earth.

•  Rattlesnakes are only native to North America, but Africa has it’s own menagerie of dangerous serpents.

•  Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that the Nebraskan city of Fremont is watching the recent Hazleton, Pennsylvania court case carefully. Fremont has instituted similar rules to discourage the hiring of illegal aliens

•  The San Bernadino Sun reports on local perspectives on illegal immigration numbers in California. The recent Pew Hispanic Center report  that claimed net illegal immigrant numbers have declined is supported by the observations of  local contractors and social workers. The study is still controversial, and debated by activist and academics.

•  The Detroit Free Press editorial board writes in favor of amnesty and open borders. The newspaper claims that immigrants are a net postive for the economy, especially in economically challenged Michigan. The editors’ greatest concern is that without amnesty, illegal workers will stay in the shadows, be exploited, and depress wages and working conditions for all workers.

•  Lawmakers from Georgia and Arizona plan on taking part in hearings about the children of illegal immigrants who are automatically granted US citizenship. The question of “anchor babies” and their rights under the 14th Amendment has excited considerable controversy, not least of which within the pages of American-Rattlesnake

•  The head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service thinks that immigration is needed to help solve that country’s population problems. Russia, like much of Europe, is suffering from low birth rates and a declining aging population. In 2006, then-President Vladimir Putin called the Russian demographic crisis the country’s greatest challenge. Russia has an estimated 4-5 million illegal immigrants in a country of 141 million.

•  Meanwhile, last week in New York City, Democratic candidates for State Attorney General vied to show who was the most immigrant-friendly. In a debate sponsored by the New York Community Media Alliance, the candidates fielded questions from local ethnic newspapers on subjects ranging  from workplace protections for undocumented workers to the Park51 mosque. New York State and City will hold  their primaries on Tuesday, Septemeber 14th.

•  If immigration is not a controversial enough topic, the Washington Post is reporting on perceived discrimination by newly-married part-immigrant gay couples. While new state laws may sanctify their unions, the marriages are unrecognized by the federal government, and so do not confer the same chance of naturalization as heterosexual marriage. Much support for amnesty and open-borders comes from the Catholic and Latino Evangelical churches, who are against gay marriage.

•  And finally, rattlesnakes are most upset and dangerous when they are woken from sleep. In this way, they are much like us humans, especially on Mondays.