08-01-2019 Letters and Commentary

Correction In the July 25, 2019 issue of Tri-City Record, an error was made on Page 4 in Rolling Back the Years for Coloma Courier 30 years ago – 1989. It should have said Alice Vacanti, a 1959 Coloma graduate, requested a Vietnam Memorial be erected at Baker Park. Tri-City Record is sorry for any inconvenience or confusion this error may have caused.

Demise of the small towns

Dear Editor, It may be too late for the people of Watervliet to wake up – to wake up and see the demise of their city. The grocery store is gone the way of dollar stores, and outlets. Many locals choose to drive to the big box stores in Benton Harbor and South Haven, while Harding’s in Coloma feels a large revenue loss. Will it be the loss of us as was the case in Watervliet? The small towns across America are hanging on by a thread because many locals and seasonals choose to bring their food and beverages from distant places. To add insult to injury, the Dollar Tree store in Watervliet and the Family Dollar in Coloma, same ownership, demanded that the Tri-City Record newspaper stand be removed from their property or they would wind up in the trash can. Their corporate management said newspaper stands made their stores look trashy. Well I have news for them. When they wake up and realize that their dollar stores may not survive it may be too late. And, our elected officials and volunteers who run this town need to do the best they can with the tax dollars they receive. I am not too old to care about our city, but when will those in power wake up and do what they are supposed to do – rebuild, rededicate their positions and help this city before it is too late to wake up. Joseph F. Engel, Watervliet

Michigan Flywheelers consignment auction

Have some old farm machinery that you would like to get rid of? The Michigan Flywheelers Museum has just the solution. On Sunday, Sept. 8 at 9:30 a.m., the non-profit will hold a consignment auction during its Antique Engine and Tractor Show which starts Thursday, Sept. 5. The auction is a fundraiser for the museum and proceeds are used for operational expenses and development of exhibits. Items can either be sold on consignment or donated to the museum to sell. Consignment fee is 18 percent. Tractors and farm implements are welcome. No household items will be accepted. The Antique Engine and Tractor show which runs through Sunday, Sept. 8, is one of the largest shows of its kind in the state. The family-friendly event is filled with parades, live music, kids activities, a large flea market, and of course, hundreds of old vintage tractors and machinery. A non-profit organization that is dedicated to the preservation of antique farm equipment and its history, the Michigan Flywheelers Museum is located on 68th Street in South Haven. Persons attending the auction will have to pay admission to the show. Cost is $7. Children 12 and under are free with paid admission. For auction information, contact Mike at 269-369-9500; for museum information and events: www.michiganflywheelers.org, 269-639-2010 or Facebook.

Trump’s bigotry is a threat to our democracy

Dear Editor, Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed xenophobic, racial, and religious bigotry. In a recent tweet storm, his bigotry was once again on display. On twitter, Trump made a series of ignorant and denigrating remarks about four Congresswomen who have been critical of his handling of the Mexican border crisis. Trump ranted that these Congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they come.” The phrase “go back to where you came from” has been used for many years as an expression of racial bigotry. Three of these women were born in the United States, and all of them are U.S. citizens. They are all people of color. Soon after making his racist remarks, Trump held a rally in North Carolina, at which he continued to verbally attack the four Congresswomen. At one point, after a particularly vicious, and factually distorted, attack on one of these women, many people in the audience began chanting “send her back, send her back”. Trump did nothing to either stop or counter his supporters’ un-American chant. In some of his previous rallies Trump has encouraged his supporters to physically attack peaceful protesters. He went so far as to promise to pay their legal bills if they were arrested for assault. Donald Trump is a dangerous demagogue. Now is the time for American voters to stand up for American values – freedom of speech, equal rights for all, and congressional checks and balances on an impulsive, corrupt, and dishonest president. In 2020 it is imperative that we sweep away the dangerous racism that currently emanates from the White House. America must rise up and remove Donald Trump from office. Larry Feldman, Lakeside

Red Cross has blood supply shortage: $5 Amazon Gift Card for those who help

Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types available and less than a two-day supply of type O blood. To help address the current emergency blood shortage, all who come to give blood or platelets with the American Red Cross July 29 through Aug. 29 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email. Gift cards are made possible thanks to generous Amazon donation to the Red Cross to help save patient lives. How to make an appointment Individuals can schedule an appointment to give now by activating Amazon’s Alexa Red Cross Blood Skill by saying, “Alexa, find a blood drive,” or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). When an emergency arises, it is the blood already on the shelves that saves lives. Only through the generosity of blood donors can the Red Cross provide hospitals with lifesaving blood to meet the ongoing and often, unpredictable needs of patients. The need for blood is constant. In the United States every two seconds blood is needed to help accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. With the help of a generous $1 million donation from Amazon, the Red Cross hopes to motivate donors to roll up a sleeve and alleviate the blood shortage across the country. Amazon’s partnership with the Red Cross is part of their commitment to “Right Now Needs” to help increase blood donations to ensure patient needs are met. “We are grateful to Amazon for their support in addressing a ‘Right Now Need’ for blood donations,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. “Each donation truly matters to those counting on blood products to battle illness and injury. Today, we are asking the public to donate as soon as possible to ensure blood is available on hospital shelves for those in need.” Blood transfusion is one of the most common inpatient hospital procedures in the U.S., and these blood products can only come from volunteer donors. Yet, only 3 out of 100 people in the U.S. give blood. The Red Cross urges individuals across the country to roll up a sleeve today to ensure blood is available for patients across the country. A blood donation takes about an hour from start to finish, but the actual donation itself only takes about 8-10 minutes. Donors can also save up to 15 minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass. With RapidPass, donors complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer. To complete a RapidPass, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App. To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements. Local blood drives An upcoming blood donation opportunity in Berrien County is on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 11 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. at Silver Beach Center, 333 Broad St. in St. Joseph. A blood drive is scheduled in Van Buren County on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 12 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., at Knights of Columbus, 32373 East Red Arrow Highway, Paw Paw.

A reason to get up

Some people give up on life. And sometimes they may not realize that they have done so. An article in the June/July 2019 AARP Magazine, “A New Age is Here” is a good read. It basically commemorates and documents living examples of aging with better health and with purpose. FYI, in case this magazine is unfamiliar to you, “AARP” stands for American Association of Retired Persons. The mantra for the “RP” however, is now actually “Real Possibilities”. Whatever your political/social opinion of the AARP, they get a lot of things right. This article is one of them. This article can be further explored on the web at aarp.org/newage. Interesting title, having nothing to do with the “New Age” movement (just to clarify), but having everything to do with new hope and new purpose as we newly experience aging. And “purpose” is a key word here. Purpose for living may be an important component of the longevity of the population of Okinawa. The article notes that there is a higher concentration of very old people on that Japanese Island. Looking deeper reveals their lifestyle focus to be “having a reason to get up in the morning” – having a purpose for living. Many of the individuals’ stories in the article show common denominators, one of which is the New Agers getting out of themselves and serving others. Fear of stepping out is overcome, allowing many to follow their lifetime calling. This is consistent with Biblical guidance. A lot could be written about this, but Ecclesiastes 3 is pretty powerful in this regard, along with that well known saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (from Acts 20:35). Being purposeful, positive, and loving others are central for a meaningful life. Life that is meaningful is less stressful and therefore more likely to be happier and longer. Enjoy the new journey!

On vacation? Access Social Security from anywhere

It’s summer and millions of families are enjoying our nation’s beaches, forests, and mountains before the school season begins. If you’re on vacation this summer, know that you can access Social Security’s online services anywhere you have an internet connection. Our online services at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices help you plan for the future. We’re constantly expanding our online services to give you freedom and control in how you wish to conduct business with us. You can go online to: Use our benefits planners to help you better understand your Social Security protections; find out if you qualify for benefits; estimate your future retirement benefits to help you plan for your financial future; apply for retirement or Medicare quickly and easily; open your personal my Social Security account; a “my Social Security” account is the most versatile tool available. If you don’t receive benefits yet, you can: Get your Social Security Statement to review your earnings and make sure they’re recorded correctly; get a benefit verification letter to prove you don’t receive Social Security benefits or that you applied but haven’t received an answer yet; request a replacement Social Security card if you meet certain requirements; check the status of your application or appeal a decision. If you receive benefits, you can: Change your address and phone number; get a benefit verification letter to prove you receive Social Security benefits Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Medicare; change your direct deposit information; request a replacement Medicare card; request a replacement Social Security card if you meet certain requirements; get a replacement Benefit Statement (SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S) for tax purposes. Sharing these online services with family and friends can make a difference in their lives. Many people still don’t know about all the business they can do online with Social Security. If they have any questions, they can always start at www.socialsecurity.gov or go to our online services at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices. Vonda VanTil is the Public Affairs Specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at vonda.vantil@ssa.gov.

GLAD-PEACH FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND… be sure to plan a visit to Coloma this weekend to enjoy all that the Glad-Peach Festival has to offer. See the complete listing of all the events, with times and locations on Page 9.

MOLE MOTEL… three dead and one possible is my tally battling the denizens under the sod. Some marketing genius dreamt up the canard “moles in your yard mean you have a healthy lawn” befuddles me. I don’t buy it that a healthy lawn is one crisscrossed with brown stripes of dried up earth that was plowed up by a fat, blind, short legged rodent about the size of a large bratwurst (My apologies if you are reading this while eating a brat). Even so, I prepared for battle by reading up on moles and how to get rid of them. The, supposedly, humane way to get rid of moles and keep a nice lawn is to trap them in a cage and let them loose elsewhere (at the neighbors?). I never got to the part which tells me how to bait the trap. Everything I’ve ever read is that moles eat grubs (which is supposedly good), and moles love to eat worms (which we all know is not good). I call it the humane way because I read an ad in the “Yellow Pages” and that is what was in the ad, “Humane trapping and release”. I chose the inhumane method, which may involve strangulation or decapitation, or poisoning, or a smidgeon of each. Picking the violent way is really not my nature, but I get a little satisfaction in inflicting some pain in exchange for the brutal damage moles cause to the grass. It could be you’ve not had a mole in the lawn yet. The first indication is the hump of fresh earth breaking up the green grass you have so lovingly planted and cared for. By dawn the next day there will be a trail of fresh earth as if the creature below had a compass. I think the trail is only interrupted by buried obstructions such as a building foundation or a tree trunk. Everything else is dug through and pushed aside or up as the ravenous animal continues its quest of juicy worms and tasty grubs. When the mole hears/smells a colony of grubs or worms it goes into gluttony mode… the evidence the next morning as there is a 4’ x 4’ square of plowed up lawn in nearly neat rows, side by side. My first trap promised a “quick and merciful” end, for the most part because it did its job once. In a couple weeks the tell-tale tracks gave way to green grass. In just a day or two, the trap had sprung on a large animal that was certainly dead when I summoned up the courage to remove it and its prey. After that, there was no mole sign… it must have been an unhealthy lawn, because for more than 20 years I never had need to use a trap. When we moved to Red Arrow Highway in Watervliet Twp. last spring I soon noticed some sign of something amiss amongst the blades of grass. The trap so long neglected was not to be found. Not to worry, a replacement was found easily at the Watervliet Hardware. Indeed, it promised to be an improvement over the earlier model with a safety feature that promised to protect my fingers and still kill its prey. Alas the improvement didn’t take into consideration the hunter (me) had aged 20 years and couldn’t load the weapon (trap) to kill the prey (mole). Meanwhile I saw a trap that promised to be failsafe, once it was set up over a mole trail you “just” step down on it to cock the jaws open along the sides of the tunnel. That’s fine for an agile mole hunter, if the hunter (me) is slightly unsteady, that maneuver is easier said than done. Meanwhile, I’ll never give up. There are possibilities still untried, from doing nothing (my favorite) to hiring someone who knows what they’re doing (Anne’s favorite).