From Here to Iran
By John Nay
Good for Apple Valley Market (AVM) that it has reopened(!), even if only partially so far. As I wrote last year, “competition is almost always better for us consumers….we clearly benefit from having two supermarkets here….” This community is large enough to support two full-service grocery stores. Remember when The Journal Era noted with criticism that gasoline prices here seemed consistently higher than in other parts of Berrien County? Maybe competition has brought those prices down a bit. Without naming names, I’ll just say that I bought gasoline here in Berrien Springs recently and paid 30 cents less/gallon than the price at a Benton Harbor/St. Joe station we know well. I don’t suggest that will always be the case, but it’s nice to see it happen sometimes. Price comparisons can be a useful exercise.
Anyway, AVM opted for a “soft” reopening – probably smart – focusing first on some of its most popular departments – the bakery, the deli, the card shop, and the natural foods section. My wife and I went, and it certainly looked to us as if AVM management had reason to be pleased. The turnout was strong, and we were happy to see multiple familiar faces among both employees and customers. I suggest that all of us in the community should join in genuinely hoping that AVM succeeds here. And by “community,” I am referring to a broader area than just Berrien Springs and Oronoko Township. We know people in Sodus, for example, who used to shop at AVM and hopefully will return.
I hope that AVM’s new owners have planned out a communication strategy to help publicize its reopening process. One couple we spoke with when it first reopened, commented that they knew nothing in advance until they heard about it from friends. They expressed the hope for more advance notice. I noted that the previous day’s Journal Era had included a front-page article about the phased reopening. “Did you see the Journal Era article?” I asked. “Uh, no.” Apparently they don’t subscribe, so they miss out on some community news. Still, even though the JE is published on Wednesdays – and the story was timely – sometimes it’s delayed in the mail for a day or two. I hope the new owners will plan for earlier outreach. A step-by-step public communications plan, including a schedule that is released a week or two in advance would be helpful, probably to AVM too. To paraphrase one of my best college professors, I would say “publicize, publicize, publicize.”
As I write, I’ll repeat something else I wrote last year. “I have nothing against Harding’s (formerly Schrader’s) and its employees, and I always have found the staff there friendly and helpful.” I have no idea if sales increased at the local Harding’s while AVM was closed, but I am certain that Harding’s benefits more from a strong community than from one where businesses can’t make a go of things. I hope AVM succeeds in its reopening and that both Apple Valley and Harding’s do well.
Moving from the local to the international, I’m appalled at how the Trump administration is handling the Iran War. Having started the war, complete with loud bragging about a quick victory, on some days it seems President Trump badly wants an agreement to end the war as soon as possible, but on other days he blusters about more bombing. He apparently realizes the agreement will be a political loser. Rhetoric about how the Strait of Hormuz will be “U.S. territory,” doesn’t help, especially while there are reports that Iran and Oman might be allowed to charge tolls on ships leaving the Strait. The recent U.S. announcement that that we’ll curtail joint military exercises with South Korea – reportedly because Trump says Korea hasn’t helped us with Iran – aren’t helpful. What’s next? Implying we’re angry with allies with whom we have mutual defense treaties (like South Korea and Japan), is a dangerous game and could almost invite North Korea or China to try something.
Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth clearly also weren’t prepared for how wars go. Back in early March, Trump declared victory, saying Iran’s military had been destroyed. Hegseth guaranteed Iran would surrender. At least they didn’t hold a big “Mission Accomplished” party, ala President George W. Bush. Now it seems we’re running low on missiles and other supplies and sending rush orders to weapons manufacturers. U.S. naval morale has plunged.
If the United States accepts that Iran and Oman can charge tolls for use of the Strait of Hormuz, we will have badly undercut the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, which provides (among other “freedom of the seas provisions”) that ships and aircraft can transit freely through international straits that connect one part of the high seas to another. What could happen next, perhaps when China declares that it “owns” the Strait of Taiwan? Or Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia start charging tolls for ships to travel through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore? This is a mess, and it doesn’t augur well for future U.S. international influence. And that’s totally separate from domestic issues, like the fact that the average U.S. gasoline price is up nearly a dollar since Trump started this war.
Last, fall election campaigns are under way and getting ugly. The Democrats seem split and those who insist on calling themselves “Democratic Socialists” seem not to care that their hurting their party’s cause. The Republicans – who had promised a reduction in the U.S. budget deficit – have expanded the deficit even further. The Treasury Department confirmed that the U.S. budget deficit hit $1.8 Trillion just for the first 10 months of this fiscal year, and the U.S. debt is now over $40 Trillion. The Republicans also seem to be doubling down on ugly anti-immigrant jingoistic rhetoric (“the barbarians are already inside the gates!”) in an apparent attempt to gain votes among frightened white voters. It’s likely to be a mean-spirited political campaign right through until November 3.
