Page 6B
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Friend finds gender fluidity
a hard concept to swallow
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
Dear Abby: I have a longtime
questions. Say, “I don’t know enough
friend I see almost every day. She’s
about this, but because I love you, I
an awesome friend. Her children are
need to learn more about it.”
adults. One of them is gay; the other
You can be a trans ally without
is a transgender male. I respect her
becoming an activist. PFLAG has
for supporting her children, learning
a user-friendly resource, “Guide to
everything there is to know about the
Being a Trans Ally,” that you may
LGBT community and seeking social
find interesting and helpful. Find it at
change on their behalf.
pflag.org/guidetobeingatransally.
Jeanne
The conflict lies in the fact that my Phillips
Dear Abby: An 8-year-old boy in
religious beliefs and personal feelings
my
daughter’s class recently passed
Advice
are at odds with the notion of gender
away. She’s only in second grade, so
fluidity. I think the concept is nuts. I
I wouldn’t expect her to fully grasp
have compassion, however, for people who the meaning of death, but she understands it
suffer with their identity in any form. I also perfectly and is not upset one bit. Multiple
believe in equal rights.
times she has acknowledged the fact that her
I do support my friend, who supports her classmate is no longer present, and is actually
kids, but I feel like a fraud when she and somewhat cheerful about it. My husband and
her friends talk about gender neutrality and I are very worried. Is this normal behavior?
vent their indignation that someone called — Concerned Mother
someone else by the wrong pronoun. I act
Dear Concerned: Children are often more
equally offended, but the truth is, I don’t resilient than they are given credit for. If your
believe in these ideas or this cause.
daughter wasn’t particularly close to the child
I don’t want to lose an important friend. I who died, his death may not have affected her
want her to feel supported — but I’m lying. deeply. Some children do not mourn the way
Please help. My conscience is bothering me. adults do, and you should not expect her to.
— Feeling Like A Phony
Grief counselors may have spoken to the
Dear “Phony”: Would you feel the students about it, or they may have been
same way about a friend who is divorced, if given other opportunities to air their feelings.
your religion didn’t sanction it? I’ll bet you Because you are concerned, discuss this
wouldn’t. The same is true for this longtime with her teacher, but I don’t think you have
friend.
anything to be worried about.
Gender fluidity may be a new concept
Dear Abby: What do you make of a host
for you, but it is very real. If you feel like a who issues a BYOB invitation to his party
hypocrite faking indignation during some and then proceeds to drink the guests’ liquor?
of these conversations, why not use them as — Appalled In Florida
an opportunity to be educated? Listen. Ask
Dear Appalled: I’d say he was thirsty.
DAYS GONE BY
BEETLE BAILEY
GARFIELD
BY MORT WALKER
BY JIM DAVIS
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
June 19-20, 1917
Umatilla County is the first county in
the state to raise her full apportionment of
Oregon’s $600,000 Red Cross contribution
to the national $100,000,000 fund. When the
general committee closed headquarters last
evening at 6 o’clock the full $30,000 assigned
to this county had been received in cash and
checks. This county was the only county in
the state to report its full amount raised on the
opening day of the big drive.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
June 19-20, 1967
Hundreds of gallons of gasoline escaped
Monday from a ruptured line atop the
Standard Oil Co. bulk fuel plant about eight
miles north of Pendleton on Highway 11. The
gasoline spurted from the pipe for at least 20
minutes, but the exact quantity spilled was
not known. Fire danger was extremely high.
The fuel flowed from the bulk plant through
a ditch into Wildhorse Creek, which empties
into the Umatilla River here. The flow from
the pipe was stopped about 11:15 a.m. State
police received a call for help from the plant
at 10:55 a.m.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
June 19-20, 1992
Researchers will be taking a “snapshot”
of Hermiston groundwater quality beginning
later this month when they sample 232 wells
and other water sources, a state hydrogeol-
ogist said. Jerry Grondin of the Department
of Environmental Quality in Portland said
the purpose of taking so many samples in a
short time is to give a comprehensive look at
water chemistry and quality throughout the
550-square-mile study area. Staff members
from DEQ and other state agencies will be
taking samples from 107 alluvial (shallow)
wells previously sampled and four new allu-
vial wells. In addition, samples will be taken
from 23 basalt wells, 74 monitoring wells and
24 surface water sites.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
BLONDIE
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY BRANT PARKER AND JOHNNY HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
Today is Tuesday, June 20,
the 171st day of 2017. There
are 194 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in
History:
On June 20, 1967,
boxer Muhammad Ali was
convicted in Houston of
violating Selective Service
laws by refusing to be drafted
and was sentenced to five
years in prison. (Ali’s convic-
tion was ultimately overturned
by the U.S. Supreme Court).
On this date:
In
1782,
Congress
approved the Great Seal of
the United States, featuring
the emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1791, King Louis
XVI of France and his
family attempted to flee
in the so-called “Flight to
Varennes,” but were caught.
In 1837, Queen Victoria
acceded to the British throne
following the death of her
uncle, King William IV.
In 1863, West Virginia
became the 35th state.
In 1893, a jury in New
Bedford,
Massachusetts,
found Lizzie Borden not
guilty of the ax murders of her
father and stepmother.
In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice
Mary Robertson, R-Okla.,
became the first woman to
preside over a session of the
House of Representatives.
In 1947, President Harry
S. Truman vetoed the Taft-
Hartley Act, which was
designed to restrict the power
of labor unions, but had his
veto overridden by Congress.
Gangster Benjamin “Bugsy”
Siegel was shot dead at the
Beverly Hills, California,
home of his girlfriend,
Virginia Hill, apparently at the
order of mob associates.
In 1966, the Beatles album
“Yesterday and Today” was
released by Capitol Records,
initially with its notorious
“butcher” cover photo which
ended up being replaced.
In 1977, the first oil began
flowing through the recently
completed
Trans-Alaska
Pipeline.
In 1988, the U.S. Supreme
Court unanimously upheld a
New York City law making it
illegal for private clubs with
more than 400 members to
exclude women and minori-
ties.
In 1990, South African
black nationalist Nelson
Mandela and his wife,
Winnie, arrived in New York
City for a ticker-tape parade
in their honor as they began
an eight-city U.S. tour.
Today’s
Birthdays:
Actor Martin Landau is 89.
Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 88.
Actress Olympia Dukakis
is 86. Actor James Tolkan is
86. Actor Danny Aiello is 84.
Blues musician Lazy Lester
is 84. Actor John Mahoney
is 77. Movie director Stephen
Frears is 76. Singer-song-
writer Brian Wilson is 75.
Actor John McCook is 73.
Singer Anne Murray is 72.
TV personality Bob Vila is
71. Musician Andre Watts is
71. Producer Tina Sinatra is
69. Rhythm-and-blues singer
Lionel Richie is 68. Actor
John Goodman is 65. Chris-
tian rock musician Jerome
Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is
50. Rock musician Murphy
Karges (Sugar Ray) is 50.
Actress Nicole Kidman is
50. Movie director Robert
Rodriguez is 49. Rock singer
Chino Moreno (Deftones) is
44. Country musician Chris
Thompson (The Eli Young
Band) is 37. Christian rock
musician Chris Dudley
(Underoath) is 34.
Thought for Today:
“Know how to ask. There is
nothing more difficult for some
people, nor for others, easier.”
— Baltasar Gracian, Spanish
philosopher (1601-1658).
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE