A12
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Thursday, January 16, 2020
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Man disabled as a teenager is
haunted by parents’ inaction
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
BEETLE BAILEY
BY MORT WALKER
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
BY JIM DAVIS
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
Dear Abby: When I was a
Dear Abby: I am suffering from
postpartum depression while try-
junior in high school, I suffered a
ing to reconcile with my husband,
neck injury (at school) that dam-
aged my spinal cord. I recovered
“Derek.” He had several emotional
mostly from that, but I have resid-
affairs during my recent pregnancy,
as well as after I gave birth.
ual weakness in my right side and
His parents attacked me about
severe neck pain. I was able to work
the postpartum. I was hospitalized
until, at 57, I had to go on disability.
J eanne
for a week because of it, but they
Because of that, my financial situa-
P hilliPs
tion is difficult, increasingly so now
said it was an act. Recently, his
ADVICE
that my wife will be retiring.
mom texted him saying he should
At the time of my injury, my par-
use my mental illness as grounds
ents didn’t sue the school, although
to divorce me. I texted her, ask-
ing her to stop attacking me that way. She
clearly the school was responsible. I was too
responded, calling me a devil, saying she’s
young and certainly in no shape to address
always hated me. Now she’s turning his
the situation.
entire family against me, spreading vicious
A lawyer approached my parents at the
lies. She even accused me of trying to sleep
time, and my physician stated my injuries
with my father-in-law, which Derek knows
would limit my long-term work abilities and
is ridiculous.
drastically affect my life. My parents were
I have asked Derek to address the situa-
aware that I would have limited work years,
tion, but what else can I do? I’m no longer
thus affecting my financial situation. I feel
comfortable around his parents or sending
anger toward them because of their inac-
tion regarding my injury and not suing the
my children to be around them. I don’t want
school.
Derek to be in an awkward position, but it’s
I see them once or twice a week, and
not fair for me to be attacked with malicious
I’m wondering if I should bring this up to
lies because of her jealousy — especially 12
years in. Please help. — Disrespected in
them now. They’re in their mid-80s but are
Illinois
quite lively and take care of themselves.
Dear Disrespected: You may be suf-
It consumes my thoughts each time I visit
fering from postpartum, but your mother-
them, but I’ve said nothing. Do you think I
in-law appears to have more problems than
should bring this up to them? — Injured in
you do. I don’t envy you for being her target,
Tennessee
or your husband for having to buffer you.
Dear Injured: Yes, I do. You deserve to
It might be helpful if the two of you con-
know why they were so apathetic in taking
sult a licensed mental health provider to fig-
care of your welfare — and they should be
ure out how to deal with her, if that’s possi-
made aware of the impact it has had on your
ble. And Derek should waste no time letting
life. It may be too late to sue the school for
the rest of the family know that none of
what happened to you, but at least you will
what his mother is saying is true.
have some answers.
DAYS GONE BY
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Jan. 16, 1920
Parking autos in the center of Pendleton
streets, proposed by the board of managers of
the Pendleton Commercial Association, will
not bring the desired relief, in the opinion of C.
E. Penland, chairman of the street committee
of the city council. “Pendleton is confronted by
three problems that the center parking system
will not overcome,” Mr. Penland said today.
“One is the absence of alleys, another is the
narrow streets, and the third is that there are
more autos per capita here than in any town
in the state.” The real remedy for Pendleton’s
parking troubles is a time limit on parking, Mr.
Penland declared.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Jan. 16, 1970
Teachers in School District 8R and the
school board reached agreement Thursday
night on a new salary schedule that means a
pay raise ranging between 5 and 6 percent. The
new base pay will be $6,800. Top salary will
be $11,450 for a teacher with a master’s degree
plus 45 hours of graduate study. The new sal-
ary schedule will cost the district an additional
$69,850 for its 133 full-time teachers and two
half-time teachers, five principals and two vice
principals. The cost represents $1.31 per $1,000
true cash value for district taxpayers.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Jan. 16, 1995
Gaming is just like bowling, says one mem-
ber of the Wildhorse Gaming Commission.
It’s a recreational activity meant to entertain
its patrons, not break them. “So remember, it’s
not gambling, it’s gaming,” said Dr. Richard
Koch, commission member. “It’s not gaming,
it’s entertainment.” The naming of the Wild-
horse Gaming Resort is one way the Confed-
erated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reser-
vation works to portray gaming in a healthy,
clean atmosphere as opening day approaches
for its $7.5 million resort, expected to open
in early March. The six-member Wildhorse
Gaming Commission was established last
year to not only protect the interests of the
tribes but also those of the patrons, said Les
Minthorn, commission chairman.
TODAY IN HISTORY
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY BRANT PARKER AND JOHNNY HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
On Jan. 16, 1991, the
White House announced the
start of Operation Desert
Storm to drive Iraqi forces
out of Kuwait. (Allied forces
prevailed on Feb. 28, 1991.)
In 1920, Prohibition
began in the United States
as the 18th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution took
effect, one year to the day
after its ratification. (It was
later repealed by the 21st
Amendment.)
In 1978, NASA named
35 candidates to fly on the
space shuttle, including
Sally K. Ride, who became
America’s first woman in
space, and Guion S. Blu-
ford Jr., who became Amer-
ica’s first black astronaut in
space.
In 1987, Hu Yaobang
resigned as head of China’s
Communist Party, declaring
he’d made mistakes in deal-
ing with student turmoil and
intellectual challenges to the
system.
In 1989, three days of
rioting began in Miami
when a police officer fatally
shot Clement Lloyd, a black
motorcyclist, causing a
crash that also claimed the
life of Lloyd’s passenger,
Allan Blanchard. (The offi-
cer, William Lozano, was
convicted of manslaughter,
but then was acquitted in a
retrial.)
In 1992, officials of the
government of El Salvador
and rebel leaders signed a
pact in Mexico City ending
12 years of civil war that
had left at least 75,000 peo-
ple dead.
In 2003, the space shut-
tle Columbia blasted off for
what turned out to be its last
flight; on board was Israel’s
first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
(The mission ended in trag-
edy on Feb. 1, when the
shuttle broke up during its
return descent, killing all
seven crew members.)
Today’s
Birthdays:
Opera singer Marilyn Horne
is 86. Movie director John
Carpenter is 72. Rock musi-
cian Paul Webb (Talk Talk)
is 58. Actress Josie Davis is
47. Model Kate Moss is 46.
Actor-playwright Lin-Man-
uel Miranda is 40. Rock
musician Nick Valensi
(The Strokes) is 39. Actress
Renee Felice Smith is 35.
NFL quaterback Joe Flacco
is 35. Actress Yvonne Zima
is 31.
Thought for Today: “I
have noticed that the peo-
ple who are late are often so
much jollier than the people
who have to wait for them.”
— E.V. Lucas, English writer
and publisher (1868-1938).
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE