B6
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Friday, February 21, 2020
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Daughter plans a wedding
without a marriage license
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
BEETLE BAILEY
BY MORT WALKER
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY JIM DAVIS
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
Dear Abby: My daughter,
are expected. If it’s a production
“Heidi,” is 39. She is successful,
that’s only for show, the couple is
committing fraud and taking advan-
owns her own business and lives
tage of the generosity of their guests.
with her boyfriend of five years. I’ll
When couples marry, they must
call him Rick. They have two beau-
tiful boys, 3 and 18 months. She has
first take out a marriage license,
decided to tie the knot with Rick
which both must sign. No license,
with a nice, somewhat big wedding.
no marriage. Unless your daughter’s
J eanne
As Heidi has gotten older, she has
boyfriend is completely clueless, she
P hilliPs
been changing into a different per-
won’t be able to slip this by him.
ADVICE
Although people do have commit-
son. She has become self-centered
ment ceremonies these days, guests
and controlling, and she puts Rick
should be told that is what they will
down cruelly at times. I think he’s a
be witnessing, and both partners should
good guy, but maybe just not for her. I really
agree on it.
don’t know because I stay out of their lives.
Dear Abby: I have been married to a won-
What’s making me uncomfortable is, my
derful man for 20 years. It has been a pretty
daughter has told only me that she’s doing all
good marriage. I have tolerated a few of his
this wedding stuff without getting an actual
family members’ rudeness to me, although I
marriage license. I don’t even know if Rick
have no problem speaking up when I need to,
is aware. I looked this up and saw that some
and my husband always defends me as well.
people are now having what’s called “com-
My father-in-law recently passed, and I
mitment ceremonies.” When I tried to talk
adored him. For his wake, my two sisters-in-
to her about it, she became defensive, cut me
law made a slide show of his life with hun-
off, and then sent me a long, nasty email. So
dreds of family photos. There was not one
now I just step back.
single photo of my father-in-law and me. I feel
When I think of the guests (100 to 150), I
it was the final straw. I have no more room in
feel she should be honest and call it what it is.
my heart and life for them. Am I being too
We are presently not communicating because
sensitive? My husband hasn’t spoken to them
I won’t respond to that kind of email. I won’t
since the funeral. I really need your advice on
argue with her. But I don’t know where to go
this. — Picturing It Over in Texas
at this point. I’m worried about her state of
Dear Picturing It: I’m glad you asked.
mind. She is supposedly seeing a therapist,
Please accept my sympathy for the loss of
and a few weeks back I suggested she and
someone so close to your heart. But as close
Rick get marriage counseling. I would love
as you felt to him, your sisters-in-law had just
to hear your thoughts. — Traditional Mom
lost their father. I’m sure they were (and are)
in the East
grieving and didn’t use his death as an oppor-
Dear Traditional Mom: Your daughter is
tunity to slight you. I sincerely hope you and
an adult, and if you refuse to have anything
your husband won’t allow their oversight to
to do with this charade, I would understand.
cause a permanent rift in the family.
When guests are invited to a “wedding,” gifts
DAYS GONE BY
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21, 1920
Leap year and a dozen maids last eve-
ning featured a merry affair for which Miss
Lois Swaggart was hostess as a courtesy to
her house guest, Miss Fay Price, of Milton. A
progressive “rook” party given at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Wheeler was shared by
a dozen “beaux” whom the maidens asked
and escorted to the affair in strict accordance
with leap year dictates. The party enjoyed a
group of solos by the honored guest, who is an
accomplished harpist. Adjourning from the
supper tables the guests gathered for dancing.
A feature of the evening was a Turkish solo
dance given by Archibald Blakley in costume.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21, 1970
A delegation of 12 people including
County Judge J. O. Burns and Condon Mayor
Floyd LaRue were in Heppner Thursday to
meet the Board of Directors of the Columbia
Basin Electric Co-op, Inc. The meeting was
an aftermath of a public meeting held in Con-
don last Sunday to protest the firing of Vernon
Wilson, lineman-agent in Condon for the past
four and one-half years. A number of ques-
tions and statements were made concerning
the less than 30-hour notice given Wilson.
The firing seemed to be the straw that broke
TODAY IN HISTORY
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY BRANT PARKER AND JOHNNY HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
the camel’s back. It brought to light a number
of problems affecting consumers of the elec-
tric co-op. Among the complaints: low voltage
blowing out television sets and other appli-
ances, not enough personnel in the Condon
area, and the fact that Gilliam and Wheeler
counties combined only have four directors
on the board while Morrow County has eight.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21, 1995
Morrow County schools used to have more
than enough. From teachers to textbooks, the
rural one-country school district could count
on the regular approval of levies that paid
for it all. Now it has too little. Almost every-
thing is on the line — teachers, entire aca-
demic programs — as the district struggles
to keep itself financially afloat. To many it
looks like the piece-by-piece dismantling of
what they’ve worked for decades to build: a
prosperous, productive school system. Mor-
row County has felt the state’s budget knife
slice through programs and personnel since
the 1990 passage of Oregon’s property tax
limitation, Measure 5. “Our community
likes our school. They want a comprehensive
high school with the same opportunities and
they’ve been willing to pay for that through
property taxes,” said Steve Dickenson, Hep-
pner High School principal. ”Now the state
says we can’t do that anymore.”
On Feb. 21, 1975, former
Attorney General John N.
Mitchell and former White
House aides H.R. Halde-
man and John D. Ehrlichman
were sentenced to 2½ to 8
years in prison for their roles
in the Watergate cover-up
(each ended up serving a
year and a-half).
In 1945, during the World
War II Battle of Iwo Jima, the
escort carrier USS Bismarck
Sea was sunk by kamikazes
with the loss of 318 men.
In 1964, the first shipment
of U.S. wheat purchased by
the Soviet Union arrived in
the port of Odessa.
In 1965, black Muslim
leader and civil rights activ-
ist Malcolm X, 39, was shot
to death inside Harlem’s
Audubon Ballroom in New
York by assassins identified
as members of the Nation of
Islam. (Three men were con-
victed of murder and impris-
oned; all were eventually
paroled.)
In 2013, Drew Peter-
son, the Chicago-area police
officer who gained notori-
ety after his much-younger
fourth wife, Stacy Peterson,
vanished in 2007, was sen-
tenced to 38 years in prison
for murdering his third wife,
Kathleen Savio.
In 2018, A week after
the Florida school shooting,
President Donald Trump
met with teen survivors of
school violence and parents
of slain children; Trump
promised to be “very strong
on background checks” and
suggested he supported let-
ting some teachers and other
school employees carry
weapons.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor
Peter McEnery is 80. U.S.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., is
80. Actress Christine Eber-
sole is 67. Actor Kim Coates
is 62. Actress Aunjanue Ellis
is 51. Comedian-actor Jor-
dan Peele is 41. Actress Ellen
Page is 33.
Thought for Today:
“There is nothing more hor-
rifying than stupidity in
action.” — Adlai E. Steven-
son, American politician and
diplomat (1900-65).
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE