A16
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M . SCHULZ
Husband’s alcoholism now
pits him against teenaged son
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
B.C.
BY JOHNNY HART
PICKLES
BY BRIAN CRANE
Dear Abby: Sometimes when my
holics that can be accessed by visiting
husband, “Tom,” drinks he becomes
al-anon.org/info. Attending Al-Anon
volatile. A month ago, after being out
meetings would be beneficial for you
drinking, he came home very late.
and Eric, regardless of what your
I made a joke that upset him and he
husband decides about drying out.
started yelling and calling me names.
Dear Abby: My husband’s daugh-
I have learned that when Tom gets like
ter has “borrowed” money from us on
that, it’s best to just agree with him.
countless occasions when she couldn’t
On that occasion, it didn’t work,
pay her bills. She has never made an
Jeanne
and he began breaking things. Our
effort to repay it. She was recently
Phillips
teenage son “Eric” was so scared he
included in someone’s will, and the
ADVICE
called the police. When the police
bequest was sizable. Prior to receiv-
arrived they told my husband who had
ing her inheritance, she had asked
placed the call and interviewed each of
to borrow money to buy three major
us separately. After they left, Tom called Eric
appliances. Because it would be several months
ugly names, told him he was done with him
until the estate would be settled and it was a
and hasn’t spoken to him since. If they are in
large sum that we really couldn’t afford to lose,
the same room, my husband won’t look at him
we required her to sign a promissory note. She
or talk to him.
mailed us a check when her funds arrived, but
I don’t know how to fix this. I worry about
now she’s cut off all communication with us! We
how this will affect Eric. He tries to avoid his
have tried to resume normal relations with her
dad now and goes to his room when he hears
to no avail. Should we keep trying? — Ignored
his dad come home. — Bad Behavior in Texas
in the East
Dear Ignored: So your husband’s daughter
Dear Bad Behavior: Your husband may
blame his abusive outbursts on his drinking,
is offended because you made her sign a promis-
but as you can see, he’s well aware of what he
sory note before handing out (more) money you
couldn’t afford to lose? In light of the fact that
did after he sobers up. Eric was right to call the
police because, after “breaking things,” his
she hasn’t repaid you for all the other monies
father could have gone after you.
you helped her out with when she needed it,
what you did was sensible.
This unfortunate situation will not improve
until Tom faces the fact that he’s a problem
Rather than accept that in the past she has
drinker, swears off the sauce and gets help. By
behaved irresponsibly, which is why you asked
for the guarantee of repayment, she’s blaming
not insisting upon it, you have cast yourself in
you?! Instead of beating your heads against a
the role of his enabler. For your sake and Eric’s,
draw the line. (The healthiest person in your
stone wall trying to have a relationship with
household appears to be your son.)
your husband’s deadbeat daughter, you would
Talk to Eric. Let him know he did nothing
be better off biding your time until she once
wrong. There are programs for families of alco-
again needs something.
DAYS GONE BY FROM THE EAST OREGONIAN
BEETLE BAILEY
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
BY MORT WALKER
BY JIM DAVIS
BY DEAN YOUNG AND STAN DRAKE
100 Years Ago
Aug. 10, 1921
The finding of the body of a girl of about
25 years of age with wrist watch bearing the
letters “R.G.H.” and wearing on the lapel of
the coat a pin with the letters “O.R.T.” (Order
of Railway Telegraphers) establishes without
doubt that the body is that of Miss Ruth Hart,
Pendleton girl, who was aboard the Alaska
at the time it went down. T.F. O’Brien, local
O.W.R. & N. agent, received a wire last night
telling of the finding of the body and is certain
that it is that of Miss Hart, who was for the
past seven years employed as operator at the
local office. The tanker Oleum arrived today
in San Francisco with the body.
50 Years Ago
Aug. 10, 1971
A case of bubonic plague was reported
today by Umatilla County Health Officer Dr.
Alton Alderman. “There is no cause for public
concern,” said Dr. Alderman. The disease is
not communicable from person to person. It
is spread by fleas on rodents. The case was
discovered rapidly by the attending physician.
The young boy suffering from bubonic plague
is getting well, said Dr. Alderman. “The
government will be sending in a team of men
to trap animals and get fleas from them. They
won’t discover anything they wouldn’t have
found before the case was reported,” he said.
25 Years Ago
Aug. 10, 1996
Burn it now. That seems to be the wishes of
most folks living near the Umatilla Chemical
Depot, according to a survey released today
by the Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality on community attitudes toward the
destruction of chemical weapons. Intercept
Research Corp., of Tigard, called 300 Herm-
iston residents, and 100 each from Pendle-
ton and the Tri-Cities, and asked opinions on
the proposed chemical weapons incinerator
at the depot, where nearly 12 percent of the
country’s chemical weapons are stored. The
survey is good news for proponents of incin-
eration. Area wide, 81 percent of the respon-
dents agreed an incinerator was needed to
safety dispose of the stockpile, with 84
percent of Hermiston residents, 72 percent of
Pendleton residents, and 81 percent of Tri-Cit-
ies residents.
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 August 10, 1993, Ruth
Bader Ginsburg was sworn in
as the second female justice on
the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1792, during the French
Revolution, mobs in Paris
attacked the Tuileries Palace,
where King Louis XVI
resided. (The king was later
arrested, put on trial for trea-
son, and executed.)
In 1821, Missouri became
the 24th state.
In 1861, Confederate
forces routed Union troops in
the Battle of Wilson’s Creek
in Missouri, the first major
engagement of the Civil War
west of the Mississippi River.
In 1944, during World War
II, American forces overcame
remaining Japanese resistance
on Guam.
In 1945, a day after the
atomic bombing of Nagasaki,
Imperial Japan conveyed
its willingness to surrender
provided the status of Emperor
Hirohito remained unchanged.
(The Allies responded the next
day, saying they would deter-
mine the Emperor’s future
status.)
In 1969, Leno and
Rosemary LaBianca were
murdered in their Los Angeles
home by members of Charles
Manson’s cult, one day after
actor Sharon Tate and four
other people were slain.
In 1977, postal employee
David Berkowitz was arrested
in Yonkers, New York,
accused of being “Son of
Sam,” the gunman who killed
six people and wounded seven
others in the New York City
area. (Berkowitz is serving
six consecutive 25-years-to-
life sentences.)
In 1988, President Ronald
Reagan signed a measure
providing $20,000 payments
to still-living Japanese-Amer-
icans who were interned by
their government during
World War II.
In 1991, nine Buddhists
were found slain at their
temple outside Phoenix,
Arizona. (Two teenagers
were later arrested; one was
sentenced to life in prison,
while the other received 281
years.)
In 1995, Timothy McVeigh
and Terry Nichols were
charged with 11 counts in
the Oklahoma City bombing
(McVeigh was convicted of
murder and executed; Nichols
was convicted of conspiracy
and involuntary manslaugh-
ter and sentenced to life in
prison).
In 2006, British authorities
announced they had thwarted
a terrorist plot to simulta-
neously blow up 10 aircraft
heading to the U.S. using
explosives smuggled in hand
luggage.
In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein,
accused of orchestrating
a sex-trafficking ring and
sexually abusing dozens of
underage girls, was found
unresponsive in his cell at a
New York City jail; he was
later pronounced dead at a
hospital. (The city’s medical
examiner ruled the death a
suicide by hanging.)
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE