A16
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ
Neighbors ignore couple
because of differences
FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
B.C.
PICKLES
BEETLE BAILEY
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
BY MASTROIANNI AND HART
BY BRIAN CRANE
are really not worth your time,
Dear Abby: My wife and I
so ignore what he’s doing and go
share a driveway with our neigh-
on with your life.
bors. These neighbors are keenly
Dear Abby: I’m a 54-year-old
aware that my wife and I do not
man, blessed with a good life,
share their political views. After
family, friends and a good job
the election, one of them quit
for 35 years. I was married for
acknowledging our presence.
six years. The first four of them
After a few months, I ap-
J EANNE
were very good. We were blessed
proached him in the shared
P HILLIPS
with a sweet, beautiful daugh-
driveway and said “Bob, it is
ADVICE
ter. Her mother and I have been
obvious you are not speaking to
divorced for more than 20 years
me. If I have offended you, let
now.
me know and I will do my best
I’m a decent-looking guy. I’m kind,
to apologize.” His response was, “I’ll
honest and fun, and I have good mor-
think about it.”
A few months later, he rang my door- als and a sense of humor. I have dated
bell and asked us to accept his apology, many women since the divorce, but most
saying, “Only God can judge.” My wife of those relationships were all about
sex. I’m not complaining, but I’d like to
and I accepted his “apology.”
Now, months later, he is back to not find that one woman with whom I could
acknowledging our existence. I see him share everything — travel, dinner, ball-
several times a week. I am happy to con- games, concerts, etc. The few of those
tinue “turning the other cheek,” but with I’ve encountered over the last 20 years
no results so far, both cheeks are getting have ended up getting married to some-
red. Any suggestions? — Free Thinker one else. Abby, can you help? I feel ...
— Cursed In Arkansas
In Texas
Dear Cursed: If I read your letter cor-
Dear Free Thinker: Stop turning any
of your cheeks in this neighbor’s direc- rectly, you have been jumping into bed
tion. It’s a shame that so many relation- with women before you find out what
ships have been destroyed in this country they are all about. Your chances of find-
because people were unwilling to TALK ing someone to share the rest of your life
with or LISTEN to each other. Folks on with might improve if you make the ef-
both sides of the aisle had their reasons fort to form friendships first. Although
for voting the way they did in the last you may not find someone who enjoys
presidential election. Those reasons can- all of the activities you mentioned on
not be understood unless they are calmly your wish list, you might forge reward-
discussed. Individuals who are not ma- ing friendships along the way and enjoy
ture enough to discuss their differences some of them together.
BY MORT WALKER
DAYS GONE BY
100 years ago — 1922
GARFIELD
BLONDIE
BY JIM DAVIS
Taxes in the state of Oregon are too high,
too great a part of the burden of taxation is
being borne by real property, and a way of
bringing about a reduction must be worked
out, according to opinions of Umatilla county
taxpayers and members of the state tax inves-
tigating committee which were expressed in
a meeting held at the court house. Mr. Coe
McKenna, member of the tax committee, in
a talk before the Rotary Club later in the day
presented much data bearing on the tax subject.
He recited that 20 per cent of the people of the
state pay all the taxes and that 85 per cent of
the tax falls upon real property. Aside from
suggesting tuition should be charged at the
Oregon Agricultural College and the Univer-
sity of Oregon, Mr. McKenna urged an income
tax with such a low exemption that practi-
cally all people who earn a livelihood shall be
required to pay a state income tax.
50 years ago — 1972
BY DEAN YOUNG AND JOHN MARSHALL
An auto accident might have saved the life
of a dog, but it was painful and costly for the
dog’s 18-year-old owner, Craig Gabriel. The
dog, Goldie, collapsed recently in the Gabriel
yard on the Stanfield Loop Road. While Craig
was driving on Interstate 80 N en route to the
veterinarian hospital, a major dust storm hit the
area around the Meyers ranches east of Stan-
field. In a distance of about a mile and a half,
about 13 cars were reported piled up in a series
of accidents. Young Gabriel hit the rear end of
another car in the blinding dust. The dog was
on the floor of the car and the impact forced
Goldie to spit out three walnuts that had been
lodged in his throat, choking off his breathing.
Craig credits the accident with saving Goldie’s
life, but the young man suffered a broken tooth,
lacerations in and around the mouth and a car
that was totally demolished.
25 years ago — 1997
If little Sammy was a salmon, Democratic
Gov. John Kitzhaber would propose a special
tax just to make sure all the kid’s needs were
met. And the Republican-led Legislature would
eagerly find a way to finance protection and
enhancement of the juvenile’s ecosystem. But
Sammy’s no molt. He’s a kid in Oregon looking
at a deteriorating education environment. In his
future are teacher layoffs, crowded classrooms,
and emasculated curriculums. List this boy as
endangered. Kitzhaber offered a compromise
on the use of kicker funds that would give the
state less for education than he wants, but more
than Republicans have been willing to accept so
far. The reaction? A stone-cold shoulder.
TODAY IN HISTORY
DILBERT
THE WIZARD OF ID
LUANN
ZITS
BY SCOTT ADAMS
BY PARKER AND HART
BY GREG EVANS
BY JERRY SCOTT AND JIM BORGMAN
On March 15, 44 B.C.,
Roman dictator Julius
Caesar was assassinated
by a group of nobles that
included Brutus and Cas-
sius.
In 1820, Maine became
the 23rd state.
In 1919, members of
the American Expedi-
tionary Force from World
War I convened in Paris
for a three-day meeting to
found the American Le-
gion.
In 1944, during World
War II, Allied bombers
again raided German-held
Monte Cassino.
In 1965, President
Lyndon B. Johnson, ad-
dressing a joint session of
Congress, called for new
legislation to guarantee
every American’s right to
vote; the result was pas-
sage of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
In 1977, the situation
comedy “Three’s Com-
pany,” starring John Rit-
ter, Joyce DeWitt and Su-
zanne Somers, premiered
on ABC-TV.
In 2005, former World-
Com
chief
Bernard
Ebbers was convicted in
New York of engineer-
ing the largest corporate
fraud in U.S. history. (He
was later sentenced to 25
years in prison.)
In 2011, the Syrian civ-
il war had its beginnings
with Arab Spring protests
across the region.
In 2019, a gunman
killed 51 people at two
mosques in Christchurch,
New Zealand, stream-
ing the massacre live on
Facebook. (An Austra-
lian white supremacist
was sentenced to life in
prison without parole af-
ter pleading guilty to 51
counts of murder and
other charges.)
In 2020, the Federal Re-
serve took massive emer-
gency action to help the
economy withstand the
coronavirus by slashing its
benchmark interest rate
to near zero and saying
it would buy $700 billion
in treasury and mortgage
bonds. After initially try-
ing to keep schools open,
New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio said the nation’s
largest public school sys-
tem would close in hopes
of curbing the spread of
the coronavirus.
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE