A16
East Oregonian
PEANUTS
COFFEE BREAK
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
DEAR ABBY
BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ
Man’s stance on vaccines
causes end of friendship
FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
B.C.
PICKLES
BEETLE BAILEY
BY LYNN JOHNSTON
BY MASTROIANNI AND HART
BY BRIAN CRANE
When I’ve tried to demur with
Dear Abby: Last year, I lost
“unavailability” excuses, she in-
my best friend of 40 years over
sists we are a trio and we simply
the COVID vaccines. This friend
will wait a few weeks until I can
decided he and his family would
find an open date. I don’t want
not take the jab. He quit his job
to be rude, but I can’t figure out
rather than get vaccinated. This
how to politely tell her that I have
caused a rift so wide that, in his
no interest in accepting her sug-
eyes, he and his family could not
J EANNE
gestions for an extended slumber
continue being friends with our
P HILLIPS
party. How should I handle this?
family. I’m sad about it.
ADVICE
—
Reluctant
Alumna
The big problem my wife and
In The West
I are contending with concerns
Dear Alumna: Handle it by
our 8-year-old daughter. She
has been best friends with my (former) being frank with this needy individual.
best friend’s daughter since birth. We Tell her, “This isn’t going to happen. I
can’t keep telling our daughter the pan- do not wish to leave my husband for a
demic is the reason she can’t see her best weekend. I don’t mind helping with the
friend. What do I tell my daughter about reunion, but your demands on my time
her best friend? — Victim Of The Times have increased to the point where they
Dear Victim: Tell your daughter the are too much for me.”
Dear Abby: The season of pleasant
truth — that her friend’s parents will no
longer allow it. Then explain why. That weather and outdoor concerts is ap-
way she won’t think that this is in any proaching. Invariably, we end up sitting
by the chatterboxes. These folks seem
way her fault.
Dear Abby: I was recently contacted oblivious to anyone else, including the
by my graduating class to help organize a performers and the rest of us who want
reunion. Since then, one of the organiz- to enjoy the performance. I realize these
ers has decided that our committee is an are free concerts, but I don’t want to
have to listen to these rude people. Any
inseparable trio.
We were not in touch before the re- suggestions for silencing them so we
union and we have little in common, but can hear what the rest of us came for?
I can tell she’s lonely, so I’ve indulged her — Disgusted In South Carolina
Dear Disgusted: Keep your tone civil.
so far. However, she now wants to con-
vene periodically for long weekends at You might ask, “Would you please talk
a nearby inn. I do not want to leave my more quietly? We are trying to enjoy the
spouse for long weekends or spend mon- performance.” However, if they aren’t re-
ey and time on a person whom I don’t ceptive to your suggestion, consider mov-
ing as far away from them as possible.
care to befriend.
BY MORT WALKER
DAYS GONE BY
100 years ago — 1922
GARFIELD
BY JIM DAVIS
The definite organization of a county coun-
cil representing the various posts of the Amer-
ican Legion in the county will be undertaken
Friday evening when a meeting will be held in
the office of the Pendleton Commercial Asso-
ciation. A meeting was held in March to initiate
the move, and several of the posts showed enthu-
siastic desire to see the organization underway.
At present the posts, from Weston-Athena, Pilot
Rock, Echo and Pendleton are pledged to the
organization. The idea of the body is to bind
the posts together more closely and give ex-ser-
vice men a common meeting ground where the
problems of the various posts may be aired and
suggestions made by other comrades
50 years ago — 1972
BLONDIE
BY DEAN YOUNG AND JOHN MARSHALL
Hermiston High School’s 22-member stage
band will participate in an international jazz
workshop in London and Paris this summer
for two weeks, if it can raise some money. At a
meeting Monday evening, John Sheeley, band
director, told the parents of the band members
that the stage band’s audition for the 1972
Jazz Internationale had been accepted. The
jazz internationale brings together outstand-
ing student jazz groups from this country in
an atmosphere of learning and competition,
according to Sheeley. He said invitations were
sent only to top groups throughout the country.
25 years ago — 1997
With little more than the press of a button,
tons of rock were sent skyward Tuesday
afternoon when a Pilot Rock construction
company blasted a hillside in Reith. Hatley
Construction used 10,000 pounds of ANFO,
the same explosive used in the Oklahoma
City bombing, to produce more rock for Blue
Mountain Lumber Products’ log yard in Reith.
The explosive agent is a common, stable
mixture used on many construction sites.
More than 10,000 cubic yards of rock were
blasted. Holes are drilled into the rock and
then loaded with explosive. The holes are then
filled in with leftover rock material so when
the blast begins, the power generated is used
to fracture the rock and not shoot back out of
the hole. After timed delays are set between
rows of holes, primer cord, which burns at
about 22,000-feet-per-second, is tied between
the holes and walked away from the blast site
to a safe distance. Within a second of pressing
the button, the explosion is over and what’s
left is fractured rock.
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 April 12, 1861, the
Civil War began as Con-
federate forces opened fire
on Fort Sumter in South
Carolina.
In 1945, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
died of a cerebral hemor-
rhage in Warm Springs,
Georgia, at age 63; he was
succeeded by Vice Presi-
dent Harry S. Truman.
In 1955, the Salk vac-
cine against polio was de-
clared safe and effective.
In 1963, civil rights
leader Martin Luther King
Jr. was arrested and jailed
in Birmingham, Alabama,
charged with contempt of
court and parading with-
out a permit. (During his
time behind bars, King
wrote his “Letter from
Birmingham Jail.”)
In 1985, Sen. Jake
Garn, R-Utah, became
the first sitting member of
Congress to fly in space
as the shuttle Discovery
lifted off.
In 1988, the U.S. Pat-
ent and Trademark Office
issued a patent to Harvard
University for a geneti-
cally engineered mouse,
the first time a patent was
granted for an animal life
form.
In 2015, Hillary Rod-
ham Clinton jumped back
into presidential politics,
announcing in a video
her much-awaited second
campaign for the White
House.
In 2018, police in
Philadelphia
arrested
two black men at a Star-
bucks; the men had been
asked to leave after one of
them was denied access to
the restroom. (Starbucks
apologized and, weeks
later, closed thousands of
stores for part of the day
to conduct anti-bias train-
ing.)
In
2020,
Chris-
tians around the world
celebrated Easter Sun-
day isolated in their
homes by the corona-
virus.
St.
Peter’s
Square was barricaded
to keep out crowds. Pope
Francis celebrated Easter
Mass inside the largely
vacant basilica, calling
for global solidarity in the
face of the pandemic and
urging political leaders to
give hope and opportuni-
ty to people who had lost
jobs.
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
BY DANA SIMPSON
BIG NATE
BY LINCOLN PEIRCE