Our society has many faces, and also many voices, these days. So I’m going to range in two directions here, partially for the purpose of illustrating the influences that affect our lives—from the altruistic to the hedonistic.

We might begin by considering the old saying that “the eyes are the window to the soul” in contemplating the photos above. We have there the late Gabriel E. Ornelas of Port Townsend in the largest image at left. At right a couple of looks at Donald Trump, in one being shot down by the eyes of Germany’s Angela Merkel. 

Gabe is the inspiration here. He left us in body in January, but his spirit lives on among us and is proudly represented by his widow Robin—and also walks hand in hand with many of the rest of us. 

An issue now at hand is Security Security Northwest on Old Gardiner Road and its owner Joe D’Amico. The business’s training of various individuals involves a lot of gunfire. Ornelas was a founding member and former president of Discovery Bay Alliance, nearby property owners who joined forces to protest this disturbance to the peace of their existence, their domestic tranquility. 

This all has nothing to do with the Constitution’s second amendment and the right to bear arms. It has everything to do with how much leeway is legally allowed with the discharging of said arms. 

And this brings us back to my friend Gabe, I’d say no one was better qualified than he when it came to determining the proper role of firearms. Gabe enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps out of high school and served there in the Military Police. He later served a time with the New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police before moving to California to enroll in the Los Angeles Police Department Training Academy. He subsequently worked for the LAPD for more than 31 years. He was a member of the world’s first SWAT team, worked undercover narcotics, was officer in charge of the gang unit, etc. He retired as a captain. This was in L.A., the true big leagues of law enforcement. 

What I’m saying here is that he was an expert in the existence and use of firearms. He was heavy also on community relations, and as his obituary noted, “Gabe’s entire career and personal life was devoted to volunteering, mentoring and being a community activist and organizer.” 

After Gabe and Robin moved to Port Townsend in 1996, he created the Citizen Volunteer Program for the Port Townsend Police Department. He created Bay Watch on Discovery Bay, the Discovery Bay Alliance and was a member of the Sheriff’s Advisory Committee. He and Robin also volunteered with all manner of non-profit community associations. She remains prominently active. And yes, Gabe was a damned proud Democrat.

So weigh Gabe and Robin against the official registering of the “Discovery Bay Alliance” name by D’Amico and his demand for the cease of its use by those who originally created it for use in criticizing his operation. Sorry, Joe. It’s not the “Discovery Bay Alliance” letterhead that’s at issue here; the issue remains gunshots. And I sincerely hope that it’s not your intent to turn to using the letterhead yourself to cloud the records here and there.

There are, apparently, a goodly number of those who feel the Board of County Commissioners should be manning up and standing taller by now. Put their attorney on overtime perhaps. Better explain to the public just why continuing expansion of D’Amico’s facilities does not violate county restrictions on land use, for instance. 

All of which brings me finally to my questionable use of Donald Trump’s photo anywhere near Gabe’s, as at the beginning of this blog. Donald’s is used to illustrate the ultimate contrast of him to Gabe and Robin. He is a weak, self-serving sort who offers little in the way of public well-being. His personality and tactics are offensive to most Americans. During Gabe’s lifetime of public service, Donald was obsessed with making money and living high, with little concern for others.

I guess I also wanted to get in a few notes on the latest Quinnipiac public-opinion poll, which shows that only 33% of the public approves of how Donald is doing his job—while 61% disapprove. In specific categories, 71% said he is not levelheaded, 62% said he is not honest, 63% said he does not share their values. 

Donald’s response is that he’s going to take a 17-day vacation. 

Semper fi, Gabe