So, it's 6 o'clock on a Tuesday night at the Senate Bar in Downtown Pueblo. Not much happening, maybe a dozen customers.

So what happened to the regular Libertarian meeting? Oh, we had to quit letting political parties use the back room because of the flak from both sides. Sometimes it was only half a dozen extra patrons, but other times as many as twenty!

Apparently, the last straw was the furor over the Columbus bust. The owner was sitting outside enjoying a beer after having just closed escrow on buying the building when one of the protesters started haranguing her with vehement, confrontational and faaar less than civilized vocabulary.

So what's a small business owner supposed to do? Cave to both sides griping about each other so as not to tick anybody off or stand up for freedom of speech and risk similar retribution or worse from the protesters? You're da**ed if you do, and da**ed if you don't!

Another restaurant was found not far from the protesters battleground de jour, but what does that do for the small business owner of The Senate Bar? Why should anyone have to put up with this? Will the next host end up similarly harassed and intimidated if / when they run afoul of the peaceful protesters? Who's got the problem? Maybe the Seattle small business owners can provide some insight?

What happened to civility or even just plain common courtesy? What happened to respect for every citizens first amendment rights? Why are we only just now hearing about this blatant intimidation months later from a third party? What ever happened to The Fourth Estate reporting both sides of the story? Why were the protestors given front page coverage while the Senate Bar was caught in the middle and the adverse local impact (conveniently!) ignored /overlooked by the MSM / Pravda / Chieftain? Could it be that their MSM bias is showing (AGAIN!)?

Apparently this is the new normal and tolerance, respect, civility and the death of the once even handed / formidable Fourth Estate are just collateral damage in the war between THEM and US courtesy of the protestors and their MSM enablers.

It wasn't anywhere near this bad even during Vietnam! Likely shades of things to come, but where does it end?

Gordon Carlton

Pueblo