Pour Bastards Pub Owner Busted for Overcrowding

His name is Charles King, and he is the bold bas**rd that owns the Pour Bastards Pub on 113 East 1st Avenue in Newton, Iowa.

He is bold because he has firmly stood up for something he truly believes in.

Some will see him as a hero, while others believe he should be held accountable for not following state issued mandates on social distancing in bars.

It's Iowa's confusing and sometimes conflicting guidelines which are meant to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. The measures include allowing six feet of distance between persons or groups, along with limited serving hours, and capacity limits. It all add up to a difficult business model. And don't even get started on what the difference is between a 'restaurant or a bar'.

Then the cops show up.

That happened on Friday September 4th. Newton police arrived at the small town bar and found 'standing room only' - and it wasn't the first time that's happened. According to KCRG, police reportedly had already given King at least one warning just a month earlier in August.

This time cops gave him a written a page of charges, which he defiantly tore up in front of them. So they arrested him, and he defiantly refused to place his hands behind his back.

And his story has now gone national. Bold!

Today's New York Post reports the breathtaking details of the allegations. The Post said that King told the cops he 'doesn't believe in state-issued mandates'.

It will be intriguing to see how this small town case plays out in the national media spotlight. That is, if it isn't overshadowed by another blown-out-of-proportion story by that time.

One thing is true: this story resonates with readers across the country who probably near equally represent both sides of this debate - 50% of those who support Charles King and his bold stand and 50% of those who believe just as firmly the opposite.

It's not always necessary to be seeing things the same way, but it's important to remember there's always a different point of view to consider.

Sources: KCRG, New York Post