NEWPORT - A local Starbucks employee tried to turn the Newport Starbucks "red" Wednesday night when he kicked out a group of Democrats who had gathered to listen to Campbell County Democratic Party Chairman Ken Mullikin.

Grant Pilswigger used a liberal interpretation of the Starbucks employee policy to boot the surprised Dems.

"Starbucks coffee is decidedly pro-freedom and anti-terror," Pilswigger said, citing a line in the policy that states that Starbucks is "apolitical".

A customer in the store at the time observed that Pilswigger seemed "drunk with power" and suggested that he might have gotten carried away with his role as assistant manager.

The Democrats agreed they would seek their coffee elsewhere.

"I'm going to miss the mocha cappuccinos," Bill Sacks said. But Sacks said that without more checks and balances at the Starbucks, employees seemed capable of any interpretation of company policy.

A spokeswoman for Starbucks said that Starbucks encourages its' employees who have become obsessed with their roles to switch to decaf.