Town Hall Meetings (UPDATED)

Prompted by some discussion of the issue in the Washington Hometown Forum on ar15.com, I tried to see what I could find of plans for Town Hal Meetings held by the Washington contingent of congresscritters.

The results were disappointing, to say the least.

Jay Inslee, D 1st.
Telephone Town Hall, 23 July canceled, 29 July, 5 August
If anyone participated in his "thing" on Wednesday, let us know.

Rick Larsen, D -2
Whidbey Island League of Women Voters Forum
Thursday, August 6th
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Coupeville Recreation Center
901 NW Alexander Street
Coupeville, WA
(Read TwoTwoThree06's AAR here.)

Larsen Hosts Health Care Town Hall in Mount Vernon
Saturday, August 8th
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Skagit County PUD 1415 Freeway Dr.
Mount Vernon, WA

Larsen Hosts Health Care Town Hall in Everett
Wednesday, August 12th
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Weyerhaeuser Room, Everett Station
3201 Smith Ave.
Everett, WA

Brian Baird, D 3rd. He's got a "telephonic town hall meeting" scheduled, but when is a secret

Doc Hastings, R 4th: None known

Congressman Doc Hastings To Hold Town Hall Meeting

Forth District Congressman Doc Hastings will hold a Wenatchee area town hall meeting at the Douglas County PUD auditorium in East Wenatchee this Thursday, August 16, 2007. The meeting is an opportunity for area residents to share their views with their Congressman and ask questions about issues concerning North Central Washington and the Nation. The meeting will be from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at 1151 Valley Mall Parkway. For more information contact Hastings' office at 662-4294

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5th: None known

Norm Dicks, D 6th: None known
http://www.house.gov/dicks/

James "Baghdad Jim" McDermott, D-7th: None known
Wednesday, August 12th
7:00pm
The Hall at Fauntleroy
9131 California Ave. SW, Seattle
Thanks for the update, Liberty Belle

Dave "Crazy Eight" Reichart, R-8th: None known
(Sheriff Dave seems to be opposed to ObamaCare; considering the heat he's getting over his support for Tax and Trade, he may be running scared.)

Adam Smith, D-9th
Town Hall Meeting

Adam will host a town hall meeting Tuesday, August 25th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Lakewood City Hall Chambers, 6000 Main Street SW, Milgard Family Hope Center in Lakewood, WA. Space is limited so please RSVP if you are able to attend by calling 253-593-6600 or (888) SMITH09.
Updated, courtesy Liberty Belle.

Senator Maria Cantwell: None

Senator Patty Murray: None

(Note that the Senate is still in session.)

I checked all of our elected (alleged) representatives' web sites, and tried googling for "Washington Town Hall Meetings."
I wish I could say that Open Congress and GovTrack were very helpful, but it seems that the info is just not "out there." (I've found Open Congress and Gov track useful when researching bills, although Open Congress' recent site overhaul changed the site significantly.)

Other resources: Washington State Tea Party Movement

Gateway Pundit is all over this issue, including the following items:
*RAW VIDEO!!.....TEA PARTY PROTESTERS ATTACKED–– 1 Black Conservative Seriously Hurt in St. Louis!... 6 Arrested Including SEIU Members
*St. Louis Mob In Action
*SHOCK VIDEO––- DEMS SNEAK UNION THUGS INTO CARNAHAN TOWN HALL–– 1,000 Tea Party Taxpayers Locked Out!
*Anti-Obamacare Protester Slapped at Town Hall Meeting (Photo)
*DEMS SEND OUT BOGUS LETTERS To Sway Support For Obamacare]DEMS SEND OUT BOGUS LETTERS To Sway Support For Obamacare
*White House & DNC Release Labor Goons On Obamacare Town Halls
*Stunner... ABC Reports No Insurance Industry Plants Found at Town Hall

Tea Party Patriots Health Care Page. Includes links to "talking points".

National Center for Policy Analysis; their Health Care Action Pack.

The article linked to above after Brian Baird's name is outrageous.

Here's how {the "telephonic town hall" will} work: if you happen to be sitting near a publicly listed Clark County telephone line on the right day at the right time, your phone will ring.

In order to avoid software problems, Baird's office says, the exact date and time will be kept secret from the public.

If you answer your landline, an automated message will ask whether you have a question for your Congressman.

Press *3, and you'll be asked your location and the subject of your question. Sitting at his own telephone at an as-yet-undisclosed location, Baird then will choose a name based on its location and the topic.

There will be no further pre-screening, Baird said. After the call is over, the recording will be posted on his Web site.

Baird said the phone interviews will include "a much better cross-section of the public" than some live town halls.

That link seems to be very popular--either they have so many people reading it their server is overwhelmed, or someone got scared... No worries, though, as there is a new article today:

Baird draws heavy criticism
Congressman stands by choice to not hold town hall meetings
By Michael Andersen
Columbian staff writer
U.S. Rep. Brian Baird faced a deluge of criticism Thursday for his decision not to hold live town hall meetings on health reform and for his Wednesday comparison of disruptive anti-health-reform demonstrators with Nazis and murderers.

"The congressman should be ashamed and embarrassed," said Ryan Hart, chairman of the Clark County Republican Party. "Portland police used to bring in extra people when Bush came to town, but I never heard President Bush call people Nazis or Brown Shirts."

In Wednesday conversations with the Olympian and Columbian, Baird said he's holding "telephone town halls" instead of live meetings to avoid an "ambush" by people with a "lynch-mob mentality" and "close to Brown Shirt tactics."