Congressional Rep. Val Hoyle has announced she’ll host a telephone town hall at 5:30 pm, Wednesday, July 23.
“Rep. Hoyle will share updates about what’s going on in Congress and how it’s impacting communities in the district. It is also an opportunity to ask Rep. Hoyle questions and get answers directly from her,” says a release from the congresswoman’s office.
Wait, what’s a telephone town hall: After filling out the form linked below, you will receive a call from Hoyle’s office at the designated start time and be invited to stay on the line to join. After joining the call, attendees will receive instructions on how to ask a question.
How to Join: It’s easy to join, but you have to register ahead of time, which you can do here. The deadline to register is 10 am, the day of the town hall. After the deadline, the form actually closes, so, make the deadline.
Hoye’s office says they’re doing the town hall by phone because it makes it easier for people to attend, and it keeps Hoyle in Washington, D.C. for votes.
Merkley’s Weird Nostalgic and Sorta Awesome Mark Hatfield Video
We probably shouldn’t like U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s latest video drop as much as we do. It’s a little camp. Like overproduced hokey instead of DIY fun-kitsch. But as Merkley narrates he buries the lead that tugs the heartstrings, which we’ll give you in a minute.
The video drop came on Wednesday, which would’ve been the 103rd birthday of the late Oregon U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield. The video honors him. Hatfield lived when something called Liberal Republicans roamed the earth. And it turns out that Merkley had interned for him back in the day. You’re starting to get the heartstrings thing, and you really should watch the video.
Anyhooo… Hatfield, as the video points out, had planted a Peace Tree on Arbor Day in 1985. He did that in partnership with the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who Hatfield worked together with on a Nuclear Freeze campaign. The Hatfield Peace Tree is a Dawn Redwood, the Oregon state fossil, thought to be extinct until one was found growing in China in the 1940s. The tree is located in Capitol Square Northeast, on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. According to Hatfield Peace Tree lore, once it is the tallest tree on Capitol grounds, peace will prevail on earth.
“Senator Hatfield was a steadfast proponent of peace in the world, and the Peace Tree he planted on U.S. Capitol grounds stands as a beacon of that ideal, and of his commitment to bipartisanship,” said Senator Merkley. “He inspired many to public service, including me. Interning for Senator Hatfield gave me the perspective that legislation matters—that a good policy can help millions of people, and a bad policy can hurt millions of people. I remain inspired by his fight for peace in the world and his efforts to do bipartisan work to solve important challenges.”
So, without further ado, this strangely and almost wrongly sublime video narrated by the Merk-man…
By Mike Suarez
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