Boondock Saints, Sin City, Das Boot, The Godfather, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, Pulp Fiction, Mystery Men, Underworld (both), any Vampire movie, except John Carpenter's Vampire movie, which was terrible. Green Mile. I do not like movies that have children dying. I had to leave the theater during "Pet Cemetary"
Television
Football, Reaper, South Park, Daily Show, Colbert Report
Books
All my college text books.
Heroes
My son PFC Nolan Ryan Annett, US Army, 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, who is deploying to Iraq in OCT 2008. Nolan is an American hero. SGT Joe Perry, US Army, Killed in Action, Iraq, OCT 2007.
Uncle Pat - My True Father - You're the funniest man I ever knew. You always had my back.
About me:
My name is Fred Annett (Paris, Tx) and I am the Libertarian Party Candidate for U.S. Representative, Texas, District 4 in 2008. This is a grassroots campaign, but I do need campaign contributions. I am 46 years old and I am a disabled veteran who retired from the U.S. Army in 2005 after 21 years of service. My business, Annett Freight Line, went out of business due to skyrocketing fiel prices. I am the father of 2 children. My son Nolan is 19 and an Infantryman in the U.S. Army, stationed in Alaska. Nolan will deploy for Iraq in OCT 2008 with the 2nd Stryker Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division. I also have a 16 year old daughter, Katherine, who is a sophomore in high school and is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen
Where I stand on the issues:
1. Jobs- This country has got to get back to manufacturing products. We don't make anything anymore. We have got to re-establish a manufacturing base. We are fortunate, here in Paris in that we have Campbell Soup, Kimberley Clark and Sara Lee, but take a look at places like Clarksville. There is no industry there. Instead of shutting them out, I would seek organized labor's help in getting us back to where we were as the industrial giant of the world. We have outsourced valuable jobs to foreign countries and this has to stop. We import more goods than we export. Inflation rates are the worst in 17 years, now at 6.6%. We are setting ourselves up for another depression or a serious recession. Check your history. There is always a downward turn in the economy after a major war. Just as in the years leading up to the Great Depression, we have gone credit crazy and there is not enough hard cash flow being circulated into the economy by our citizens because our buying power has weakened. The housing market is down. People are losing their homes. Believe it or not, RV sales are a key economic indicator and sales are way down. The signs are there.
2. Healthcare - we live in the richest country on earth. No American should be without adequate healthcare, especially children. Instead of throwing a trillion dollars away in Iraq, we could have put some of this money toward covering every Americans healthcare need. The President recently vetoed a healthcare bill. His veto sent the bill back to the House of Representatives for a veto override and the republicans and democrats could not work together enough to get the 75% vote needed to override. This is example as to why the 2 party system is not working. As for Mr. Bush, I don't know how he sleeps at night.
3. Taxes - I am for low to no taxes, but there is going to be no way around raising taxes to pay off the war debt. The war is now costing us 10 billion dollars a month. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going to cost us at least 2.4 trillion dollars during the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office now states that the federal government is on an "unsustainable path". In the past, America has funded deficits by drawing on Social Security trust fund surpluses, but now we are borrowing more and more from foreign sources to make up for the shortfalls. Before President Bush was elected in 2000, this country had a 4 trillion dollar surplus today we have a 10 trillion dollar deficit. Someone in Washington needs to be held accountable for where the 14 trillion dollars went. One of the powers put forth to Congress by The Constitution is oversight. This is money that you and I worked hard for and we paid our taxes out of our hard earned money. This is our money. Where did it go??? Our children and our grandchildren will be forced to pay off this debt. That is not the legacy I want to leave.
4. Immigration - When this word is used by candidates, it is of course aimed at the Mexican border. "Immigration" is code for we dont want any more brown skinned people in our country. I don't see any fences going up to keep the Canadians out. Terrorist can come into the US just as easily from Canada. I argue that our friends from south of the border are not taking jobs away from the vast majority of us Americans. These people are doing jobs you couldn't make most Americans do if you held a gun to their heads, such as day laborers and migrant workers as an example. Let's get real. They are not taking high-tech positions from any of us. Have them register before entering. There should be a screening process before anyone enters this country that is not a citizen. This means establishing a partnership with the Mexican government to run background checks on those wanting to enter. If they have a criminal record or they have no record that they exist at all, they should be fingerprinted and entered into a nationwide law enforcement database and refused entry. So instead of building a high dollar fence that is ultimately not going to them out, we need to build points of entry that will allow them to come in legally. This will create more good paying Border Patrol jobs. When they enter the country, they get an Alien Social Security Card. We do it all the time for Canadians. Make them pay taxes. The ones that are already here need to be registered and given an Alien Social Security Card.
5. Human Rights – First off, let me state for the record that I am not gay. I have received e-mails asking me if I am. I support a human beings right to be equal in the United States and their ability to enjoy the same rights as any citizen of this country. If you work hard and pay your taxes then you should be equal to anyone in this country. I don't care if you are Bill Gates or working for minimum wage, you are just as equal as anyone else. This goes for Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, Women, Handicapped, Redneck, The Religious Right Wing, the Liberal Left, Gays in the Military, Women who want to serve in Combat Roles, every single citizen of this country. I also strongly opposed to someone's religious beliefs being forced on another human being. I am Roman Catholic and if your beliefs say that these issues are wrong it is not your place to judge. If the time comes, God will do the judging. I have been called the Devil by some on my beliefs and my church does not support my beliefs. God will judge me when the time comes. Convicted criminals lose their rights and should. The exception is that The Constitution provides that person cannot be held without being charged for a crime, that you are entitled to a speedy trial by a jury of their peers, the right to post bail and the right to appeal. The right to enter a Writ of Habeas Corpus through which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention of themselves or another person is a Constitutional right.
6. Gay Marriage - I could care less if gays get married. There are so many more problems in this country...let them get married. If they love each other, then so be it. I would also push to end discrimination on gays desiring to adopt children. The qualifications should be equal to non-gay qualifications. A child needs love and it doesn't matter who gives it. Love is Love. No one should have another's religious beliefs forced on them.
7. Gun Control - I am against gun control. This is a constitutional right.
8. Death Penalty - I am very pro-death penalty. If possible, I would like to see that all available DNA testing be exhausted before execution. I would also push for child predators and rapists to be added as death penalty offenders. You come to Texas and kill someone; we are going to kill you back. You screw a kid's life up by molesting them, sorry about your luck, but you don't get to live under protective custody, eat 3 squares a day and watch TV in prison. You get to go to the front of the line, Jack. You rape someone and cause them to live in fear for the rest of their life, goodbye. And as far as those drugs hurting you while you are on the death gurney, you still won't suffer the pain anywhere near the pain you caused your victims and their families. Bring back Old Smokey.
9. The War in Iraq – Being retired Army I support our troops 110% and I am very proud of the work that our soldiers have done over there. They have done it under extremely tough conditions and have done it in a highly professional manner. They go into harm's way every day. I am against the war in Iraq though and we need to get out of Iraq by 2009, which can be achieved. We need to pressure the Iraqi's to comply with definite, firm timetables to take over from our soldiers and if they aren't going to comply, then we leave. We have been over there long enough to have trained the Iraqi forces to take over. How long does it take??? For Pete's sake, the U.S. Army takes a raw recruit and 16 weeks later he is an Infantryman, capable of waging war. There is no accountability. The congressional budget office has also reported that to sustain the Iraq and Afghanistan wars it will cost American taxpayers 2.4 trillion dollars over the next decade. In my opinion that estimate will be low. We have already dumped a trillion dollars into those countries, so far. This country also needs to stand up and take care of its veterans. We have lost over 3900 men and women and 30,000 wounded. If we are going to send them to war, then we better give them everything they need when they come home, regardless of being Active Duty, National Guard or Reserve. Our Guard and Reserve soldiers have done a tremendous job overseas and some of them are being forgotten when they get back. I will do everything that I can to make that stop. I understand we are going to have to leave some presence of troops in Iraq for many decades. Remember, we are still in Germany after 63 years. I whole heartedly support the war in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden was there. We need to hunt him down like the dog he is, until we find him, kill him or can determine he is already dead.
10. Abortion - We all make mistakes. Teen-age girls mess up. Adults know better. I am pro-choice on this issue with stipulations. It is the woman's right to do as she chooses with her body. Again, someone's religious beliefs should not be forced on anyone in this country. However, that being said I am totally against partial birth abortions. It is murder. Period. If a woman is married, I will push for legislation that the husband must consent, except in cases of rape.
11. Stem Cell Research - I am for Stem cell research and I have to admit for selfish reasons. My father, Larry Annett, had Muscular Dystrophy his entire life as did his younger brother, Pat Annett. For me, this disease has 2 names that go with it. I watched both of these vibrant men, who I loved very much, deteriorate before my eyes. Both were wheelchair bound at the time of their deaths. Not only would it help people with MD, but cancer patients, those afflicted with MS and so on. There are thousands of men, women and children who would benefit from this research. How can you look in the eye of a child with leukemia and say no, we aren't going to do everything possible to save your life.
12. Civil Liberties - I detest any discrimination and I really detest racism. We should never give away any of our civil liberties. Once you start giving them away, you never get them back. The Constitution is the blueprint of our country and is not to be toyed with.
13. The Environment - It is no mystery that Global Warming is for real. There are viable strategies out there that can reduce this. For example, in our large cities, the temperatures on the tops of buildings are reaching 170 degrees. Add all the buildings in all the large cities all over the world and they are one cause of the rise in the earth's temperature. By doing something as simple as growing grass on top of the buildings, it will cut the temperatures in half. I know that sounds silly, but it is true. Chicago's city hall planted a garden on top of its building and reduced its energy costs by $10,000 per month. Willie Nelson has his own brand of bio-diesel fuel. Our district has a large agricultural base. Fuel can be made from corn or soybeans. This is a renewable source of fuel and will put money in the pockets of our farmer's. Diesel engines can be converted to run on vegetable oil. All these options are biodegradable, cheap and cleaner burning. For the sake of our children and grandchildren we have to make the options available for mass production soon. Carmakers need to be pushed to make more models available to the public. Our district contains parts of the Dallas area. Energy and water consumption in those areas are astronomical.
The framers of our Constitution made Congress the strongest branch of our government for a reason and it is high time Congress stood up and did its job. I take a stand on the controversial issues; issues that need to be addressed and I do not flip flop. I love the United States of America and I love the Great State of Texas. If you are tired of what is happening in Washington, I ask that you give me a chance.
Fred Annett
Sergeant First Class,
U.S.Army (Retired)
903.669.4530-Campaign HQ's
Who I'd like to meet:
Moose Johnston,Leroy Jenkins, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard, Darrell Royal, Tom Landry, James Street, Vince Young, Major Applewhite, Peter Gardere, Lee Roy Jordan, Walt Garrison, Pat Tillman, that one guy, and that other guy.
Fred Annett for U.S. Representative's Friend Space (Top 38)
Fred Annett for U.S. Representative has 81 friends.
Hello Fred, funny that you sent a friend request. I has just read a article about you in the Texarkana newspaper and said to myself. I like this guy and what he is saying. I will be calling your office this upcoming week. Good luck and God bless.
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