Superhero Daddy Activist Endures Extreme Weather

2008-09-30
By
donald tenn

Donald Tenn is a California father who says he “had to take action” for his young daughter Madison.  He started his fourth day this morning on a wet construction crane in Columbus Ohio alone. Last night police warned of thunderstorms.  John Fowler, national coordinator for Fathers 4 Justice was able to talk activist father Paul Fisher down.

Tenn refused.  “I have nothing to lose”, he said through a walkie-talkie.  Earlier he told me, “I’ve followed the law, been bounced back and forth between states, and been falsely accused of domestic violence.  I finally won visitation in Illinois.  The judge even reprimanded her mother.  I had one visit.  That’s it.  She’s able to use services funded by the Violence Against Women Act to illegally keep me from my daughter.”

Until Madison’s mother illegally abducted her to Illinois, Tenn was her stay-at-home parent. It’s Madison he worries about, not himself.   He says she’s being hurt by the family court system and he has to protect her.  A member of Fathers 4 Justice, the gender-neutral civil rights group fighting for equal parental rights, he says he won’t come down until Governor Schwarzenegger agrees to a nonpartisan investigation into the family court system.  Calls to the Governor’s office have yet to be returned.

Tenn’s Sacramento phone rings off the hook at all hours of the day.  Friends say he always makes time to listen to parents trying to avoid or recover from the devastation of losing contact with their children.  When he isn’t grieving for his own little girl Madison, he says, his heart aches for the thousands of other parents he knows who are experiencing the same thing.

Tenn has been sending Madison packages in the mail about 3 times a week.  “I’ve probably sent over 300 packages so far,” he told me recently, “they include books, healthy snacks, small toys and stickers.  She loves stickers”

When asked if he wants to keep Madison away from her mother when this is resolved, he says, “no.”  “I’ve always wanted equal custody, equal parenting and equal responsibility, for each of us.”  Asked if his case was unique he replied,”I’ve traveled the country talking to other parents.  And what I hear all the time, from mothers and fathers, is that they want equal parental rights, equal physical and legal custody.”

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  • http://www.sharedparentingworks.org Teri Stoddard

    update:
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    September 30, 2008 9:15am

    Day 4

    Fathers 4 Justice Spiderman still atop 125′ crane – OSU Campus Police refuse to allow food or water to be raised for Donald Tenn aid

    “Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be a hero of mine,” says John Fowler, National Coordinator for F4J USA, “Now Donald Tenn and Paul Fisher are my heroes. Schwarzenegger is the villain. He needs to stop cowering to the radical feminists California and address the issue. By not doing so, he is ignoring the rights of California’s children to have a loving relationship with both parents.”

    Why is it so difficult for an elected representative to make a simple statement stating our family law system may be broken, and we must find out how to fix it? This is the largest social justice issue of our time,” says Fowler. “Governor Strickland likes to play Keno, well, he needs to stop gambling with the lives of our children and both Governors’ must address this issue. The gloves are off”

    Now spending his forth morning on the crane, Donald Tenn, aka Spiderman, has not yet negotiated his descent. Spiderman is under a tarp to ride out the nasty weather, and the deafening silence of Governor Schwarzenegger.

    Hungry, thirsty and exhausted, Spiderman, Donald Tenn, remains determined knowing the suffering of not seeing his daughter is far worse than any physical pain or discomfort he might experience atop his 125′ perch at Ohio State University. During this morning’s telephone interview with Fowler, he expressed great concern for the safety and well being of Tenn. “Currently, says Fowler, Ohio State University Campus Police refuse to send food or water to Tenn and they will not allow any of us to send him aid either. Fowler says, Don’s health is at risk, I fear dehydration. Thank God he is anchored up there.”

    Fathers for Justice members and supporters from members from all over the county are calling F4J Board member for updates. Brian Holladay, an F4J board member says, “this extends way beyond just our members, other family rights groups across the United States have decided to suspend all other projects and focus on this issue until it is resolved. Right now we have families from different sides of the state headed to Columbus to lend support.”

    Paul Fisher now aka Superman has descended and been taken into police custody. He is charged with vandalism and will appear in court this morning at am.

    Paul Fisher agreed to come down under the exclusive watch of NBC news, who broke the story yesterday, and a safety crew from the construction site and campus security.

    Christine Smith
    F4J National
    Media Coordinator
    Tel: 440-749-2790
    440-306-2444
    f4jnationalmedia@yaho.com

  • HeartBrokenDad

    Donald – I know you’re not going to see this until you come down, but my thoughts and support is with you.

    I know what you feel, I know the daily pain you suffer. I have 3 girls and have not seen them for 414 days today. Same bullshit from the courts different country.

    The trouble is with our fight is this:

    Until people become actively involved in a case they assume that we must have done something wrong.

    I myself was brought up to believe that our courts were there to dispense justice. It is not until you become involved yourselves and go into the family courts expecting to be given justice that your world falls apart around you.

    To all those of you who are going to read this and think that this brave, courageous and loving father is some kind of nutter and deserving of your derision – PLEASE think again.

    Ask yourselves what it must take to drive a man to do this sort of thing?

    Ask yourselves why?

    Give him your support and if you do have the urge to get angry at someone – then write to your politicians and get angry with them. They are the ones turning a blind eye to this situation. It is they that are abusing children in your name behind closed doors.

    No parent should be separated from their children unless there is a risk to the children. And if there is a risk, then the man/woman needs to be accused in the proper manner through the courts. He should not be stopped from seeing his children based on unsubstantiated lies from his former partner.

    I am 45 and carried out the Batman protest in the UK on top of Sir Lord Justice Matthew Thorpe’s roof on 8th/9th August in the UK. Believe me – things are bad when a 45 year old man who served 24 years in our military finds he has no option but to get heard by dressing up in lycra and risking life and limb to climb onto someone’s roof in the middle of the night.

    Well done to you both once again and I hope Arnie listens to you. Politicians that don’t listen are ultimately destined to lose.

    Tim Line – Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK

  • T Finnan

    Paul is a hero. The criminals are those who took his child.

  • Ray Blumhorst

    The laws that vilify and persecute good men like these two fathers have indeed become the greatest evil America faces.

  • Denis

    “Why is it so difficult for an elected representative to make a simple statement stating our family law system may be broken, and we must find out how to fix it?”

    There are many powerful interests that gain financially and/or politically by maintaining the status quo. They exert much influence over elected “representatives”. In return these “representatives” represent the powerful interests. As well, government bureaucrats gain financially too and as they grow larger their departments then gain also political influence.

    This has been going on for more than 40 years with not a word from men-primarily baby boomer men.

    Tenn is literally one of a handful of men in all this time with the balls to actually do something.

    THAT is why it is so difficult for elected “representatives” to make a simple statement.

    Only when there is a big and loud chorus of men-those directly affected by this criminal system of government and those not-will these “respresntatives” say a peep. They are by their very nature cowards and not leaders-they need to have the political cover that a large and vocal population of men will provide them as an offset to the reliable screams and tantrums that is surely to come their way from feminists and the average American woman who are their useful idiots and who are also a reliable source of support to the powerful financial and political interests.

  • http://www.singleparents.org.nz julie

    Denis said,

    “Why is it so difficult for an elected representative to make a simple statement stating our family law system may be broken, and we must find out how to fix it?”

    Why indeed. Churches have promised for decades that they were pro family but they became too divided chasing the $$$ and power. Gosh, the power of temptation.

    There was no balance. Greed took over.

    Now no politician can promote anything unless there is a movement to implement it. Which church should they promote?

    All the while science(evolution) has conquered the educated. Hey, they are not divided over $$$ and power.

    BTW, how many different Christian churches received the tax benefits in the 80′s.

    Divide and conquer.

    Hitler said, “We don’t care what you think for we have your children now”.

    Baby boomers are enjoying a life like never before and they have been enjoying it for decades. Always know, if it is too good to be true, it usually is.

  • amfortas

    Tim Line’s leadership was lost from the miliary but gained by Fathers everywhere. His example inspired and heartened many activists and advocates, men and women.

    Donald Tenn’s eyes show a tender and loving man but his actions show that same strong, masculine spirit. Action. Self sacrifice. A willingness to do the hard yards, in this case upward.

    The actions of the Police show the vindictiveness of the system. No food, no water, just the weather. What scum; what sorry excuses for men. Where is their integrity? Is this the Police you deserve? Men who ‘follow orders’ like a cowardly hun trooper. Men who have so little backbone that they can’t bring themselves to tell their superiors to get f*cked. Salarymen. These are the same sort that bust a man’s door down, mace and cuff him without evidence and even when he is the victim. What colour shirts do they wear? Brown?

    Donald, we salute you. You inspire. You show Americans what to do just as Tim and his peers showed Britain. Paul Fisher, you have stood atop the crane and come down to tell the tale. That message needs to be told.

    Teri you do your part. Christine Smith, you are doing your part too. This ‘Gender-neutral’ aspect is a new spin. Maybe that will generate the needed response in the USA. You are all the Vanguard.

    SAY not the struggle naught availeth,
    The labour and the wounds are vain,
    The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
    And as things have been they remain.

    If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
    It may be, in yon smoke conceal’d,
    Your comrades chase e’en now the fliers,
    And, but for you, possess the field.

    For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
    Seem here no painful inch to gain,
    Far back, through creeks and inlets making,
    Comes silent, flooding in, the Main.

    And not by eastern windows only,
    When daylight comes, comes in the light;
    In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly!
    But westward, look, the land is bright!

  • Robert Stevens

    There is one simple reason politicians do not address the issue of the corrupt family courts, they fear losing their “cushy little jobs” if they speak up and condemn, then take action to correct the injustice.
    Those who run and benefit from this God awful racket are very powerful. They can remove a politician who even expresses desent on this issue. The solution is simple, but very difficult to do. The 35 million plus noncustodial parents and anyone else affected by this evil, needs to organize, then the politicians will fear us! Then it will be the other way around, Mr Politician, if you fail to pass laws to protect our rights, pack your bags, You’re Fired!!! Once they fear losing their “cushy little jobs” for not supporting fairness and justice, well then we will have done something!
    Oh it will be a pitched battle, As the forces of justice, what I call those who fight for fathers rights and the force of tyranny, ie all that oppose righteousness, battle it out. In Gods Universe, good will eventually get stronger and prevail, while evil will be beaten and vanquished.
    It will take guts and courage, much like Mr. Tenn and Mr. Fisher have already exhibited. The good guys will suffer casualties and loses too, but those loses will be honored with righteous victory. Those who support evil, like always in history, will be gone and end up just pages in a history book. Kinda like the Nazi’s, the Communist and the other evil hatemongers of history.

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