VAWA Facilitated and Funded the Illegal Abduction of Madison Tenn
Fathers 4 Justice daddy activist Donald Tenn opens up about his own child custody case as he faces 18 months in prison for an Ohio crane protest.
On May 25, 2006 Madison Tenn was illegally moved six states away from her Sacramento, California home by her mother, says dad Donald Tenn. Since that time Shannon Phillips has committed fraud and perjury in two states, wasted thousands of tax-payer dollars and kept a little girl from her loving, stay-at-home, primary caretaker daddy, he adds.
Tenn is speaking out about his own case he says, because he’s facing 18 months in prison for a peaceful protest for parents rights. He wants people to know the truth; that he and Shannon were happily married, “We never had domestic problems. I’m not a violent person. I believe in communication. The police were never called to our home.”
My wife told me she was taking Madison to visit her relatives in Illinois . After she arrived she said she wasn’t coming back. She wanted me to follow her. I told her a decision like that should be made together. I asked her to come home and take six months to talk it over. She refused.
Tenn says a friend who is an Illinois real estate agent called and told him Phillips and her mother had been looking at houses for sale. Tenn explained to Phillips that she could stay in Illinois, but she needed to return Madison. He says she refused. What he did next, it seems, caused Phillips to set into motion the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) machinery that removes innocent parents, usually fathers, from the lives of their children.
I told her the law says she has to return Madison to California; that there are move-away laws that protect children from this sort of thing.
Tenn filed for an emergency ex-parte hearing. It was a Friday. By the Monday morning hearing Phillips had declared to people at WEAVE in CA and DOVE in IL, and attorney Tony Nevarez that she feared Tenn. Phillips was given a restraining order and returned to IL with Madison.
Wanting to keep their close bond, Tenn started sending Madison packages every few days with books, snacks, stickers and small toys. At first he was allowed phone conversations with Madison by Phillips and her mother Kathy Waseen, but that didn’t last.
Fifteen months later, on October 19, 2007 Judge Peter J. McBrien had a hearing in Sacramento on Phillip’s request to extend the restraining order. (case #06fl05871)
Judge McBrien stated that he did not believe Shannon. He chastised her for illegally removing Madison from California. He did not believe any of her testimony or renew the order. He told Shannon to come to an agreement on parenting time or he would make a ruling that she wouldn’t like.
I wanted an equal parenting plan but agreed to every other weekend and 2 days a week. I remember Judge O’Brien said, ‘This father will be immediately reunited with his daughter. I am ordering his first visitation for 2 days from today, Sunday the 21st of October.’ He asked if I could be in Illinois on that date and I stated I certainly would be.
Tenn flew to Illinois and was at Phillip’s mother Kathy Waseen’s house in Bethany for the prearranged exchange. It didn’t go smoothly.
Shannon kept pulling Madison away from me in order to instill fear in her, as if Madison should be concerned. Her mother Kathy Waseen interfered by taking Madison away from the car for as many as 10 minutes. Finally, I stated that this parenting time belonged to Madison and I and that we needed to go as our time was limited.
Then Phillips said something that no one expected from the woman who had claimed so much fear of Tenn that she couldn’t return to California.
Shannon suggested that she come along with Madison and I and we all visit together. I was shocked. I told her that would not be possible.
What Phillips and Waseen didn’t realize was that with two cameras rolling, Tenn got the entire incident on tape.
Continued in parts two and three.
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November 5th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. be remembered for the civil rights leader he was if he had decided it was a good idea to sport a Batman costume?
Don’t just write that question off; think about it for a few minutes.
No reasonable person would argue that fathers are facing anything less than what King did. King and his followers were being deprived of their civil rights, but they were not having their children taken from them, at least not under the guise of protecting their “best interests”.
I’m sure most of us have considered whether this was a good idea, (at one time or another) and some of us may have even thought it might not hurt, (me included) but in reality, it would be hard to think of a better way to destroy the credibility of fathers and the tragic part is that it may never be undone.
Consider this for a moment.
Stop hiring “lawyers”.
Stop paying “child support”.
Stop paying “income tax”.
It’s all perfectly legal and if you are persecuted for any of it you will someday have a legal recourse. Making a fool of yourself, on top of a crane in a Batman suit, has no legal recourse and frankly 18 months in prison is arguably not enough. What’s next on his agenda? … Plotting to kidnap Obama’s children?
This is all about the money. Cut the money off by doing the three things listed above. It’s all perfectly legal.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:18 am
You write very well Teri. It is enjoyable to read your articles.
Interesting case and I look forward to part 2.
BTW, I’ll have to give you a link to the article I have semi written on your last post when I finish it. I haven’t submitted anything of my own for a few weeks now while under study pressure so it could be an interesting weekend of article submissions this week.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Kevin, the “plot to kidnap Blair’s son” never happened. I communicated with the person right after it allegedly happened. The story was fabricated by someone with their own agenda.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:44 am
Teri, to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t expect anything I say to get through to you. Your response only confirms that.
I’m hoping that other people will listen.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Teri,
Thanks again for another splendid piece and for your ongoing activism.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Thank you Teri. My heart is with Donald and his little daughter. I am grieved at the lack of fairness and justice in their lives. Your headline tells us what many of us have already learned, “VAWA does as much, or more, to destroy families and children as it does to help them.”
November 6th, 2009 at 9:19 am
What is with her lawyer? I cheeked her out and she is a real estate lawyer. I tried to call her and she would not speak with me.
John Lukas
November 6th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Thanks Julie, Paul and Ray. Julie, I look forward to seeing what you write. John, the IL attorney I spoke with allegedly has ties to the domestic violence industry.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:14 am
First off , the only reason the GiSKERS( government sponsored kidnaping and extortion racket) want to put this guy is prison, is to A) shut him up, which they won’t do B) punish him for fighting them and C) intimidate anyone else who follows his example.
Apparently these idiots have not studied history and either don’t know about human nature or try like hell to ignore it. They either don’t know or will not acknowledge that they are eventually going to lose! Human nature , their own greed and selfishness will be their undoing. I once asked a man on a bus, ” what is more dangerous, a terrorist with a bomb, redneck with a rope, or a woman( or man) with three starving children. It is the parent, the terrorist can be negotiated with, the redneck can get a beer, but is you start messing with peoples children you endanger yourself, no matter how much security you have or how many goons with guns you surround yourself, you will get yours. Nothing on Gods green earth will protect you and if you do this to Millions , like the GiSKERS have , then that punishment will very severe. These idiots will be lucky if they live long enough to stand trial, most will simply die a slow and agonizing death at the hands of the people they hurt. And they will richly deserve it!
Now as for Mr Merck suggestion, parts of it, does have merit. Do stop hiring lawyer , for two reasons, #1 they are too expensive, #2 They are officers of the court and do not work for you, no matter how much money you pay them, always…… always they will not bit the hand that feeds them, they will… if it is a choice, Then you will get eaten.
As far as not paying child support, you can legally get out of paying this government sponsored extortion, ie most judgments and that is what a child support order is, are infact voids and can be gotten rid of.
But you need to consider one thing, the original purpose of child support was a good one and just because the system is total fraud and racket and tried to steal you blind, you should still take care of your children. We should not do, what the feminazi’s have done, demand rights and then not be willing to take the responsibility incumbent on having those rights. Doing what is right, brings credibility to our cause, and besides you have the right, via a Supreme Court ruling to make private arrangements, arrangements that are fair and equitable and will work to restore and protect your rights. This way, will put enormous pressure on the kidnapping and extortion racket by taking away their most convincing claim. ie Men will not pay and take care of their children if we don’t make them.
As far as not paying income taxes, well I don’ know, some of my crazy patriot friend have stopped paying taxes and noone has come to toss them in the jailhouse yet… Yet! So, don’t do that , for the same reason you should not stop supporting your kids, it lend credence and credibility to our belief that we are the best parents for our kids and the state is our servant , not our master and it is our country , not theirs!
November 8th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Carol Rhodes // Jan 29, 2007 at 1:04 pm
“It’s all about the money.
It’s not about the kids, or the family, the constitution or even about law and order. The primary function of the Circuit Court’s Family Court System, is getting more kids on the roles so more money can be claimed from the Federal Tax prize. Every dollar that we Enforcement Officers collected was matched by $50+ dollars of tax benefits for our county Court System.
Custody and parenting time issues don’t bring in Federal dollars.
My director told us that pursuing these complaints were a “waste of our time.” I was ordered-under penalty of punishment-”to stop getting involved” in what I thought was best for the children or their parents. We were brainwashed to avoid having personal knowledge or concern about the parties of cases. We were told to call and leave response messages when we thought it least likely that the inquiring party would be home [and then, of course, we couldn’t leave any substantive information].
The system smiled on us when we sent people to jail by issuing bench warrants for failure to appear in hearings we scheduled. Everything about office policy and procedure was designed to keep the parties to cases in the dark as to what they should or could do to protect themselves financially.
It is a power game.
The Court can change the rules at any time. There is no one who will ever question when the constitution or the laws are violated or misapplied by the Court. The only question asked in the FOC is whether all the options have been tried for increased child-support collections. People can be sentenced to jail illegally by the Court officers, and the Court will find a way to justify or spread the blame so thinly that no one is accountable. But if an officer of the Court is caught HELPING a party to a case understand his or her rights to petition the Court for a REDUCTION of support, that sin is punishable by firing and cover-up legal manuvering. [I was written up for merely giving both parties a list of office policy rules for what is or is not acceptable reasons to deny parenting time.] I was chastised on record that office policy was NEVER to be given out to parties of cases, or to any individuals outside the FOC office personnel.
Our 37th Circuit Court FOC was a model to other counties all across Michigan. We trained other officers from other states and counties. We weren’t the exception, we were the ideal of efficient FOC operation.
Young parents need to know that signing the form to consent to have the Friend of the Court [or any Title IV D “service”] become involved IS OPTIONAL. You do NOT HAVE to allow the Friend of the Court to take over your children as Wards of the Court unless one of the parents fills out and signs the form. Your attorney and your FOC will never tell you that, but smart attorneys ALWAYS opt out of the FOC services. Most people don’t know what they are getting into before it is too late.”
Child support is the reason this extortion racket exists. Equating the payment of child support with “helping your children” is on the same level as saying that supporting slavery is helping the enslaved.
It’s not much use arguing with people on this issue, either you get it, or you don’t. The best I’ve heard it said is “Never confuse child support with helping your children”. By paying child support you’re insuring that millions of future fathers and children will be separated from each other for profit.
Carol Rhodes claims that upwards of $50 of tax benefits are claimed for every dollar of child support extorted. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math. By paying child support you are perpetuating an industry that will become more and more oppressive and will eventually bleed the country dry in the purported “best interests of children”. Many states now rely heavily on this money just to survive.
As for not paying income taxes to a government that just stole your children from you for profit or has denied you the equal protection of its laws, let your conscience be your guide. There are plenty of reasons to stop financing this runaway government. Watch “The Money Masters” on Google Video. It may change your perception of history.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Let’s do the math. The link posted below gives an approximation of the alleged child support debt in America and it stands at $112,000,000,000.
If Carol Rhodes is correct that $50 in tax benefits are collected for every dollar of child support extorted, that would be 112 billion x 50 which is 5, 600,000,000,000.
That’s 5 trillion six hundred billion dollars.
Many states count on this money to pay the bills. The money awarded to the states by the Feds for the collection of this so-called child support can be spent any way the state sees fit. The state of Michigan is nearly broke, (due to the economy) so they rely heavily on this money just to keep the state functioning. That’s why Michigan is one of the most oppressive states in the country to live in if you’re a victim of the Family Courts.
This is a national crisis, and human rights violation, nearly unrivaled in American history. Tens of thousands are dead as a direct result of this institutionalized discrimination. Countless children have had their lives destroyed by these criminals. Refusing to pay the extortion, (to the best of your ability) should be the least you can do.
http://www.childsupportoptions.org/
November 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I just wanted to add that I feel for Madison and her father. I feel for every one of the millions of men, fathers and children who are victims of the Family Courts.
If we ever want to put an end to this discrimination we need to look past our personal circumstances to see the larger picture. Our individual salvation lies in what’s good for the group as a whole.
There’s a huge amount of money involved in this industry and change will not come easy. We need to take the profit out of discriminating against men, fathers and children to be successful. You can’t do that by hiring lawyers who are part of the corruption, you can’t do that by paying the extortion that this whole industry relies on, and you can’t do that by paying income taxes to people who are in the business of exploiting you and your children for profit.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Five Trillion, I seriously doubt that number. I have heard for years ,all kinds of different numbers for what the federal government pays to states for the Government Sponsored Kidnapping and Extortion Racket. I have heard from 66 cents on each dollar to two for one, to five dollars for every one to fifty dollars for every one. Whose to know, they will never disclose what they actually make!
Mr Merk is correct, to beat these bastards it will be necessary to cut off the money, power and control. This will result in two possible outcomes. A, the out of control bastards will straighten up and go back to being complient, obedient, respectful and law abiding servants, which I doubt or B we will have to put them out of business and when their little racket fails, punish them severely.
The tax thing, well I have heard it is possible to Opt out of the system, and not pay income taxes. But, there are two serious draw backs to that strategy, one, to get out of the system means you can never, ever again enjoy some of the many things that makes this country, problems though it has , the best place on earth to live and secondly, not paying taxes will collapse the system. Now it may become necessary to bring down the system, but history teachs , such things often destroy far more than they help.
Taking care of your children does not have to involve the state, infact it is better that you do have private agreements. You can get out of that racket and do it legally, morally and prove to the whole world that fathers are indeed good parents and that it is time to clean up or put out business , this God awful racket that has caused so much pain and injustice. One last thing , those who have done these horrible and evil things , will , in God’s Universe be held accountable, they haven’t really gotten away with anything. Their victories are very temporary and one day soon we will look back at these thugs and wonder why the hell we ever let such a problem , get that far out of control. These idiots will , like all tyrants in history, end up on the ash heap of history. In the end , evil always loses.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:55 am
The math is correct. There is a 112 billion dollar debt (arrearages)and if every state gets $50 in tax benefits for every dollar extorted, (as Carol Rhodes claims they do in Michigan) then the cost of collecting that debt would be over 5 trillion 600 billion. (The numbers don’t lie, people do) That’s just what the check would have to be written for to pay it off, it does not take into consideration the massive infrastructure created to enforce this racket, that bill is completely separate. It would be nearly impossible to calculate the total impact this has on taxpayers, but it’s enormous to say the least.
Of course it would be impossible to collect this debt all at once, so it’s a massive debt that keeps accruing interest, which can never be eliminated, (Bradley Bill) and is a huge source of income for every state in the country.
This is in addition to the amount they collect every year from the people who pay the extortion routinely. (Involuntarily withheld from their checks) I don’t have the numbers right now but they are staggering.
Also, the sixty-six cents on the dollar is a government figure. I’d take the word of Carol Rhodes over whoever put out that figure, but even if that were the case, it would add a significant financial burden to the taxpayer, who has been told this extortion racket will save them money. (Not to mention the enormous infrastructure costs, which are a completely separate cost factor)
I’m not going to go into the income tax issue any further right now. I recommend watching “America Freedom to Fascism” to learn more on the subject. It’s a great video on Google and it’s a very good way to spend about two hours of your time.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I just wanted to add to that bit about the states receiving 66cents on the dollar for collecting this so-called child support.
What I find simply amazing is that well educated and conscientious people who understand that we are dealing with a kidnapping and extortion racket in the Family Courts, which lie about the “best interests of children”, lie about violence against women, lie about the father in order to steal his children for profit, tell so many heinous and unforgivable lies about practically everything under the sun, so many lies that it’s hard to believe they are capable of telling the truth about anything, yet, people are ready to gobble up the ridiculous lie that they only get 66cents on the dollar.
People seem perfectly willing to repeat this lie despite the fact that Carol Rhodes, (A former child support collection agent in Michigan for twenty years) tells us that in her county the number is closer to $50 than 66cents. That may not be the case in every county in Michigan and that may not be the case in every state in the country, but I would bet my life that it’s more than 66cents no matter where you go.
Most people are completely in the dark as to how much this criminal racket is costing the taxpayer. I think we would be accomplishing a great deal by letting people know just how much money is involved in this disgraceful, national, human rights crisis.