Aug 17

Close to home: Utah crash spurs NH domestic violence survivor to share story

Jo Fonda’s estranged husband crashed plane into Amherst home in 2001

WMUR-TV – Amy Coveno – News Anchor/Reporter – Updated: 12:56 PM EDT Aug 14, 2018

 

MANCHESTER, N.H. — A Utah man crashed a plane into his own house this week, hours after he allegedly assaulted his wife, bringing back difficult memories for an Amherst woman of a similar tragedy nearly 17 years ago. The pilot, Duane Youd, died in the crash on Monday. His wife and child, who were in the home, survived, despite part of the home becoming engulfed in flames.

On Aug. 25, 2001, Jo Fonda‘s estranged husband flew their private plane into their Amherst home after Fonda filed for a restraining order against him. Fonda’s husband of 20 years died in the crash and destroyed nearly everything they owned, except for a single piece of pottery. “Similar situation where there was a restraining order that was served on my husband and within 12 hours, he had crashed our airplane into our home and burned it to the ground,” Fonda said.

Fonda said she was never physically abused, but her husband was a violent, controlling man. “The banging of a table, you know, the punching of a wall, the ripping off a phone off a wall,” Fonda said.

Fonda feels responsible, she said, to share her story of the warning signs and her strategy with other women who right now are afraid of their partners. She said it starts by getting out of the house. “That is the most dangerous time, right after someone is served a restraining order,” Fonda said.

Jo Fonda shared her story with WMUR.

Fonda said a phone call to a hotline saved her life. She had scrawled the number on a piece of scrap paper that she still has. “It said, ‘pathetic hotline.’ That’s how I felt about the need to reach out for help,” Fonda said.

Fonda’s message to the survivors in Utah is one of love and a shared sisterhood. “She should have never stayed in that house thinking that she was safe,” Fonda said. “My heart goes out to you and I’m so grateful that they did manage to stay safe. It’s a miracle in my mind.”

The memories are difficult to handle, but Fonda said she wants other victims of domestic violence to know that asking for help is what saved her life.

Anyone who is the victim of domestic violence is urged to call New Hampshire’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-644-3574.

Other links: Glamour.com; The Telegraph

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Jul 14

Interview with Former YPG Volunteer Mike Fonda

July 12, 2017 – Mike Fonda describes his experience fighting with the YPG in Syria and the current efforts to raise awareness in the United States to gain support for the fight against ISIS.  

  

KDP arrests two YPG fighters from the US and puts them in the same prison cell with ISIS gangs

hqdefaultRobert Alleva and Michael Fonda, 2 internationalists from the US who came to Rojava to join the fight against ISIS, were arrested by KDP officials and put in the same prison cell with ISIS gangs.

Sunday, August 2, 2015 – News Desk – ANF

Robert Alleva and Michael Fonda, 2 internationalists from the US who came to Rojava to join the fight against ISIS, were arrested and put in the same prison cell with ISIS gangs by KDP officials. KDP officials arrested Robert Alleva, Michael Fonda, Alexandre de Ponte and Russian YPG fighter Semyonov as they were returning to their home countries.

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Photo: Militia fighters Ashley Dyball (front right) and American Mike Fonda (front centre). Gold Coast man Reece Harding (back, second from left) was killed in June. (Supplied: Mike Fonda)

Michael Fonda stated that he is from Centreville, Virginia, and his name in Rojava was Demhat Şirvan. Fonda fought in the US army in Iraq and wanted to join YPG in order to fight against ISIS and liberate Kurdish and Arab towns from ISIS occupation. After being released as a result of the diplomatic efforts of the American Embassy in Erbil, Fonda reported that KDP officials held them in the same prison cell with ISIS gangs for 23 days despite the fact that they had told the officials about their membership in YPG. Fonda ended his statements by criticizing the Turkish government’s collaboration with ISIS, and called upon KDP officials to treat better those who were fighting against ISIS.

Robert Alleva is another YPG fighter from the US, and stayed in Rojava for three months to fight against ISIS. Alleva stated that after their arrests, KDP officials told them that they would soon be sent home but the 4 foreign YPG fighters were kept in the same cell with ISIS gangs in a prison in Erbil for 23 days. Alleva said that KDP wanted to set up an example with their imprisonment, and called upon KDP to not treat foreign YPG fighters the way they had been treated. Alleva noted that YPG was composed of Kurds, Arabs, and Christians, and thanked the people of Rojava for their hospitality and struggle for humanity in the face of ISIS barbarism.

Other links: ABC Australia, National Post, YouTube, Crowdrise

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Jan 27

Story of Masonic Apron – Found at the Battle of Gettysburg on Culp’s Hill – Harrisburg Lodge Thirty-Six Years Later Discovers Owner and Returns Apron

Gettysburg Compiler, Wednesday, May 5, 1909

Battle of Little Round Top – the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Lost by one Federal soldier in the sudden shifting of an army corps at Chancellorsville, Va.: found two months later by another at Gettysburg, Pa.: presented to Perseverance Lodge of Masons, Harrisburg, and finally after a lapse of almost forty-six years returned to the original owner. That is the history of a Masonic apron belonging to E. L. Fonda, of Averill Park, New York, which has recently come to light.  

The history of the apron unfolds a leaf from the past and brings back again stirring memories of the Civil War. The story of the apron, as far as Perseverance Lodge is concerned, opened at Gettysburg, on July 3, 1863.  It was found lying among the rocks on Culp’s Hill, at the conclusion of the second day’s struggle oy John Kunkle of Harrisburg. Mr. Kunkle presented it to Perseverance Lodge on October 12, 1863.

For some years the apron was hung on the lodge room walls, but finally it was taken down and stored with many other relics in a drawer in a cabinet. In March, 1908, Dr. John M.  J. Raunick, at that time worshipful master of Perseverance Lodge, in rummaging through the cabinet, came across the old apron. He examined it closely and discovered on the back the stenciled name, E. L. Fonda, and also the name of the Massachusetts manufacturer of such emblems.

Hoping to find the original owner, if he yet lived, Dr. Raunick wrote to Boston, asking if a man of that name lived there or whether any record of the sale of the apron had ever been kept. He received a negative answer.  This occurred in March of last year.  His next move was to write to the adjutant general of the war department. There also nothing could be learned.

Two letters were next written to the secretary of the war department.  In answer to the second he received word that a man answering to that name of E. L. Fonda had enlisted on August 11, 1862, in the 14th New York Infantry, which was a part of the Army of the Potomac.

Then Dr. Raunick wrote to the adjutant general of New York and the Grand Lodge of Masons in that State.  They could impart no further information. A third letter to the war department brought an answer referring him to the pension department.

It was at this point that the doctor received the most encouragement.  From the pension department he learned that E. L. Fonda lived in Waterbleit, New York. Four letters Dr. Raunick dispatched to Waterbleit. Not one was returned and no answer was received.  The fifth letter the doctor made very strong and insisted upon a reply.

A short time afterwards, namely, March 17, 1909, a letter was received from Averill Park, N. Y. It was written by Edward L. Fonda himself.  He said that he had received a package of several letters, written by Dr.  Raunick and was now answering the first. He also stated that he intended looking at once into the cause of delay.

The Craftsman believes that a Masonic Apron is the most essential physical representation of a man’s commitment to the Craft.

“I moved from Waterbleit to Aver hill Park a short time ago,” wrote Mr.  Fonda. “I was born in West Troy, now Waterbleit, Albany county, New York, on March 11, 1831. I bought the apron in 1853, after I had joined the Pawtucket Lodge, Lowell, Massachusetts, and remember distinctly wearing it for the first time at Bunker Hill, when the statue was unveiled there to General Joseph Warren.

“I enlisted in the 14th New York Infantry in 1862 and we were assigned to the Army of the Potomac. The apron I had with me, stored in my knapsack. On May 1 our regiment was transferred across the Rappahannock river to join the rest of the army.  This was the opening day of battle of Chancellorsville, and in the hurry of forming I lost my knapsack. I did not miss it until in the midst of the fighting, hours later, and I never expected to recover it.

“I took part in the battle of Gettysburg, where you say it was found. Our regiment was stationed at Little Round Top. My full name is Edward Learned Fonda, and I now reside on a farm a few miles from Averill Park.”

Through this letter and several sub sequent ones Dr. Raunick had no trouble in identifying the owner and finally the matter was placed before Perseverance Lodge. It voted unanimously to present the apron to the original owner. The apron was sent to Mr.  Fonda on April 15, 1909, and two days later a letter of fervent thanks was received from the happy veteran.

“The apron,” he wrote, “is nearly as good as new and I must thank Perseverance Lodge for taking such excel lent care of it.  My wife had pressed it and fixed the frayed ends and we have it hanging in the parlor.

In his letter Mr. Fonda enclosed a photograph of himself and this was hung with a photograph of the apron in Perseverance Lodge room, nicely framed.

It is the hope of Dr. Raunick that even after the lapse of years he can find somebody who can bridge the gap between May 1, 1863 and July 3, 1863.  Was it a Confederate or a Federal soldier who dropped the apron at Gettysburg? Will the answer ever be given?

The apron is of white satin with an area of about 24 inches by 18 inches.  It is embroidered with blue and upon it is painted a square and compass, the symbol of Masonry.

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Apr 09

Spirit Airlines passengers battered in fight sue the carrier for continuing to serve alcohol to assailants, failure to protect them

By Nancy Dillon, New York Daily News, Thursday, April 7, 2016

An in-flight riot over a noisy boom box is causing more turbulence for Spirit Airlines. (March 9, 2016)  Three passengers involved in the cabin clash last month sued the carrier Thursday claiming it fueled the flap with copious amounts of alcohol and failed to protect them from injury.  The tail-end of the incident was filmed by other passengers, and wild video of women slapping and grabbing each other over seatbacks quickly went viral.

Gloria Allred announced a lawsuit against Spirit Airlines beside her clients, from left, Lisa Zampella, Tykisha Diadato and Danielle Fonda-Thomas, who were all involved in a fight on board the carrier’s plane.

Gloria Allred announced a lawsuit against Spirit Airlines beside her clients, from left, Lisa Zampella, Tykisha Diadato and Danielle Fonda-Thomas, who were all involved in a fight on board the carrier’s plane.

“I am upset that the Spirit Airlines failed to protect us, disregarded our safety, and instead continued to serve the women in front of us alcoholic beverages even though they were clearly intoxicated and behaving aggressively,” passenger and plaintiff Tykisha Diodato said in a statement Thursday.

Diodato and her friends — fellow plaintiffs Lisa Zampella and Danielle Fonda-Thomas — say they were on the March 9 flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles for a long-awaited vacation.  They claim three other female passengers seated near them got drunk during the flight, blared music from a blue tooth speaker for hours, sang loudly and stood and danced in the cabin, their lawyer Gloria Allred said at a press conference in New York.

When asked hours into the flight to lower the volume of the music, the rowdy passengers did so for a few minutes but then cranked the volume even higher, Allred said.  Shortly before landing, a female flight attendant who allegedly danced to the women’s music earlier in the flight returned and provided them with additional rounds of alcoholic beverages despite their aggressive behavior, the plaintiffs claim.

The tail-end of the incident was filmed by other passengers, and wild video of women slapping and grabbing each other over seatbacks quickly went viral.

The tail-end of the incident was filmed by other passengers, and wild video of women slapping and grabbing each other over seatbacks quickly went viral.

Upon touching down at LAX, the drunk women allegedly began shouting offensive and racist remarks and made the first move in the violent scuffle, Allred said.  “F–k white people!” they yelled, according to Allred.  “What are these f—ing people going to do?”  Allred said her clients were “offended by these racial remarks.”

“Ms. Fonda-Thomas politely informed them that their language was inappropriate in front of children. Unprovoked, one of the intoxicated female passengers stood up, turned around, and began to batter and assault Ms. Fonda-Thomas,” Allred said.  A second intoxicated passenger also began to attack Fonda-Thomas — and that’s when Diodato and Zampella rushed to her defense and also suffered physical injuries, Allred said.  “It was not a mutual combat situation as some have described in prior reports,” Allred said.

“Because there is a lawsuit we are not at liberty to describe the specifics of their injuries,” Allred told the Daily News when asked to elaborate on her client’s alleged physical trauma.  She said her clients are seeking compensatory and punitive damages at trial.  A Spirit spokesman denied the charges in a statement to The News.

Allred said her clients are seeking compensatory and punitive damages at from the airline at trial.

Allred said her clients are seeking compensatory and punitive damages at from the airline at trial.

“The flight had just landed at LAX and the flight attendants were in their jump seats as required by law. When the fight began, our flight attendants immediately moved to break it up. It is not our practice to over-serve alcohol to anyone,” Spirit spokesman Paul Berry said Thursday.

Fonda-Thomas called the experience a “nightmare.”  “On that flight we became victims to a very bad situation and negligence of the airline. It was the first time in my life that I felt unsafe on public transportation,” she said.

“The flight attendants failed to take control of the situation before it got to the point where we were physically attacked, humiliated, and escorted off the plane as if we were criminals.”  Zampella said the flight crew should have stopped serving the women and ensured a peaceful flight for all passengers.  “I fear for anyone who travels with this airline that obviously doesn’t take their passengers’ safety seriously,” she said in a statement.

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Dec 17

Historian bags Boston Tea Party link

1774 letter discovered in Montgomery County refers to tax protest

By Paul Nelson Published Tuesday, December 15, 2015, Times Union

A 1774 letter from a file of Patriot leader Jelles Fonda’s personal writings discovered in the Montgomery County relates to the Boston Tea Party rebellion. The correlation was found by Montgomery County Historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar. The missives, which had never been uncovered before, described the political rift that developed between he and Walter Butler and the heirs of Sir William Johnson, chronicles Johnson’s attempts to curtail free speech and the rebellion of citizens in Tryon County in August 1774. Additionally, Fonda mentions the allegations leveled at him and the repercussions Bostonians would feel for destroying the tea in the city. (Courtesy Montgomery County)

A 1774 letter from a file of Patriot leader Jelles Fonda’s personal writings discovered in the Montgomery County relates to the Boston Tea Party rebellion. The correlation was found by Montgomery County Historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar. The missives, which had never been uncovered before, described the political rift that developed between he and Walter Butler and the heirs of Sir William Johnson, chronicles Johnson’s attempts to curtail free speech and the rebellion of citizens in Tryon County in August 1774. Additionally, Fonda mentions the allegations leveled at him and the repercussions Bostonians would feel for destroying the tea in the city. (Courtesy Montgomery County)

Fort Plain, NY – In the spring Montgomery County Historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar went with her daughter on a class trip to Boston, where they visited the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.

On Monday, Farquhar made history herself when she found personal writings about the subject while taking inventory of the archival collections of patriot leader Jelles Fonda.

On Tuesday, the historian recounted how the words ‘Boston’ and ‘tea’ on those documents caught her eye. They describe the political rift between Fonda and Walter Butler and the heirs of Sir William Johnson, and chronicles Johnson’s attempts to curtail free speech and the rebellion of residents in August 1774 in Tryon County, from which Montgomery and several other counties were later created.

Fonda also mentions allegations leveled at him and the repercussions Bostonians would feel for destroying the tea in the city.  “Everybody that I’ve shown it to is pretty certain it was written by Jelles Fonda,” said Farquhar, who has worked with the county department of history and archives for nearly two decades. She made the find while inventory in advance of making the historical papers digital.

The Boston Tea Party (initially referred to by John Adams as “the Destruction of the Tea in Boston”) was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773. The demonstrators, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution.

The discovery occurred days before Wednesday’s 242nd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, when the city residents dressed as Native Americans dumped tea into the harbor to protest taxes. The Fondas were early settlers in the region, the county seat bears their name and their descendants including the Fonda acting family of Henry, Peter and Jane.

Fort Plain Museum researcher Norm Bollen transcribed the letter, and said in a statement that “reading and understanding 18th-century handwriting can be challenging.”

The letter will be featured as part of a new exhibit he and Farquhar are working on for the department that showcases the history of Tryon County at the beginning of the American Revolution. It is expected to debut sometime next summer.

Farquhar said Tuesday that she remains excited about the find.  “I’ve come across a lot of neat things but this is pretty close to the top of the list, if not the top because of the reference to national history,” she said.

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