Collected Thoughts

I can't comment on the specific allegations without doing some research. As far as the Tides Foundation, I've given them money myself -- they support social justice and progressive causes. The Tides Foundation is in San Francisco and they have a website. They've posted a press release responding to some of the allegations in the email: http://www.tidesfoundation.org/press_rel_04.cfm

Presumably the person who wrote this email picked out some of the more controversial donations, if they are in fact true. And he/she has spun them in an oddly sinister way. For example, I have no problem with an organization funding anti-war groups. I have no problem with a lawyer being willing to provide legal council -- even if it's to Saddam Hussein. (Isn't that one of the things we take pride in as Americans? Allowing prisoners access to legal representation?) As someone who is pretty far on the radical left myself, I like organizations that promote social change.

In any case, I am 100 percent certain that if you picked apart the Bush family charitable donations, you could find that equally controversial causes have benefited in some way. That's just the downside of big organizations -- they can't/don't monitor every organization they work with.

I'm glad you posted this -- I had not seen it. :)