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You need to be careful what you pass on and make sure you know where you are receiving your information from.  This email is a hoax and was started in an opinion column.  It retains no merit.  Trust me, if these allegations were true they would be on the front page of EVERY newspaper no matter how radical or liberal they may be.

The truth is this email was created to be slanderous and to undercut John Kerry.  I have no problems with emails attacking Kerry's record or platforms, but false attacks on character are a disgrace to the campaigning process.  Plus, though first ladies are an important part of the candidate, try to think of one law past by Laura Bush.  You probably can't, and neither can I, as first ladies do not participate in legislation (Well, until a woman is elected president).

I am attaching information from "Snoops", a respected website that double checks allegations and is a combatant to false information (See Below).  You should make it a habit (as I do) that when something doesn't sound quite right, to check it.

~Matthew

In recent weeks, The Heinz Endowments has been accused of using its funding of the Tides Center of Western Pennsylvania to advance a laundry list of partisan causes and fringe political groups. This accusation is simply wrong.

It originated in an opinion column written by a researcher for the conservative, Washington, D.C.-based Capital Research Center. The crux of CRCs argument is that money directed by the Endowments to Tides is "fungible." By supporting projects through Tides, CRC alleged that Heinz has secretly funneled money to every other organization that has ever received funding through Tides Center and the separate Tides Foundation.

Since first being published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, CRCs accusation has been picked up and expanded in opinion pieces in a number of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and the Washington Times. But not even these publications have leveled this allegation in actual news stories.

The reason why is obvious: The charge does not stand up to objective scrutiny. Four facts undercut it completely. First, by legally binding contract, every penny of Heinzs support to Tides has been explicitly directed to specific projects in Pennsylvania. It cannot legally be redirected and is the exact opposite of fungible.

Second, the Tides Center is a provider of management and administrative services, and we have used it only for those services, not to advance Tides grant making agenda. Foundations from all across the country-many, like Heinz, with strong centrist agendas-use these services to incubate an array of nonprofit programs. So does the federal government. It is no more accurate to suggest that Heinz supports every one of these programs than it is to suggest that someone who contributes to a specific group through the United Way supports the agenda of every other United Way beneficiary.

Third, the projects we have supported through Tides speak for themselves. They include programs to test the career readiness of area high school students, protect Pittsburghs environment and retain young people in our region-hardly an extremist agenda.

Fourth and finally, information about every one of our Tides-related grants is and always has been readily available in our public filings, annual reports and here on our web site. Far from being secretive, we have been consistently open in detailing the nature of our grants to Tides and every other organization we fund.

http://www.snopescom/politics/kerry/tides.asp

John Kerry's Wife

Do you find it strange that Kerry's wife is never with him? Do you find it strange that you never hear any thing about her? This may be why! As time goes on, we're just getting to know the possible future First Lady of the United States of America, and it is quite interesting. You'll be hearing even more about Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic front-runner. She has quite a track record, especially when it comes to the causes she donates to.

One of her favorite charities is the Tides Foundation. What is that, you ask? This foundation sends hundreds of millions of dollars to groups that protested the invasion of Iraq; that demands open U.S. borders; and provides legal defense for suspected terrorists. Among other groups supported by Kerry's wife: Ramsey Clark's International Action Center. This is the same Ramsey Clark that offered to defend Saddam Hussein.

Another group seeks to ease restrictions on immigration from terrorist nations. Another group has links to the terrorist group Hamas. And on and on. American jobs are OUTSOURCED by John F. Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry! We need to ask: Why not manufacture in America and ship finished products overseas? How many American workers are in these Heinz overseas factories?