# Accusations Flying About Re: Mrs. Kerry **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 21, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209 "2004-07-21T17:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/1 "2004-07-21T17:25:07Z")
Received this from a Republican friend & thought I’d bring it to this forum; sunlight has a way of killing slime: > [@](#): > > Maria Teresa Thiersten Simoes-Ferreira Heinz Kerry was born in Mozambique, the daughter of a Portuguese physician, was educated in Switzerland and South Africa. Fluent in five languages, she was working as a United Nations interpreter in Geneva in the mid-60’s when she met a “handsome” young American, H. John Heinz, III, who worked at a bank in Geneva. He told her his family was “in the food business.” > > They were married in 1966 and returned to Pittsburgh where his family ran the giant H. J. Heinz food company. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1971, and in 1976 he was elected to the first of three terms in the United States Senate. A Republican, he wrote a burning diatribe against some of the causes backed by young House member John Kerry. > > Several years later, in 1991, he was killed when his plane collided with a Sun Oil Company helicopter over a Philadelphia suburb. The senator, his pilot and copilot, and both of Sun’s helicopter pilots were killed. He was survived by his wife, Teresa, and their three young sons. > > Four years later, having inherited Heinz’s $500 million fortune, she married Senator John Forbes Kerry, the liberal then-junior senator from Massachusetts. She became a registered Democrat and the process of her radicalization was set in motion. > > Heinz Kerry is not shy about telling people that she required Kerry to sign a prenuptial agreement before they were married. John Kerry may not have check writing privileges on the Heinz catsup and pickle fortune, but he is certainly a willing and uncomplaining beneficiary of it. > > A lot of hard-earned money, made through many years of hawking catsup, mustard, and pickles has fallen into the hands of two people who despise successful entrepreneurship and who believe in the confiscatory redistribution of wealth. > > So how does Mrs. Heinz Kerry spend John Heinz’s money? > > Just one example: > > According to the G2 Bulletin, an online intelligence newsletter of World Net Daily, in the years between 1995-2001 she gave more than $4 million to an organization called the Tides Foundation. And what does the Tides Foundation do with John Heinz’s money? > > They support numerous antiwar groups, including Ramsey Clark’s International Action Center. Clark has offered to defend Saddam Hussein when he’s tried. > > They support the Democratic Justice Fund, a joint venture of the Tides Foundation and billionaire hate-monger George Soros. The Democratic Justice Fund seeks to ease restrictions on Muslim immigration from “terrorist” states. > > They support the Council for American-Islamic Relations, whose leaders are known to have close ties to the terrorist group, Hamas. > > They support the National Lawyers Guild, organized as a communist front during the Cold War era. One of their attorneys, Lynne Stewart, has been arrested for helping a client, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, communicate with terror cells in Egypt. He is the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. > > They support the “Barrio Warriors,” a radical Hispanic groupwhose primary goal is to return all of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico. > > These are but a few of the radical groups that benefit, through the anonymity provided by the Tides Foundation, from the generosity of our would-be first lady, the wealthy widow of Republican senator John Heinz, and now the wife of the Democratic senator who aspires to be the 44th President of the United States. > > Aiding and supporting our enemies is not good for America, regardless of your political views. > > If voters will open their eyes, educate themselves and see the real Teresa Heinz Kerry, they will not appreciate her position as ultra rich fairy godmother of the radical left. They will not want to imagine her laying her head on a pillow each night inches away from the President of the United States. > > Hopefully they love this country enough to decide that the only way these two will ever be allowed into the White House is with an engraved invitation in hand. > > Instead of deleting this, pass it on. Let everyone know these people are unfit to represent this great nation. The uninformed will never hear the truth from the press, who wants Kerry elected! > > Those who buy the Kerry facade, beware what you vote for - - -you may regret that you got it! It was sent with the subject “Mrs. Kerry is scary”, which I find highly ironic considering the fear-mongering Republican media machine. I don’t know if the all of the accusations are true, or even necessarily troublesome, but what struck me is that given the large sums of money donated by Mrs. Kerry, it seems quite possible that some could wind up in the pockets of questionable characters. Sort of like, when you donate money to United Way and one of the Boy Scout troop leaders they funded turns out to have molested a child; by their logic it could be argued that you supported pedophiles. Anybody know anything about this _G2 Bulletin_? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/2 "2004-07-21T17:42:01Z")
So what’s the source of this bit of literary tripe? Or is it just one of those chain letter libels that makes its way around the net? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/3 "2004-07-21T17:50:56Z")
Rightists who claim to know what is “good for America” are no better than leftists who claim to know what is “the common good”. Delete the glurge. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/4 "2004-07-21T17:53:25Z")
I hear that she doesn’t even _use_ ketchup, and secretly stocks her fridge with mayonaise. Anybody who will put that French concoction on their freedom fries just has to be a communist. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/5 "2004-07-21T17:58:20Z")
Ohhhhhhh she sounds like she might just kind of be a bit scary…best vote for Bush. We know he is scary. No use in taking a chance on maybes. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/6 "2004-07-21T17:59:36Z")
Ah yes, a little peering under rocks on the net reveals a Mr. Joseph Farah, the author of the posted article. Mr. Farah is an “independent journalist” who “reports stories that the mainstream media won’t” report. He appears to be a rightie talk-show hack with collaboration ties to Rush Limbaugh’s book, and who has published his own book “Taking America Back”. It seems that he has some journalism credentials, but I can’t get a take on his overall politics from the bit that I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/7 "2004-07-21T17:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > John Kerry may not have check writing privileges on the Heinz catsup and pickle fortune, but he is certainly a willing and uncomplaining beneficiary of it. Oh. So Kerry’s a MASS Ketchup Man–more despicable even than a TX Oil Man. > [@](#): > > They support numerous antiwar groups, including Ramsey Clark’s International Action Center. Clark has offered to defend Saddam Hussein when he’s tried. Anti war groups? Justice for the acused? How can we tolerate this! > [@](#): > > They support the “Barrio Warriors,” a radical Hispanic groupwhose primary goal is to return all of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico. And even if they do…so? > [@](#): > > Aiding and supporting our enemies is not good for America, regardless of your political views. Tentative agreement here…but please define “our.” I sense fear of foreighers/fear of education/fear of the devil we do not know in support of the devil we do know. Fer Chrisakes, we’re not electing Teresa any more than we did Babs or Hillary. Kerry’s opponents need to do better than this. I’m disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/8 "2004-07-21T18:04:25Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Kerry’s opponents need to do better than this. I’m disappointed. You can’t expect very much from idiots. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/9 "2004-07-21T18:08:11Z")
From a [press release–dated March 2004–on the Tides Foundation’s web site](http://www.tidesfoundation.org/press_rel_04.cfm): > [@](#): > > Here are the facts: The Heinz Endowments have granted Tides Foundation $230,000 dispensed between 1994 and 1998. These grants were used solely to support a pollution prevention initiative and other environmentally friendly practices by industries in Western Pennsylvania. Tides Center, an independent organization providing administrative and financial services to hundreds of projects across the country, has received additional support from The Heinz Endowments specifically to support projects in Pennsylvania. The vast majority of the projects funded through these endowments were related to either environmental protection or youth education. No Heinz- related money has gone to fund September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of Senator John Kerry, chairs The Howard Heinz Endowment and sits on Vira I. Heinz Endowment’s board. > > For the record, the Tides family of organizations is proud to provide support and services to Peaceful Tomorrows - a grassroots organization whose activities revolve around nonviolence and peaceful resolutions - through Tides Foundation, Tides Center, and [Groundspring.org](http://Groundspring.org), an organization that provides training and web-based services for online fundraising. Tides Foundation has made four grants in 2002 and 2003 for a combined total of $34,665 to Peaceful Tomorrows. Peaceful Tomorrows has raised $19,097 through [Groundspring.org](http://Groundspring.org) since August, 2002. Interestingly enough, the International Action Center is against Kerry/Edwards and plans to protest at the DNC. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/10 "2004-07-21T18:09:16Z")
The Mikklesons contacted The Heinz Endowments about it, and its president says it’s complete crap. > **[John Kerry and Tides Foundation](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tides-foundation/)** > > Does Teresa Heinz Kerry donate to fringe political groups through the Tides Foundation? For what that’s worth. Joseph Farah is a regular contributor to Worldnet Daily, and I’ve consistently found him to be entirely dishonest. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/11 "2004-07-21T18:12:36Z")
Check that: he’s also the _founder_ of WorldNetDaily. For those of y’all unfamiliar with it, it’s an extremely right-wing and evangelical Christian rag with, in my opinion, a sufficient history of lies, misinformation, and spin as to make it untrustworthy in the extreme, not to mention virtually unreadable. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/12 "2004-07-21T18:18:01Z")
You know, though, just slinging mud back doesn’t shed any light on the subject. The Heinz Endowments has given some money to the Tides organization. And they are a very liberal organization in general. I wouldn’t give them one thin dime, myself. But it seems that the grants in 2003 went to the Tides Center branch in Pittsburgh, for the following purposes: Tides Center —Western Pennsylvania For Sustainable Pittsburgh operating support Howard Heinz Endowment $300,000 Tides Center—Western Pennsylvania For the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership for development of the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Conservation Plan Vira I. Heinz Endowment $150,000 Tides Center —Western Pennsylvania For southwestern Pennsylvania natural amenities and green infrastructure plan Howard Heinz Endowment $600,000 Tides Center —Western Pennsylvania For the Cool Space Locator project Howard Heinz Endowment $200,000 Tides Center —Western Pennsylvania To support the second phase of the Youth Standards initiative aimed at improving the quality of services for youth ages 11–19 Vira I. Heinz Endowment $60,000 Tides Center —Western Pennsylvania To support projects targeted at retaining young people and encouraging community involvement via the Sprout Fund Howard Heinz Endowment $100,000 Tides Center—Western Pennsylvania For the implementation of WorkKeys testing in high schools Vira I. Heinz Endowment $250,000 Source: [http://www.heinz.org/files/Report2002.pdf](http://www.heinz.org/files/Report2002.pdf) The statement on the Tides Foundation website backs up this pattern of giving. There’s nothing to see here. The worst that can be said is that giving the Tides Foundation this money let them use their own money to fund the National Lawyers’ Guild and CAIR. And that’s a big big stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/13 "2004-07-21T18:20:15Z")
A debunking: > **[U.S. Foreign Policy](https://www.thoughtco.com/us-foreign-policy-4133010)** > > The U. S. has alliances with some nations and tensions with others. Although the factors influencing these relationships are never static and often complex, these resources can help you understand the underlying policies behind U.S. foreign policy... BTW, according to the May 03, 2004 issue of Newsweek (and probably other sources I’m too lazy to look up), Mrs. Kerry was a registered Republican until last year, so the implication from the OP’s quoted e-mail that she changed party affiliation when she married John Kerry is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/14 "2004-07-21T18:29:26Z")
> [@Earthling](#): > > A debunking: > [U.S. Foreign Policy](http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_teresa_heinz_kerry.htm) > > BTW, according to the May 03, 2004 issue of Newsweek (and probably other sources I’m too lazy to look up), Mrs. Kerry was a registered Republican until last year, so the implication from the OP’s quoted e-mail that she changed party affiliation when she married John Kerry is incorrect. Oh. So what we have here is a whole houshold of flip-floppers. How’d we miss that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/15 "2004-07-21T18:34:47Z")
> [@](#): > > So how does Mrs. Heinz Kerry spend John Heinz’s money? She DOESN’T SPEND John Heinz’s money. John Heinz is dead and buried - he doesn’t possess a dime. Teresa Kerry spends her own damn money. For a party that correctly champions inheritance laws, Republicans are awfully quick to jump ship when it suits them. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/16 "2004-07-21T18:40:41Z")
An excellent point, Munch! ---
**Author:** ![wireless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@wireless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wireless)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/17 "2004-07-21T18:51:01Z")
> [@](#): > > So how does Mrs. Heinz Kerry spend **John Heinz’s money**? > [snip] > And what does the Tides Foundation do with **John Heinz’s money**? [bolding mine] Why do they keep referring to it as _his_ (John Heinz’) money - like he personally went out and sold all that ketchup and those pickles? Seems to me it’s hers now. And (mostly) she got it the same way he did - inheritance. Take issue with how she spends _her_ money, if you must (I don’t). But don’t call it _his_. ---
**Author:** ![wireless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@wireless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wireless)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/18 "2004-07-21T18:52:55Z")
Damn my slow fingers and computer. And you, too, **Munch** , while I’m at it, for beating me to the point! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/19 "2004-07-21T18:57:30Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > An excellent point, Munch! Thanks. Another line that pisses me off is the “is that someone you want sleeping on the next pillow to the President of the United States?” Why make it sound so sinister? Do you think she’s going to be up late at night plotting his murder by sticking a knitting needle through his ear or something? Christ, she’s a sincere woman who’s seemingly worked hard her whole life, and is charismatic enough to draw the romantic attention of influential and powerful men. That isn’t a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209/20 "2004-07-21T19:00:48Z")
Wow, glad I posted this! I was busy replying to the rest of this friend’s email while my babies nap & I just didn’t know anything about the Teresa Kerry accusations. Thanks for the links! Hopefully her circle of email friends will read the corrections I sent, who knows how much further it’s already gone. Wshew! 😉 Fighting ignorance is hard work! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accusations-flying-about-re-mrs-kerry/256209.md?page=2)