When I saw the headline, ACLU loses one-fourth of yearly donations, I clicked right over to read the article and laugh. Instead of a victory dance, I had just one more example of the Associated (with terrorists) Press‘ twisted priorities.
David Gelbaum has been giving generously – and anonymously – to charities for years but because of the beating his alternative-energy investments have taken, cannot do so this year. The Associated (with terrorists) Press wailed about this crushing $19 million blow to the ACLU budget, and prominently noted the Sierra Club as another charity taking a big hit of $12 million. Oh, and you know who else was affected? Some unnamed charity that serves Iraq and Afghanistan veterans isn’t getting $50 million this year.
The AP notes that “Gelbaum says he hopes others will step forward and replace his donations.”
Which is why they so helpfully focused on the ACLU and Sierra Club Foundation. Even the Sierra Club donations were “earmarked for outdoor programs for military families, including a popular summer camp program for children of deployed veterans.” Though it’s difficult to discern given the AP’s focus on the ACLU, obviously Gelbaum’s charitable impulses were focused on supporting the troops and their families.
I eventually found the name of the military charity taking such a big hit. While several other media outlets focused on the ACLU in the headline, they did at least mention the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund by name somewhere in the article. While the IADIF is not well known, it provides grants to military support organizations such as the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. No, not the despicable anti-war IVAW. Though the IAWA has a lot of liberal connections, including with the Soros family and Democracy in Action, Blackfive had this to say about it:
I agree with IAVA on many, many issues including TBI and PTSD care. I admire the work that IAVA has done (their staff in DC busts their asses for us vets) and Paul Rieckhoff and I have teamed up on issues.
In fact, of the $380 million Gelbaum has given in the last 4 years, $246.6 million of it has gone to the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, so this is a really huge blow to them and the troops they serve. That may well have been cause for a victory dance on the part of the Associated (with terrorists) Press.
