Perhaps the folks at the United Way and the New York Community Trust felt bad for the American Red Cross, sitting alone atop the Congressional hot seat for the alleged mishandling of 9-11 funds. What else could explain their shelling out $30,000 in "grant" money from their September 11^th Fund to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), an Asian-American civil rights group?

Perhaps we’re missing something here, but we’re not aware of any 9-11-related profiling of Asian-Americans. No senseless "retaliatory" attacks on Asians in convenience stores. No prominent Asian religious figures urging tolerance and deeper understanding of Asian culture. No Geraldo Rivera plaguing the Asian countryside. So what gives?

According to CNSNews.com, the AALDEF’s executive director, Margaret Fung, says the grant was to hire community activists to help collect information and provide legal aid to victims of hate crimes, "particularly in the South Asian community in New York City." According to Fung, some of the money was also to fight "workplace discrimination." Oh, that explains it.

We’re sure those millions of Americans who gave generously to the September 11^th Fund to help the families and victims of the terrorist attacks will be delighted to hear that while some of those families and victims haven’t received one penny from the fund, money is going to fight workplace discrimination. Are you angry? It gets worse.

Turns out the AALDEF is part of a group suing the Justice Department for its detention of immigrants with suspected ties to terrorists. So, not only are September 11^th Fund contributors indirectly helping to support a special interest group’s agenda, they’re indirectly supporting an organization that’s fighting the government’s attempt to bring the guilty to justice.

Incidentally, AALDEF is a member of the Alliance for Justice, which includes the National Organization for Women (NOW), Planned Parenthood and the Earth Justice Legal Defense Fund. But who’s going to hold that against them?

A spokeswoman for the September 11^th Fund told CNSNews.com that the ideology of non-profit groups receiving the grants is irrelevant. "I don’t think people are saying, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t want to help them if the person who is helping them might not have all the same values I have.’" We have a different view, but we’re not holding the gavel.

Shove over Red Cross, we think you’re about to get some company.