111 20 12614 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, November 14, 2001 6:53 PM Comments to the Advance Notice of Rulemaking inre: 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund Attachment 1: November 14, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the Notice). The Department of Justice has a daunting task ahead. In addition to the Notice, I have reviewed the Airline Safety and System Stabilization Act, with particular emphasis on Title IV - Victim Compensation, and will refer to it in this document. As someone who is familiar with the federal regulatory process, I hope that my comments prove to be meaningful to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and help your organization to craft the interim final rules. After you and/or your staff have had an opportunity to review my comments, if you need additional information from me, I would be honored to respond. 1) Page 2. "harm to the claimant" As I read this paragraph, I understand that there are two categories of claimants: (a) individuals who are alive and were "present at" the various sites identified (e.g., World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA) and (b) "personal representatives" of deceased individuals. It is my understanding that "harm to the claimant" relates only to those who are still alive who were injured as a result of the September 11th terrorist activities. I would recommend that the interim final rule makes this clear to the reader, and that the Government will not differentiate the level of harm to the deceased. The Government is not in a position to measure the level of pain and suffering of those who died in an airplane from those who died in one of the attacked buildings. 2) Page 2. (a) The purpose of this notice. The text states that the Department is in the process of seeking information from State and local agencies that may be useful in crafting proposed regulations. May I recommend that DOJ consider other federal agencies with experience in crafting regulations for compensation programs? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for example, has drafted regulations for Vaccine Injury Compensation and the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund. Department of Labor is involved in regulations for compensation for individuals exposed to nuclear contamination. And DoD has draft regulations for compensation for Agent Orange exposure. 3) Page 3. (b) "interim final rules" It is a noble intent to create interim final rules because of the emergency nature of the Victim Compensation legislation. However, both the act and the notice are materially deficient in two areas that would impact the regulatory process. Specifically, nowhere does either identify the dollar amount of the compensation nor the burden of the petitioning process. Because claimants are precluded from lawsuit against the airline industry, they need to know what the Government's offer is. This is particularly important in light of the diminution of the payment under the Act by collateral source material that includes life insurance. There is also ambiguity in the Notice's definition of personal representative who may collect in the case of a decedent. Therefore, until the very basics of the Act can be defined, DOJ may prefer to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) rather than an interim final. 4) Page 3. (c ) How to comment in response to this notice. The text, "...it reserves the right under the circumstance to set aside any information that it lacks the time to consider before the Department must make its determination..." is troubling. The Act and the notice are particularly complex. If the Department requires more time than November 26 to December 21, then it should take the time it needs, particularly in light of the lack of availability of DOJ staff from Thanksgiving through Christmas with staff taking use-or-lose leave. Therefore, December 21 may be optimistic rather than realistic for implementing interim final regulations for a program of this magnitude. 5) Page 4. (e) The effective date of the rules to be promulgated on December 21, 2001. For reasons mentioned in item 4, I believe that December 21, 2001 may be too soon for DOJ to publish interim final rules. Also, depending upon the paperwork burden for claimants, with a 2-year window of opportunity to claim, there may not be sufficient time to prepare a petition package. Not all of the states of the decedents, for example, have issue death certificates as of yet. New York and New Jersey have been particularly effective. However, there are victims from many states outside the eastern seaboard and from outside the United States. 6) Page 5. (f) Withdrawal from legal action within 90 days from the date the rules are promulgated. Unless the interim final rules define the dollar amount of the payment, then there will be very few participants in the Fund, and no motivation to withdraw from legal action. 7) Page 5. Topics #1 and 2. The forms. Section 401 (a)(2)(A) of the legislation states that, "The Special Master shall ensure that such form can be file electronically if determined to be practicable." Even with the limited information provided in the notice, the form and its supporting documentation may be prove to be substantial and not electronically transmittable if the Department needs to determine physical harm suffered by a surviving claimant and proof of death for the personal representative of the deceased claimant. In addition, the issue of what "is present" means has to be resolved before one can design a form to capture that information. Clearly there are two different forms required - one for those who were injured and are still living, a second for the personal representative of the survivors. Before DOJ can design the forms, the Department needs to define its terms. For example: a) What qualifies as a physical injury? b) What is meant by the term is "is present" c) Who qualifies as a deceased victim? d) Who qualifies as a personal representative of a decedent? e) What qualifies as collateral source? Complexities of the above include: a) For injured persons - does the injury include those sustained by falling debris or smoke inhalation? Would they include sprains caused by running from the disintegrating towers and tripping five or more blocks away? Would the injuries include heart attack and strokes? b) Does "is present" mean being inside the Pentagon, World Trade Center, or the airplanes only? Would it include individuals injured or killed in the Pentagon parking lot? How close to the points of impact did one have to be to be "present"? c) Is a deceased victim someone who died in the named buildings and airplanes? What if the person died or was killed by falling debris from the buildings in proximity of the WTC (e.g., the other towers that fell)? What if a survivor died of a heart attack three weeks later? d) Is a personal representative an attorney representing the estate, the widow, the children, the parents, the live-in partner of same or different gender? Should personal representation be based on those who were financially supported in whole or in part by the decedent? Does a person who had a current spouse and children from a prior marriage have multiple representatives? e) The legislation includes life insurance among the collateral sources, as well as pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by Federal, State, or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. Would collateral sources include Red Cross and United Way payments? Church-based collections to the survivors? Neighborhood collections? Donations to memorial funds? Because of this limitation alone, any survivor of someone who was well insured would probably not participate in the Fund. 8) Page 5. Sample Fields for the Forms design: ___________________________________________________ A. For those injured as a result of the terrorist activities: Section A: Personal identifiers (name, address, day time phone, Social Security Number (SSN)) Section B: Nature of injury (provide supporting medical documentation, i.e., a medical report signed by a licensed practitioner). Section C: Your location when you were injured (similar to a police report). Section D: Collateral resources (amount and donor, including receipts and deposits) B. For personal representatives of someone who died as a result of the terrorist activities. Section A. Personal identifiers of the deceased (name, last known address, SSN, date of birth, date of death - not all the terminally injured died September 11, 2001. Some of the emergency workers died subsequently, for example) (include death certificate) Section B: Personal identifiers of the personal representative (name, address, SSN, date of birth, daytime phone, relationship to the deceased.) (include birth certificates and or marriage licenses as proof) Section C: Location of deceased at time of fatal injury (e.g., WTC, Pentagon, Shanksville, PA) Section D: Average annual income of the past three years (include tax returns) Section E: Collateral resources. (see above) Note: The assumption I make for the personal representatives is that the Department will either pay all personal representatives the same amount or that there will be a formula based on the earnings of the deceased (e.g., the salary multiplied by either the number of years left in the deceased's career or the amount of money he or she would have earned over a finite period of time such as 5 years, with a 4% per annum cost of living increase). However, pain and suffering is not part of the equation. Also note that if Collateral Source had not been spelled out in the legislation, I would recommend that the Department not deduct any amount from the payment by the Fund, regardless of insurance or other payments. If the Federal Government is culpable for payment to the injured and/or their survivors, then the payment should be made exclusive of other payments. 9) Page 5. Taking evidence. My recommendation is that all petitions and documentation be in paper and reviewed by a central body with consistent standards. Payment for injuries should be from standard insurance tables. Otherwise, if there are oral procedures and multiple centers around the country, then there is great risk of inequities based on the location of the claimant. 10) Page 5. Should the statute permit the Special Master to temporarily halt or toll the running of the 120-day clock? No, with the exception that certain claimants may provide inadequate documentation and therefore may need more time than 120 days to perfect the claim. However, once the claim is perfected, it should be resolved in 120 days. There is a finite universe of injured and deceased - probably 6,000 or less. And the processed should be sized appropriate to handle claims in a timely fashion. 11) Page 6. Qualifications of the hearing masters. Based on other federal programs that make similar judgments on petitions for payments, the reviewers or "hearing masters" should include teams of individuals experienced and trained in medical and legal matters (e.g. health care practitioners and lawyers or paralegals). 12) Page 6. Procedures to assist an individual in filing and pursuing claims under this title. If the process is kept simple and straightforward, then a web page and toll-free help line should suffice. In addition, the addresses of most of the victims are already known (e.g., personnel records and passenger manifests), therefore, the Department has the opportunity to create instruction packages delivered by direct mail. However, if the filing process becomes onerous, then DOJ may need to offer training and filer support either directly or through contract in the key areas of PA, DC, VA, MD, NJ, NY, and CT. 13) Page 6. Limit the amount of fees that can be charged by legal counsel. The Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998 sets a limit of 10% of the compassionate payment to legal counsel. However, the premise of that program is that the forms and filing would be simple enough that legal counsel is not necessary (which is also consistent with the Title IV. However, if the filing process becomes complex, then DOJ cannot put a limit on the charges. 14) Page 7. Department regulation or statement to clarify criteria. The Department absolutely needs to clarify the criteria by regulation. See comment #7 above. 15) Page 7. "Present at", "Physical Harm" and "immediate aftermath" These terms need to be defined specifically. And there is an understanding that some people will feel entitled to compensation from the fund, even if they do not meet the definitions. "Present at" should include: a) At WTC - the entire World Trade Center complex, not just the towers. Virtually every building in proximity of the towers was damaged. This would exclude anyone north of Greenwich Village, for example, who sustained eye injury from flying dust. b) At the Pentagon - the Pentagon building and the parking lot. c) In Shanksville, PA - anywhere within a 100-yard radius of the point of impact, considering the risk of flying debris. Physical harm should be limited to currently identifiable injuries, with currency determined as within 120 hours of harm (e.g., someone who sustained a back injury may not know it immediately, however, it may become symptomatic within 5 days). This would exclude someone who had a heart attack two weeks later. Immediate aftermath should be limited to injuries and/or death within 5 days of the terrorist attack. 16) Page 7. Documentation of claimant's presence at the World Trade Center. I would add the Pentagon as well. Documentation would include proof of employment and no proof by the WTC or Pentagon that the individual was on leave September 11. For example, if DoD had a signed leave slip for an individual for September 11th, and that person coincidentally died that day, then there may be an assumption that he or she died from other than the terrorist attack and therefore should be excluded. 17) Page 7. Personal representatives. The determination of eligibility should be a direct result of the representative's financial support by the deceased. This clearly includes spouse and minor children. In the case where the spouse and minor children lived with the deceased, then there should be one payment to the spouse. If the spouse lived with the deceased and the minor children did not, then the payment should be pro-rated 50% for the spouse and the remaining 50% divided among the minor children. If there are others (e.g., life partners and parents) who can demonstrate that they were supported by the deceased (e.g. dependents as documented on income tax forms), they should collect from the Fund prorated at the same level as spouses and children. Parent survivors, siblings, etc. who were not supported by the deceased should not qualify for the payment from the Fund. 18) Page 7. Nature and amount of compensation. As mentioned above, for the injured the Department should use standard, insurance payment tables based on the region (e.g. New York may possibly pay more for a loss of an arm than, say, Northern Virginia). For the personal representatives of the deceased, there is only the death benefit, without regard to location of the death (e.g. airplane, building, or ground). 19) Page 8. Economic loss for individuals whose economic streams were variable. As mentioned above, the claimant should provide income tax forms for the past three years and use the average as the basis if income is indeed a determinant. The alternative is a flat fee regardless of the income of the survivor. The Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund, for example, pays $100,000 in one tax-free payment, without needs-testing the petitioner. In addition to the above items, the Department needs to consider an appeal process to handle claimants who have been disapproved and who feel that the reviewers were in error in their disapproving the claim. As a friend of a woman who lost her husband in the World Trade Center, and a high school classmate of an individual who died in the airplane that hit the Pentagon, I have more than a casual interest in the outcomes for the survivor families. If I can provide any additional assistance to the Department of Justice in its preparation of the regulations, I would be honored to do so. In summation, whether through NPRM or interim final rules, DOJ needs to specify that amount of the payments from the Fund for claimants. It also needs to establish the basis of payment (flat fee or economic based on earning potential of the injured or deceased), limit the amount to be deducted from the payment because of money from a collateral source (the preference being to nullify this requirement of the legislation). And for personal representatives, I recommend that the payment be based on those whose support is impacted by the death or permanent disability of a victim. Individual Comment Kensington, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000351.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, January 09, 2002 5:46 PM Women's Victim Compensation Our government has justified the war on Afghanistan's Taliban by pointing out that: 1) The Taliban harbored the terrorists who attacked us, and 2) The Taliban abused human rights and especially those of women. This is abhorrent to us, because here we know men and women to be equal. That said, it is astonishing to learn that the FEDERAL compensation fund for victims of September 11 is partly basing payments on gender (as well as salary). Michael Rozen, the deputy special master of the fund, has said, "We will certainly take into account differing work life expectancies between men and women." On average, women work five years less than men. The statisticians in charge of calculating how to pay out the fund factor in this statistic, but not the unpaid labor of having and raising children. They don't count average 25 hours of housework per week that working women do (compared to 10 hours for men). A paid lifetime of this work could add up to $300,000. The statisticians don't include statistics that show that the higher a woman's educational level, the longer her work life. Since more women now attend college than men, the gap in work life expectancy is narrowing even more. None of this counts. The fund is using statistics at least two years old; there isn't time for new statistics to be factored in because the fund must start paying out NOW. Here's a novel idea: Throw out the statistics and grab a calculator. Divide the amount of money in the fund by the number of victims. Value all life equally. Sincerely, Individual Comment Decatur, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-09 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001488.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-09 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 7:20 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Mission Viejo, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000497.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, December 23, 2001 6:26 PM Equal compensation December 23, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Lexington, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000789.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 8:52 PM Victim comments It seems to me that the government maybe should give each victim a set amount of compensation and any appeals should be the responsibility of the particular victim. The government probably should use funds to get the economy back on track and to aid businesses who were also affected greatly. That would boost the economy eventually, hopefully, if these businesses, such as airlines, hotels, etc. could get their employees back to work. I also think that the charitable organizations and the funds from the benefit concerts, should be required by government to provide a large part of compensation to the victims. The money was donated for that purpose, but it seems that these funds are not getting to the victims. As much money as there was donated, it seems that there should be plenty for all victims. We gave our donation thinking it was going directly to help a WTC victim, not to be a part of a general fund for the Red Cross. Those victims should have already been compensated by all of the organizations that recieved donations, lessening the burdon on the government. The government has a very costly war to fight now and for how long who knows, and with so many people out of work, what about those people as many jobs have been eliminated because of the terrorist act. It has made it difficult on most everyone and the government coffers are only so large. My vote would be for the charitable organizations to be required to cough up the compensation from the donations made specifically for the WTC victims. Again I think any further litigation should be the responsibility of each individual victim. Individual Comment Parkville, MO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000148.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 11:02 AM Comments on Victims Compensation I am very concerned about the fact that the Government will provide compensation to victims of the September 11, 2001 disaster. While this was the utmost invasion of US soil by terrorist, I am very concerned that the government will not take into consideration all the facts. First of all the victims families should be compensated to the fullest. The companies that employed known victims should be the first to make sure families of the victims are taken care of. The Red Cross is also involved in this process I am told. I however do not know the full involvement of the Red Cross. There will surely be law suits against parties. The law suits should move forward and just compensation given. My point is that the Government should be very careful and let the just and normal compensation by employers and outcomes of lawsuits take place before a fund established by Congress be used for compensation. This was a great tragedy. There is no denying that. However be ever vigilant of what is happening and do not throw money at something that will be taken care of in a prudent manner. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000094.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 12:45 PM Justice to All... Hello, It is my sincere hope that all Americans who lost their lives and their affected loved ones be supported in any way possible. You have the ability to see that they can grieve and go through their process without having to worry about finances. It is right to see all humans as equal. Please include Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans. persons in your assistance programs. Thank you, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000924.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 14, 2001 12:13 PM fair treatment for all surviving families Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Oakland, California September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001760.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:21 AM Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Minneapolis, MN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002732.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Chicago, IL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004846.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 1:56 PM Kenneth Feinberg appearance on "Meet the Press" 03/12/02 Dear President Bush, If the quotes attributed to Kenneth Feinberg from his appearance on "Meet the Press" are accurate, I am outraged. As disturbing as the past six months have been, it was heartening to see that when push came to shove, even the most liberal of us could rally behind your leadership. I hope for a speedy revision of this policy. Will you offer support and relief to every person affected by the bombings in New York, Washington D.C., and western Pennsylvania? Will you include the partners or gays and lesbians? Or, will bias and discrimination erode the tenuous recovery that Americans are just beginning to muster. Please let me know. Sincerely, Individual Comment NYC NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000465.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 12:26 AM outraged I am outraged at the goverment refusing to alow the compensation of gay partners of the Sept 11 tragedy. I am sick of being overlooked as an american citizen. I cant get married, I cant filed taxes together,there are very few things I can do with my partner. I believe that if we look at the american citizens......all of them...give the compensation to those still grieving......AMERICAN CITIZENS....If I had died in that wreck I would want my partner to receive those benefits....what a shame an illegial alien could get benifits before she would. We are both tax payers..... Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002061.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 6:34 AM Re: 9/11 Fund All I want to say is how can we expect to have peace in the world when we have this kind of discrimination and intolerance going on right here in our own country. Gay and lesbian couples should be treated the same as any of our fellow human beings with the same rights as heterosexuals. Anything less is disgraceful and inexcusable! Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002297.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 1:49 AM Subject: My Comments On Compensation I feel that compensation should be provided to those needing it most. There should be some form of means testing. Family assets, life insurance, retirement proceeds, and other compensation and financial assets should be taken into consideration. Those families with sizeable assets should be eliminated. Assets from Sept. 11 funds should only be made to those families with a bona fide need. Thanks for considering my opinion. Individual Comment Bedford, IN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000052.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 10:26 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Mr. Zwick, Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Syracuse, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000617.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 11:17 PM Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners December 18, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Whitewater, WI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002438.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment College Park, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004881.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 2:52 PM Give justice to all To whom it may concern: I am writing to express my concern that the victim relief fund that has been established is not recognizing gay and lesbian partners. It is ridiculous that this population is continuously being pushed aside. Gays and Lesbians have also been affected by this terrible tragedy, and it is extremely important that they receive the compensation that they deserve. I sincerely hope that whoever is in charge of making these kind of decsions will reconsider this case of extremely poor judgement. I am not part of this population, but I am writing because I am want you to know that this issue affects everyone. Please don't contribute to our oppressive world. Give these people the respect and compensation the deserve, and help to make our orld more open and diverse. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002208.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, November 26, 2001 11:51 AM Comments, VictimComp Attachment 1: November 20, 2001 The Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 10th Street and Constitution Avenue Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Attorney General Ashcroft: As you are aware, on September 22 President Bush signed into law H.R. 2926, the Air Transportation Safety and Systems Stabilization Act (Public Law 107-42). Contained in this act is a provision entitled," the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001," which creates a government-sponsored fund for victims who choose not to sue the airlines. Our desire is to make sure that no person, no matter how small, is left out when the victims are recognized. Regarding Topic #5 on Claimant Eligibility, we respectfully request that you consider as "eligible victims" the unborn children who perished along with their pregnant mothers as a result of the September 11 attacks. We thank you for your service during these difficult times, and we uphold you in our prayers. Sincerely, Comments by: Traditional Values Coalition September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000569.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 3:44 PM 9/11 Fund Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Dept of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I was angry and saddened when I learned that some of the 9/11 victims' families would not receive compensation for the tragic loss of their loved ones. And all because their loved ones were gay or lesbian. Why is this? What is the explanation for such discrimination and who is responsible and accountable for the decision? This is not so far removed from the discrimination of another country we have just witnessed - Afghanistan's Taliban order and its horrible treatment of women. If this decision goes forward, are we no better? I don't think so - they are both reactions to fear and a lack of education. This is very disturbing and I am ashamed of my country if this withholding of aid and compensation is allowed to happen. Have we no sense of fairness and compassion? I will remember this when it comes time again to elect our national leaders. My questions in paragraph one are not rhetorical - I would appreciate and deserve an answer. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bainbridge Island, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002000.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18