254 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, December 19, 2001 9:26 AM Don't discriminate while defining 'family' 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 Neptune, NJ 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 dojA002859.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. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:20 PM 9/11 Fund Distribution > I am appalled by the Kenneth Feinberg's comments on Meet the Press this > past Sunday. I am ashamed that my government would see fit to so openly > discriminate against Gays and Lesbians, people who were equally devastated > by the events of September 11. I rejoice over the new found freedoms of > the women of Afghanistan, but wonder how we can call other governments > discriminatory when we won't even acknowledge such a large, politically > active, community-oriented group in our own country. > > Is there something that tells you that gays and lesbians grieve less, > sacrifice less, or in any way are less affected than other U.S. Citizens > by these events? How can you in good conscience say that you will forgive > immigration violations to compensate illegal immigrants, yet ignore and > marginalize a group of citizens who were legally employed? How can you > look into the faces of the loved ones of those who died - people who loved > and cared for the victims as much as any spouse - and tell them that they > don't count simply because of their sexual orientation? I think the > obvious answer is that you decline to look at them at all. For that you > should be ashamed, especially to wrap your discrimination in the cloak of > warding off lawsuits, an incredibly specious arguement and one not worthy > of consideration. Not in this country, not in this time. > > I hope that you will reconsider your actions, take the right and moral > step and compensate those who lost loved ones, regardless of their sexual > orientation. I expect my government to act in a more noble manner. > > > > Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 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 dojR000635.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. 2002-03-13 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. STATE OF OKLAHOMA DISTRICT ATTORNEY COUNCIL OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA November 8, 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 RE: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick, In the attached document, I have attempted to answer each topic with relevant comments that may assist the Department in setting up the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. My comments are based on 17 years of experience with a state compensation program and more specifically, my experience in assisting victims with compensation after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. I hope you find these comments and recommendations useful. If I can offer further information, please feel free to call me at . Sincerely, Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Board Billing Code: Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General 28 CFR Part 104 CIV 104P; AG Order No. RIN: 1105-AA79 September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Dept. of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 From: Administrator Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Board Oklahoma City, OK Date: November 8, 2001 Re: Public comments regarding September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Topic 1 & 2: The forms to be used in submitting claims under this program and the information to be included on the claims form: I recommend the Special Master obtain copies of claim forms from state victims compensation programs and decide which one meets their needs without having to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak. The National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards has links to state compensation programs at their website: nacvcb.org. Most programs can be contacted via the Internet. The Office for Victims of Crime may have copies of applications as well. The DOJ could modify a state application to meet their needs. Instructions for the claimant need to be as detailed as possible to avoid confusion and future criticism of the process. The instructions also need to detail what will be considered a collateral source (i.e. insurance, retirement benefits, donations, workers compensation, etc.). Terms should be defined and if there are caps, those should be listed. The Department may have a difficult time getting information that will be needed in order to verify expenses because the law does not give specific authority to do so. At the very least, a release of information, signed by the victim or claimant, will be essential for the Department to be able to obtain information from third parties. Supporting documents that may be needed include: a doctor's statement of disability, proof of victim's net income, information from insurance companies, pension plans, Social Security, charitable organizations, explanation of benefits from medical insurance companies, and verification from a physician that medical treatment is related to the crime. Itemized statements for medical, dental, and funeral expenses may also be necessary in order to verify economic loss. With regard to when a claim should be deemed "filed", the Special Master may wish to consider all claims "filed" as soon as they hit the door. Claims can be found "ineligible" if sufficient information is not provided. It is not unusual for victims to get confused by the process and forget to turn in all of the documents that will be requested. If there is something missing, the Special Master may wish to contact the claimant and give them an opportunity to get the missing information. If the Special Master simply denies the claim because of insufficient information and there is no appeal process, claims may be denied for legitimate victims who may be incapacitated and unable to assist with the process. It may be feasible to award federal grant funds to state compensation programs in the affected areas to hire people to assist these claimants at the local level, before the claim ever reaches the Special Master for decision. Before a decision such as this is made, it would be advisable to speak with the state compensation programs that have been directly impacted. Topic #3: Procedures for hearing and the presentation of evidence. Witness statements could be considered if the victim's presence at the sight is in question. Witness statements may also be used to verify the victim was not disabled prior to September 11th. The law states the Special Master shall complete a review, make a determination, and provide written notice to the claimant, with respect to the matters that were the subject of the claim under review. The Special Master may very well review the case and determine additional information is needed. This decision to postpone awarding the claim would be perfectly valid under the law because it does not say an AWARD must be made within 120 days. Notice of the Special Master's decision to continue the claim could be sent to the claimant and the case could stay in pending status until the requested information is received. The decisions made by the Special Master should not be rushed. The 120- day clock could begin when ALL documentation in received, which may or may not be at the time the claim if filed. If attempts have been made to gather supporting documentation and the claimant fails to provide this information after a deadline has been clearly given, the Special Master is justified in declining an award and the claimant should not be permitted to re-file the claim. The claimant could be given the choice of a paper hearing or an oral hearing, only if the Special Master denies the claim and no funds are awarded. It would be to the claimant's benefit to have a hearing officer or panel of officers (similar to a Board). Hearing officers should be allowed to ask questions, request submission of additional in formation, and prepare recommendations for consideration of the Special Master. The proceeding should be recorded and held in a location convenient to the claimant. Scheduling conflicts are going to arise. The claimant should only be allowed to cancel a hearing once, and only in the event of an emergency. If the victim or claimant fails to appear without notice, they should be denied any future opportunity for a hearing. Topic #4: Procedures to assist an individual in filing and pursuing claims under this title. The process should not be do difficult that financial experts and attorneys will be needed to get through it. If a cap is placed on non-economic losses, and economic losses such as income loss are based on a formula that is universal for all claimants, there will be no need for economic experts. The burden should be on the Special Master, not the claimant, through personal economic experts, to decide what the economic loss is. A toll-free number (answered by live human beings) would be helpful to the claimants. Newsletters would be helpful in order to notify families of changes that are made in the procedures. Office location should be easily accessible to the public. If attorney fees, accountant fees, etc. are to be paid out of the compensation awards, the Special Master could set a fee schedule and notify the claimant of this schedule at the time the claim form is sent to them. The instructions could make it clear that any expense for attorney fees or economic experts, over the fee schedule, will be the claimant's responsibility. There should be no rules as to who can assist the victim or claimant in filing claims and in proceedings. The only rule pertaining to this should specify professions to be compensated under a fee schedule. The Department should take no action to ensure that individuals who have the option of filing a compensation claim with this program are not improperly solicited or influenced by those with an interest in having them make such an election. Topic #5: Claimant Eligibility It will be difficult to verify who was "present at" the WTC. Persons present at the Pentagon and those in Shanksville will likely be easier to identify. Since the program will only be considering claims for those killed or physically injured, information from the physician or medical records may be sufficient. Deaths should be documented by death certificate. "Present at" should include any area impacted by the debris, smoke, etc. "Immediate aftermath" was most likely included to cover first responders. "Physical harm" should be a tight interpretation and should only refer to physical injury (not psychological) that resulted in the need for medical treatment. Obviously, someone who simply cut a finger while escaping the WTC should not be entitled to the same type of award as the person who lost his hearing or sight as a result of the incident. It would be to the program's benefit to make awards only when there is serious injury or death. This will eliminate the potential for massive fraud. Awards for latent, but not yet evident, harm should be considered if the claim is filed within two years and the serious injury is deemed a direct result of the incident on September 11th, with confirmation from two reputable physicians. It will be difficult to positively confirm if someone was injured at the WTC and other affected areas. The only way the compensation program was able to do this in OKC was through verification of a visit to the ER. ER reports typically show where the victim sustained the injury and can be obtained through hospital medical records. If the Department chooses to consider non -serious injury, the possibility of fraud will be much higher. If a case is suspicious, keep asking for more documentation until there is substantial proof that the victim was where they say they were. There should be stiff penalties for anyone filing a false claim and those penalties should be in the claim instructions. The penalties need to include repayment of the award if fraud is discovered. Before "immediate aftermath" is interpreted, the Department may want to consult with the drafters of the language to find out the intent. If the language was strictly to provide for the first responders, perhaps this can be clarified by rule. The "personal representative" should be a spouse, parent, or legal guardian of a dependent child of the victim. Once the "personal representative" files the initial claim, the Special Master could allow co- claimants to file claims. In death claims, it will be important to have procedures that allow for multiple claimants. We have found at the state level that it is impossible to have only one claimant or "personal representative" in all cases. Consider a person who has had multiple marriages with ex-wives and children from each. Often times these families do not speak to each other. Limiting compensation to one claimant would be unfair and impractical. It could also lead to unnecessary litigation. I would recommend having one case file per victim with consideration for multiple claimants under that claim. Claim forms will likely be needed from each claimant and all could be tied together with a unique claim number for the victim. Failure to identify all potential claimants could lead to disaster for the program. Waivers for civil action could be signed by anyone who is signing the claim form as the claimant or legal guardian of a minor child. Topic #6: Nature and Amount of Compensation In order to make the job of the Department less burdensome, and create fairness for the victims and family members, I recommend a cap be placed on the non-economic loss portion of the award. A higher cap could be considered for death claims and those involving permanent disability. If the Department plans to consider eligibility for victims of non-serious injury in the scheme, I recommend a much lower cap for non -economic losses. Victims want information up front. By having caps and limits, everyone knows the rules and there are no surprises. When they know these things before they ever make the claim, the victim will not feel "cheated" and will be less likely to view the Special Master's decision as arbitrary and in equitable. Before ever making a claim, these families have an important decision to make about their future. By giving them all of the information possible about what they may be eligible to receive, families will be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to file a claim. Income loss - Long term loss of support can be computed as follows: For victim's spouse: Net monthly income at time of death divided by number of people supported by the income; times the number of months it would have taken for the deceased victim or claimant (whichever is the lesser amount of time) to reach life expectancy. For victim's dependent child: Net monthly income at time of death divided by number of people supported by the income; times the number of months it would take from the incident date to the dependent child's 23rd birthday or the victim's life expectancy (whichever is the lesser amount of time). Life expectancy carts can be obtained from most insurance companies. Once this figure is computed for each eligible dependent, the Department can calculate the amount of Social Security, life insurance, retirement, workers compensation and other identified collateral sources the spouse and dependent children will receive over the same period of time stated above. If collateral sources exceed the amount of support the victim was providing prior to death, there is no economic loss. If the amount is less, there is economic loss and an award can be made. Charitable contributions could also be deducted in this manner, if the Department finds them to be a collateral source. For economic losses of individuals whose lost future income streams would have been highly contingent, variable, or unpredictable, the Department may want to consider requesting the past three years tax returns and base the net income on an average of those three years. This practice can also be used for self-employed individuals and those with no pay stubs or other proof of income. In order to make the process equitable, there needs to be distinctions made between individuals who died. Those distinctions should be based solely on the net income at the time of their death, or an average income over a three-year period when considering loss of support for the family. For survivors with serious physical injuries, it may be prudent to draw meaningful distinctions between types of injuries, not individuals, if lump sum awards are being considered. I have no recommendation for standards to be employed for determining non-economic losses. We do not pay for non-economic losses in Oklahoma. I would recommend, as stated earlier, that caps be considered for non-economic losses. Collateral Sources: There are pros and cons for considering charitable contributions as a collateral source. In Oklahoma City, the state compensation program did consider some charitable contributions collateral sources, to the extent the contribution could be tied to a specific expense. In other words, we knew the American Red Cross was paying for the majority of the funerals, therefore, we determined it was not practical for our program to duplicate the payment of this expense. We did not consider assistance given for housing, clothing and food a collateral source because these are expenses the compensation program cannot pay. Other potential collateral sources could include: medical insurance, worker's compensation, Social Security, pension/retirement funds, disability insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, etc. In-kind contributions should not be considered a collateral source. It will be impossible for the Department to know what a victim or family is "entitled" to receive from charitable organizations unless the organizations share that information. Statements from insurance companies and other collateral sources (with the exception of charitable organizations) are fairly easy to get, but sometimes take time. The claimant, without difficulty, can usually provide this information. It will be impossible to verify all collateral sources without the claimant providing the information. In other words, if the claimant chooses not to tell the Department about a $250,000.00 life insurance policy ( a collateral source by law), it may be difficult for the Department to find out this information, unless the policy was through the victim's employer. Fraud Prevention Measures The Department could state the punishment for fraud on the signature page and make the claimant sign that they understand they will be prosecuted if fraud is discovered. Detecting fraud may be difficult if victims of non-serious injuries are considered eligible for benefits. It may be equally difficult to relate all of the medical treatment, work loss, and other expenses the victim is claiming to the September 11th attacks. In order to prevent fraud, I recommend the Department watch the following areas of potential fraud very closely: 1) invalid and non-certified death certificates; 2) expenses dated prior to the attack, and those that appear to have no relationship whatsoever to the attack; 3) physician verification of disability that comes directly from the claimant rather than the physician's office; 4) employer verification when the employer is a family member of the injured or deceased victim (ask for tax returns to verify income). As much as we all hate to think about it, fraud does occur and we should be on the lookout for it. Thank you for the opportunity to offer these comments. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-08 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 dojW000300.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. 2001-11-08 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, March 17, 2002 7:42 PM I am asking that you reconsider your position on extending benefits to the families and partners of gays and lesbians who lost their lives in the terrorist bombing. If relevant state law needs to be changed to accomplish this, I ask that you advocate for such changes and thus speak in ways that draws people together and calls on the best of all of us, rather than seek to divide us based on prejudices and ignorance. It is the fair, right and decent thing to do. Sincerely yours, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 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 dojR001538.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. 2002-03-17 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 9:16 PM Equal Rights for Gay and Lesbian Partners December 20, 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 Granada Hills, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 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 dojN000133.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. 2001-12-20 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 6:29 AM protect civil rights December 20, 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 Edison, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 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 dojA004123.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. 2001-12-20 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. 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 Wakefield, RI 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 dojA002306.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. Saturday, December 22, 2001 9:52 PM Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay & Lesbian Partners December 22, 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. Individual Comment Issaquah, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-22 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 dojN000802.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. 2001-12-22 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 Lodi, CA 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 dojA003688.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 6:27 AM Help same sex partners of terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 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 dojN000261.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. 2001-12-21 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. 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. 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 form 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 Cambridge, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-31 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 dojA005485.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. 2002-01-31 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 2:33 PM Play fair Play fair! Don't lie about us. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Discrimination is morally wrong. With love and compassion, Individual Comment 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 dojR000469.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. 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 San Francisco,CA 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 dojA004857.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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 5:44 PM your discrimatory policy against g/l/b/t families I think it is sinful not to give all families including the g/l/b/t families equal consideration. I am a volunteer fire fighter. My granddaughter is a lesbian. If she were in this situation, I would want her treated equally and fairly. Our nation was founded on the principle of separation of church and state. Some churches seem to get favored. I have to tell you that my church deems praying out loud as highly offensive and sinful. Obviously the "churches" in control get favored. Do what is right. Individual Comment Lowell, AR September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 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 dojR001513.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. 2002-03-17 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 9:30 AM my opinion families should be taken care of, but not as if some of them won Powerball because of the sad death of a loved one. make sure everyone is taken care of fairly, not that some people are "really taken care of!" thank you. 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 dojW000048.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. 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 Columbia, SC 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 dojA004579.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, November 27, 2001 6:32 PM If you really want to become the Department of Justice you claim to be, please do not allow the Far Right to politicize the tragedy of September 11th. Gay couples love each other just as much and are just as dependent on each other materially, as straight couples. They deserve equal compensation for the loss of their partners. Please remember that you are the servants of ALL of the people. Individual Comment Woodland Park,Colorado September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-27 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 dojA000043.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. 2001-11-27 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, January 18, 2002 1:00 PM Victims should not be Victims again. Victim Compensation Fund.doc As a person who works in NYC and lost my best friend, a cousin and an additional friend, this request is very near to my heart. I hope our government decides to do the right thing. Attachment 1, January 18, 2002 Elected Official: I wish to state my disagreement with the interim rules issued by Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master, regarding the Victims Compensation Fund of 2001, P.L. 107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of the brutal attacks on September 11, 2001. Mr. Feinberg took the fiduciary responsibility to act on behalf of the relatives of the victims and, as it stands, the rules fail to satisfy the letter and the spirit of the legislation. Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following changes to the interim rules: 1. Collateral Sources: The victims relatives are being asked to give uninformed consent to something that has no certainty - a fund that may provide little or no compensation to some of the victims families. The deduction of insurance proceeds, pension funds, 401K proceeds and other collateral sources could eliminate awards to some families and, therefore, should be eliminated from the terms of the fund. To penalize a victim for acting with responsibility and compassion for their loved ones is unjust. 2. Consistency: The arbitrary income limits and the calculation of award amounts imposed by the Special Master are inconsistent. 3. Non-economic rewards: Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the award for pain and suffering. In the words of Rep. Peter King every death is tragic. A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the world in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come is a horror these families will never escape from…The Special Master cannot take it upon himself too restrict the rights of the families. Therefore, we request that the interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims families for the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones. As Mayor Giuliani stated in his farewell address: we have an obligation to the people who did die. Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families. There should be no compromise about that ever. We request that the interim rules be amended and redefined to the extent that collateral sources are not deducted from the recovery; arbitrary income caps are not imposed; compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect the unimaginable horror which was suffered by the victims. Individual Comment Tuckahoe, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 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 dojN001993.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. 2002-01-18 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. Friday, January 04, 2002 1:53 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund January 4, 2002 Director, Office of Management Programs Kenneth Zwick USDoJ, Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530 Director, Office of Management Programs Zwick: MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO WTC SURVIVORS??? PREPOSTEROUS!!! As a retired firefighter, I was aware of a federally funded $50,000 death benefit for my survivors in case of a line-of-duty death. I am shocked and dismayed at the Federal governments million-dollar settlements for the families of vicitims of WTC. The median income for a family in the U.S. is $42148 according to the 2000 census. The average settlement of $1.6 million, tax free dollars for WTC survivors is outrageous, and unprecedented! NEVER AGAIN will I send a private donation to those suffering disaster, as I did this time, along with millions of other caring Americans who did the same thing. Why should I, now that I know that the U.S. Government will make all the survivors millionaires? Many unlucky Americans are left to endure killings in their families without Federal help. This EXTRAORIDNARY one-time compensation is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! Thanks, Sincerely, Individual Comment Sequim, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-04 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 dojN001351.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. 2002-01-04 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:23 AM 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 listening to 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 Seekonk, MA 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 dojA002738.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