316 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. 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 Highland Park, Il 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 dojA002269.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, December 30, 2001 8:58 PM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington, DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have? Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Mission, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-30 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 dojN001243.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. 2001-12-30 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, March 16, 2002 10:04 PM victim compensation Hi folks- As all Americans did, I watched with great sorrow as the towers fell, as the death toll was reported. Those who are left to carry on without their loved ones at their side are not only heterosexual spouses, but also many members of the gay and lesbian community. Everyone who was forced into loss by the events of 9/11 deserves to be remembered by the victim's compensation funding. Please do not exclude the partners of gays and lesbians who lost their lives in this tragedy. We are all American. We need to stand united and equal in all things. Thank you for your time. Regards, Individual Comment Tucson, AZ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 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 dojR001261.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. 2002-03-16 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 9:44 PM Discrimination Do not withhold much needed aid to those devastated by the loss from September 11, 2001. Give to the gay victims' significant loved ones as you would your own brother or sister. That is who you are helping. Please. Individual Comment Bartlesvillke, OK 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 dojR002438.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. Monday, January 21, 2002 5:36 PM dissatisfaction with fund My husband died on 9/11 in the north tower of the world trade center. I consider his death to be the fault of the airlines, the airline security companies, the FAA, etc. (I'm sure a good lawyer could come up with a dozen more). Under normal circumstances, I would have the right to sue those responsible agencies. However, on September 22, Congress passed airline bailout legislation that effectively took away my right to obtain compensation in a court of law. The victims compensation fund was established to placate victims families for the loss of this right. Many people have expressed outrage that the american taxpayers are going to foot the bill for compensation of the victims families. They should be made to understand that the american government themselves offered - so that they could save the airlines. This fund is a payday for anyone who earned a low wage and did not have life insurance. However, the majority of the people in those buildings were earning well above the national average and were well educated enough to understand the benefits of life insurance. The present rules make this fund nearly useless for the majority of families. The deduction of collateral sources, combined with the stingy amounts being considered for economic loss, mean that I would get NOTHING from this fund. Surely that cannot have been the intention of this legislation. Please change the rule so that it fairly compensates families who have already had to endure unimaginable emotional trauma. Nothing can bring back my husband and the father of my children, but I beg you not to make me spend the rest of my life wondering how to provide for my family. Sincerely, Individual Comment Tenafly, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 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 dojN002187.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. 2002-01-21 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. 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 Flagstaff, AZ 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 dojA004160.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. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:40 PM September 11th victims fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Director Zwick: As a concerned citizen, an educator and a Christian I writing you in an effort to encourage the Justice Department to address an important concern to million of U.S. citizens. I am a professor of political science and have made it my life's work to address the issues of due process , civil rights and liberties for ALL AMERICANS and instill in the youth of our country a belief that the achievement of equality for all is more than a slogan in the United States. First, I am asking the Justice Department to include 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. Second, I am asking the U.S. Government to follow the example already set by New York Governor Pataki in 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." Sincere regards, Individual Comment McKinney, TX 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 dojA001050.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. Monday, November 19, 2001 9:05 PM Collateral sources To Whom This May Concern: If I understand this correctly, a person who received greater compensation from their insurance company for the death of a family member than another person, will receive less compensation from the federal government. I believe every person who lost a loved one is entitled to the same amount of compensation from the federal government. No one person should be entitled any more or any less than someone else. Many of the people who died in the trade center were middle to upper middle class people. But being one, I can tell you that we all have bills to pay. I have a higher mortgage, pay higher taxes, etc. I am not wealthy and neither was my friend who died. His family is not wealthy today. They should not be penalized for properly insuring themselves. Many single people who died and did not have mortgages and families didn't need as much insurance. I know what it costs to run the day to day household of a family. Again, no one should be penalized for preparing correctly and paying for insurance for years or having friends that will contribute to fund to help them. All of this should have nothing to do with the federal governments compensation. I feel very strongly that the amount each person receives should be equal to their loss. In this case each family lost a family member. There is no one who lost one family member who should get any less money, FOR ANY REASON, than anyone else. Individual Comment Woodcliff Lake, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-19 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 dojW000414.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. 2001-11-19 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. Thursday, January 10, 2002 11:18 AM interim final rules Dear Mr Feinberg: My name is &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and I am writing to you from my lawyer's office in Cranford, New Jersey. I lost my husband at the WTC on September 11. I have two daughters who lost their father, the youngest was celebrating her birthday that morning while the tower collapsed on her father, stuck in an elevator while attempting to evacuate the building. I know that each familie's story is heartbreaking and just as sad but for the rest of that girl's life her birthday will be the anniversary of her father's murder. I realize that it is impossible for you to address such a situation but i think it puts a context on the comments that follow. My husband was in the category of wage earners that falls well above the 98% assumption the interim final rules apply. Coupled with the collateral source deductions I would be left with a very minimal payment should i choose to enter the Fund. I understand legislation is pending that would eliminate the collateral source deduction but time is running and myself and others are incapable of making such a weighty decision not knowing if the legilation will pass. I know you have a difficult job but i must tell you i think your effort thus far misses the mark. I appreciate the Congress dictated the collateral source deduction, therefore my efforts are with my congressional representatives to change that. You followed the law as you must. But, you choose not to follow the law when dealing with economic loss. I do not think that is fair, nor warranted under the Act. The airline bailout bill gave the airlines billions of dollars and capped liability for the crashes. It, as you and many legal experts have stated, forces or puts enormous pressure, on me and others similarly situated into the Fund. The Act read in plain language requires you to calculate economic damages of economic loss as "any pecuniary loss...to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." Notwithstanding the fact that many items of damages specifically referred to in the Act are ignored (just as insurance proceeds as a collateral source is specifically mentioned but not ignored in your interim final rules) and the fact that your calculations seriously underestimate actual provable loss, the 98th percentile assumption is nowhere supported by the Act. It appears to me you are including a hearing option to mask this obvious deviation from the dictate of the statute. You have announced it will take extraordinary circumstances to deviate from the presumed award schedule and have stated that this program is an unprecedented outpouring of taxpayer generousity. It is not. It is a program designed by Congress to bail out industry and compensate victims for foregoing traditional remedies, not available because of the bailout. It was for Congress to create, not for you to overrule by regulation. To have to show extraordinary circumstances is illusory given the compelling stories of personal grief and loss which abound. I can surely show extraordinary income loss because my husband made over three times the amount of your assumed earning cap (call it whatever you will, it is a cap, not authorized bt the statute). It does not fulfill the intent of the Act. I also agree with the many commentators who find the noneconomic loss awards inadequate. But frankly, any award in this regard would be inadequate and thus i feel you should consider awarding more to those survivors who cannot show an economic loss due to not earning much money and change the rules to include actual economic loss to all. I have read many of the comments posted that describe myself and others as greedy and looking for charity. I do not expect that American people to understand the program and why it exists but I am very deeply hurt by the accusations and believe that your announcement of an average award of $1.6 million dollars caused this. I would get not much more than zero if your calculations remain as they are announced yet if my husband survived he would have earned more than $1.6 million dollars in two short years. Two years which will include two birthdays on September 11 for my daughter. Anniversaries which will be marked by all Americans as a day that will live in infamy. It is not charity Mr. Feinberg, it is the law. Please apply it as written and do not force this grieving and hurting class of people into court to challenge your rules. Individual Comment Cranford, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-10 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 dojN001498.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. 2002-01-10 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. January 18, 2002 Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: The Justice Department has requested comments with respect to the Interim Final Rules (AIFR=s@) which were put in place on December 21, 2001 regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act of 2001. (Athe Fund@). Unless otherwise noted, the comments that follow have not been adopted as the policy of the American Bar Association (ABA) or any of its entities and should be considered as observations which the Attorney General of the United States, the Department of Justice and the Special Master may wish to consider as part of their review of the IFR=s that have been drafted. There is much to be praised in the initial regulatory efforts of the Justice Department and the Special Master. It is unquestionable that significant time, effort and energy were expended in drafting these IFR=s and that volumes of information were thoroughly examined and considered by the Special Master and the Justice Department; good intentions shine through. The clear intent of Congress and the President in passing the Fund Program was to assure that the victims and families of the outrages of September 11, 2001 promptly receive full economic and non- economic compensation of their losses. The IFR=s fulfill that obligation in many respects. For example, not one penny of the more than $1.4 billion charitable contributions donated by millions of Americans will be deducted from victims= compensation. However, it appears that parts of the IFR=s, as presented, conflict with the intentions of Congress in enacting and passing the Fund program. Additionally, various aspects of the regulations are ambiguous or present other difficulties. These matters are addressed in detail below. Limitations on Damages are Inconsistent with the Congressional Mandate First and foremost, the IFR=s suggest certain caps or presumptive limits on compensation. In Section 402 of the Fund, Congress defined both the Aeconomic@ and the Anoneconomic@ losses to be compensated by the Fund. Nowhere in the Act was there any mention of caps or limitations on compensation. Instead, it appeared that in passing the Fund program, Congress intended to provide the victims of the September 11, 2001 outrages with compensation consistent with that which might have been awarded in tort proceedings. The Act was a means of allowing the victims to avoid the delays that would have resulted from litigation while at the same time, removing the uncertainty and risk attendant to litigation. In exchange for proceeding under the Act, the victims were required to give up their right to sue in court, abandon any claim for punitive damages and accept a variety of other procedural restrictions. Congress never made any mention of limitations on economic and/or noneconomic damages. Several comments made by the Special Master, in his Statement of December 20, 2001, raise concerns about the fixing and/or limitation of damages. For example, in his comments, the Special Master stated: We have concluded that the purpose of the Act is not simply to examine economic and noneconomic harm, but also to provide compensation that is just and appropriate in light of claimants= individual circumstances. We have concluded that any methodology that does nothing more than attempt to replicate a theoretically possible future income stream would lead to awards that would be insufficient relative to the needs of some victims= families, and excessive relative to the needs of others. The statute specifies that individual circumstances beyond economic and noneconomic harm should be taken into account. It is our view that, absent extraordinary circumstances, awards in excess of $3 million, tax-free, will rarely be appropriate in light of individual needs and resources. This imposition of an apparent cap on economic damages is an unauthorized exercise of power on the part of the Special Master. The Statement creates an arbitrary, pre-determined notion of what the outer limits of an award should be. Unquestionably, that was not the intent of the Congress in creating the Fund program. Rather, the Fund was intended to establish a process that entitles each claimant to a hearing where he/she can present evidence and witnesses if he/she desires to do so. The fundamental premise behind having a hearing is to allow each claim be analyzed on an individual, case-by-case basis. Only through individual review can Ajust@ and Aappropriate@ compensation be accomplished. As the ABA previously stated, a pre-determined grid or matrix of awards will defeat the function and purpose of the Act. Similarly, arbitrary limitations on economic damages will have the same effect and will erode the confidence of the public in the Fund program=s ability to provide full and fair compensation and due process protection. Additionally, while reference is made in the IFR=s to the possibility of exceeding the presumed limitation of $3 million, when Aextraordinary circumstances@ are presented, the term Aextraordinary circumstances@ is not defined. Therefore, there is no predictability, and potential claimants cannot make an informed decision on whether to waive their fundamental right to file a lawsuit and proceed under the Fund program. On the issue of noneconomic damages, the IFR=s are even more restrictive than the Special Master=s remarks regarding economic damages. More specifically, with respect to noneconomic damages, the Special Master states: . . . the Special Master and the Department have concluded that the most rational and just way to approach the imponderable task of placing a dollar amount upon the pain, emotional suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental anguish suffered by the thousands of victims of the September 11 attacks is to assess the noneconomic losses for categories of claimants. The most obvious distinction is between those who died and those who suffered physical injury but survived. The regulations therefore set a presumed award for noneconomic losses sustained. For those victims who died as a result of the September 11 aircraft crashes, the presumed noneconomic losses will be $250,000, plus an additional $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent of the deceased victim. These pre-determined limitations on both economic and noneconomic damages cast doubt on the individualized decision-making goals of the Fund program and abandon any effort to adhere to the individualized, claim-by-claim system envisioned and intended by Congress. It appears that the Special Master has substituted his views about what is a Ajust@ award, and Aappropriate@ compensation before any evidence has been put before him from a single Claimant. Moreover, this presumptive award does not take into account variables such as the ages of the spouse and/or dependent(s) of an individual who died in the September 11, 2001 events. Further doubt is cast on whether the individualized decision making goals of the Fund program will be met under the IFR=s because of the following comment: Claimants should not expect awards grossly in excess of the highest awards listed on the Special Master=s presumed award chart, as the individual circumstances of the wealthiest and highest-income claimants will often indicate that multi-million dollar awards out of the public coffers are not necessary to provide them with a strong economic foundation from which to rebuild their lives. Moreover, the employment of the range of limitations set out in the IFR=s defeats the Special Master=s own first objective which is to create a process that is Aefficient, straight forward and understandable to the claimants.@ There can be no understanding where there are no standards (unless the presumptive limits are not presumptive and binding). There can be nothing straight forward if presumptions are on-again, off-again tools. Additionally, the caps on damages and presumed awards do not conform with the intent of Congress. Instead of allowing a real evidentiary hearing at which evidence can be aired, without prejudgment, and damages can be fixed by hearing officers well versed in such matters, as was suggested in the ABA=s earlier comments, the IFR=s are filled with presumptions and caps on damages which were never envisioned by Congress in enacting the Fund program. This cuts across the grain of fair and just compensation. Although the ABA appreciates the fact that the IFR=s do not impose an absolute cap, but instead a presumptive cap on pain and suffering awards, we are disappointed that there is a presumptive cap. By use of this presumptive cap and by subtracting collateral sources from the awards, seriously injured persons who are in most need of pain and suffering awards will receive less than full compensation for the harm caused to them while less seriously injured persons may receive full compensation for their injuries. We believe that the nation recognizes that the injuries caused by pain and suffering as a result of the September 11 tragedy should be fully compensated and especially so for those most seriously impacted. In addition to the above comments with respect to economic and noneconomic damages, the IFR=s present a number of other issues which warrant further review and consideration. Rescue Workers Receive no Benefits Under the Current IFR=s The IFR=s suggest that Arescue workers@ (an undefined term) should receive special benefits. Almost everyone would applaud providing special and generous benefits to the heroic rescue workers at the World Trade Center and Pentagon; however, a careful review of the IFR=s, as they exist, leaves the rescue workers with nothing but an empty promise. Due to existing compensation programs and the Special Master=s interpretation of the collateral source deduction requirement, virtually no uniformed safety or rescue workers will qualify for any benefits, whether the window of qualifications under the IFR=s is held open for 96 hours or 20 years. By making collateral source deductions apply against all losses, both economic and noneconomic, the Special Master has excluded virtually all rescue workers (at least those in government employ) from benefits because their collateral payments will generally exceed any award the Special Master might otherwise make. Only if, as the ABA has urged, noneconomic damages are excluded from collateral source deduction will the heroic uniformed rescue workers have any reasonable prospect of recovering significant amounts from the Fund. It is a grave error that such individuals have, in reality, been excluded from the Fund. They will certainly recover their economic losses without the intervention of the Fund. If policemen, firemen, EMS workers, etc. are to be compensated for noneconomic loss, the present approach to the collateral source deductions must be changed. Noneconomic Loss of Those Physically Injured The Special Master has suggested in his AStatement@ that it [Amay be] appropriate to give some percentage of the noneconomic loss award given for victims who died@ to those who were physically injured. Those who have suffered truly serious injury and survived will have far more long-lasting pain and suffering, disfigurement, etc. than those who died. To suggest that these living victims should receive smaller awards does not seem logical whether you look at it from a common sense perspective, on the basis of well-established tort principles, or in light of the apparent intentions of Congress (as set forth in its expansive definition of noneconomic loss). This issue must be further reviewed in order to assure that fair and reasonable compensation is provided to living victims consistent with the evidence unique to each claimant. Collateral Sources Deductions from Pain and Suffering Awards The ABA is pleased that the Special Master chose not to deduct charitable sources as a collateral source, for all of the reasons we set forth in our earlier comments. The ABA also believes, however, that it is equally inappropriate to deduct from pain and suffering awards collateral sources from such things as life insurance, etc. Pain and suffering awards are entirely different than awards for economic losses. They are meant to be a salve for those who suffer and are scarred physically or emotionally. They are not meant to substitute for economic losses. It is therefore inconsistent with the purpose of providing pain and suffering awards to deduct collateral sources from these awards. If we could find another way to try to make up for the pain and suffering that occurred, we would, but know of no other way to begin to try and make up for it except through the use of money to compensate for these losses. The pain and suffering award tells the victim that we understand something of what he or she went through and want to make up for it as best we can. If we deduct collateral sources from the awards, we are undercutting that purpose and adding salt to the wounds. Waiver of Claims to Receive Immediate Advance Appears Coercive Requiring waiver of claims in order to receive the immediate advance payment of $25,000 or $50,000 is unduly harsh on the most needy and vulnerable victims of September 11. At a minimum, claimants in need of such immediate relief should have the opportunity to complete an Aundertaking@ to repay the funds and rescind their waiver within the period in which the Victim Compensation Fund is active. We recognize that some poor claimants may not be able to make this repayment, but believe that is a small cost to absorb in order to relieve the potentially coercive nature of this provision of the IFR=s. The rationale for this is discussed in detail below. In his Statement introducing the Interim Final Rule, the Special Master recognizes the importance of claimants being empowered Ato enter the program B or choose not to enter the program B with an understanding of how their claims will be treated. This is especially important because the Act provides that, upon submission of a claim, a claimant waives the right to file a civil action for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 attacks.@ The structure of the IFR=s waiver provision is problematic. The IFR=s, as currently drafted, create the possibility of claimants waiving their legal right to file a civil action without receiving any benefit. At the very least, the IFR=s should establish that claimants who are found ineligible by the Special Master have not waived any of their legal rights to file a civil action for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 attacks. It must be clarified what the impact of the IFR=s offer of an immediate advance payment of $50,000 in cases involving death, or $25,000 in certain cases involving serious physical injury will be. While it is appreciated that this provision is intended to help those most desperately in need of financial assistance, there is concern about the potentially coercive consequences of such a provision. In order to receive this immediate financial assistance, claimants have to permanently waive their right to file a lawsuit for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 outrages. While claimants who are financially secure may have the luxury of declining this offer of assistance, in exchange for having more time to weigh their options, financially desperate individuals may feel that they have no choice but to apply for this advance payment, regardless of whether or not that decision will best serve their long-term interests. As a result, this provision appears coercive to the most vulnerable segment of the population, the very segment it was designed to assist. Hearing Officers Cannot Become Adversaries of Claimants at Hearings The fraud detection and interrogation functions should be distinct and separate from the work of Hearing Officers. The present IFR=s are exceedingly vague on this point and appear to suggest that the Special Master may use any and all of his designees, including Hearing Officers, to cross-examine claimants and to probe for fraud. Abuse must be eliminated, but this must not be part of the Hearing Officer=s job. Instead, any such probing should be part of the assignment and duties of other specifically designated officials. Any other approach will inevitably leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Claimants and will undermine the legitimacy of the function of Hearing Officers and the process, itself. This would erode public confidence and trust in the program=s ability to offer full and fair compensation and due process protection. Inevitably, the Fund program will be scrutinized by numerous bodies, including various governmental agencies, public interest groups and the media. One can only imagine the backlash that will result if the Hearing Officers are perceived as the adversaries of the Claimants at the hearing stage. In order to maintain the integrity of the system, fraud detection and interrogation functions must be distinct and separate from the work of Hearing Officers. Adversarial friction is likely to be fostered because of the previously discussed limitations on economic and/or noneconomic damages. Having an arbitrary limitation on economic and/or noneconomic damages will result in the perception that the Hearing Officer is an adversary to the claimant as opposed to an unbiased, neutral decision-maker, who is working to award fair and reasonable compensation based on the evidence presented. This perception will obviate the trust and faith in the integrity of the system. Attorney=s Fees The ABA continues to support the proposition that all Claimants should be instructed to seek legal counsel if they so desire and should be referred to pro bono services that may be available. In the event that a claimant chooses to retain counsel instead of utilizing the available pro bono services, it is incumbent on the Special Master to make sure that fee arrangements are written in plain language that clearly identifies the basis on which a fee is to be calculated so that the victims and their families have an understanding of what the fee arrangements are. Schedules or Statistical Methodologies The ABA maintains, as urged in the ABA Task Force on Terrorism=s previous submission, that schedules and statistical methodologies should not be developed and used. The intent of Congress in establishing the Fund program was to create a process that entitles each claimant to a hearing at which he/she can present evidence and witnesses if he/she desires to do so. This requires that each claim be analyzed on and individual case-by-case basis. The pre-determined schedules and charts that have been created defeat the purpose and function of the Act; moreover, having schedules and charts in place is likely to erode public confidence in the program=s ability to offer full and fair compensation and due process protection for the same reasons discussed above relating to the limitations and caps on damages. The proposed pre-determined charts do not promote the goal of fairness and individualized claims receiving reasonable awards consistent with the evidence that is unique to each claimant. Instead, they give the perception that the Fund program is a take it or leave it proposition. This was certainly not the intent of the Congress in passing this legislation. As previously stated, there is no doubt that the Justice Department and the Special Master put forth extensive effort in creating these IFR=S. However, the IFR=s must be consistent with the Congressional mandate, and the letter and spirit of the law must be honored. Respectfully submitted, Comment By: The American Bar Association 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 dojN002471.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, December 28, 2001 1:53 PM Comments I think that the idea of Congress benefiting this one group of unfortunates at taxpayer expense is discriminatory and an unlawful distribution of taxpayer money. I am not without compassion for the victims of Sept. 11. My daughter was in the North tower when it was struck, but was fortunate to escape with minor injury. Had she been killed I would not have expected a federal handout, nor would I have accepted one on her behalf. The September 11th victims have no more right to taxpayer relief than a person hit by a meteorite or a person run down by a penniless drunk. If Congress were to provide for all unfortunates on an equitable basis I would strongly support such largesse. But to discriminate on behalf of so small a group of constituents is without merit and mere political expediency. Besides, a large percentage of the victims are amongst the highest paid people, and their survivors, if they have practiced even a modicum of financial thriftiness, should be financially well off, and if not, well they can just make a change in life style. Individual Comment Bridgewater NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 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 dojN001107.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. 2001-12-28 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 9:12 AM Equal Access to 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 New York, NY 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 dojA002825.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, December 19, 2001 7:45 AM Don't discriminate on sexual preference with the 11 September funds 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 Bolton, 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 dojA002688.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. Tuesday, December 11, 2001 12:05 PM Victims Compensation 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 Sacramento, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-11 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 dojA001468.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. 2001-12-11 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 9:13 AM federal 9/11 fund I was wondering why you hate gay people so much. 9/11 Fund to Discriminate Against Gays About.com - US Politics March 11, 2002 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 dojR000585.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. Wednesday, November 07, 2001 9:57 PM compensation As callous as this may sound, I am opposed to any compensation to the victims of the WTC. I believe that ample donations have been received from various sources to compensate those affected. If our government is responsible for every accident and every loss of life, then every person should be afforded the same consideration when an accidental death or injury occurs. The loss of a child, husband, wife, father or mother, sister or brother is just as catastrophic to those who sustain this loss due to reasons other than the WTC catastrophe is just as real and devastating to those as it is to those who lost loved ones in the 9-11 disaster. Any compensation afforded should be the same as any other loss due to accident, such as insurance, retirement, job related compensation etc. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-07 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 dojW000221.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. 2001-11-07 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 28, 2001 10:05 PM Equal compensation for GBLT victims families Department of Justice: This e-mail is to urge you to include the partners of GLBT victims in the distribution of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. This tragedy did not discriminate, and I hope you will not either. Thank You, Individual Comment Tucson, AZ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 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 dojA000161.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. 2001-11-28 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 11:28 AM Victim's Surviving family and Their Compensation Hello, Thank you for receiving my comments. As I read the internet headlines of the rulings as to how to give compensation to the families, I was was overwhelmed and angry at the information that the families are demanding more. Billions given by the American Public and as well by people and government all over the world. American Government giving a set amount minus the insurance, 401k, etc. is a most awesome and righteous thing to do. But, to hear that greed has prevaded the hearts of the families. The very thought of suing the airlines, government and only God knows who else. The very thought of rejecting the monies offered is unamerican. They cry " It is not the money", but yet they are suing for more! What has happen????!!!!!! We pour out our hearts and monies and they want more! What a heart of ingratitude. God forgive us all for reaching this point in the history of American. 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 dojN000419.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. Sunday, March 03, 2002 12:09 PM New Vote.com votes as of 12:08 PM EST on March 03rd, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 1 votes NO: 32 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-03 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 dojP000584.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. 2002-03-03 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, March 16, 2002 11:51 PM outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. Any comments you send are public records and will be posted on the Victim Compensation Fund Web site Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 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 dojR001293.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. 2002-03-16