49 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 26, 2001 2:49 PM Human Rights for Everyone December 26, 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 Santa Fe, NM September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000947.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. 2001-12-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 8:19 AM Re: Victims of 9/11 Relief Fund 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 cooperstown, NY 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 dojA004312.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. Wednesday, November 07, 2001 11:28 AM Compensation for 9/11 1. Should government assistance be reduced by charitable amounts received: NO. The families should receive fair, equitable and timely assistance using simple, equal division, regardless of what they may have received from charities. Government assistance should not be determined with any consideration given to what the private individual citizens have already given. That the government has decided to take "public comments," and debate issues that common sense dictate should require no debate, rather than responsibly and expeditiously providing the families the emergency assistance that many sorely need in a timely manner, shows lack of commitment and support to the families and the public, lack of compassion, and a troubling set of priorities set by our politicians who have returned to what is routine and normal for them: the need for forming committees, long debates to espouse and further their personal points of view and those who have funded their campaigns, etc., usually at the expense of the interests of the American public. These people need help NOW. I believe you are forgetting one very important factor: What "charitable" financial assistance that has been given out was not given automatically out of charities normal day to day operating coffers, received over time. It was generously donated by the American public, all at once, to a special fund. It is not "charities," per se, handing out "funds." This Fund is an "individual gift" from the American public. 2. September 11 Fund and the Red Cross and United Way: As of November, it is reported that very little of the related 9/11 Funds have been been given out. A couple of the most noted agencies have converted the majority of the money to their own use and benefit, even though it was given to a special fund for the sole and exclusive benefit of the victims families. The only person I have witnessed to even be remotely interested in what appears to be the outright fraud and theft of special funds by the Red Cross is the FoxNews O'Reilly Factor. He reports that the Red Cross had $546 Million collected in the special fund, but were only planning to distribute $100 Million to the families, with the remainder being converted solely to the benefit of the Red Cross, used for payroll and administrative expenses. This is a ratio of 20% for the families, a staggering 80% for the Red Cross. If a member of the public or a government official/agency did this, it would result in criminal charges. School children in low income neighborhoods held penny drives, and many persons sacrificed and shared what little they had so that the 9/11 families would receive their assistance. The Washington Post or New York Times reported that the 9/11 Fund had reached $1.6 Billion. Where did the remainder of this Fund go since the Red Cross is claiming to have received only $546 Million? Why has no government agency, the Justice Department, nor anyone on Capitol Hill pursued this problem? These 2 agencies, specifically, should be required to fully account for and relinquish ALL of the donated/collected 9/11 Funds to a government-appointed group to distribute fairly by simple division to everyone listed in an expeditious manner, mindful that many families need this assistance NOW. People did not give to this Fund so that the Red Cross and United Way could unjustly enrich themselves. In the real world of the ordinary citizen, we call this a criminal scam. 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 dojW000174.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. 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 dojA004195.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. 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 Portland, OR 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 dojA003677.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 1:02 AM discrimination I am sorry to hear that your fund is discriminatory and that some families of the hero's that died 9/11 will not be compensated. Specifically, the partner's of gay and lesbian hero's. The bravery of all hero's is well documented. I had hoped the tragic event's of 9/11 would bring tolerance and open our eye's to discrimination within our own country toward our own citizens, I guess I was wrong. 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 dojR001312.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. Monday, January 14, 2002 8:32 PM 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. 2002-01-14 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 dojN001745.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. 2002-01-14 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. January 18, 2002 VIA FACSIMILE AND REGULAR MAIL 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 dojN002537.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, November 30, 2001 3:57 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Attachment 1: 11-30-01 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Comments on the Department of Justices Rulemaking Regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Now is the time that we as a country, need to come together for justice and more importantly, for humanity.  Let us escape the hatred and vile that lived in the hearts of the terrorists.  Let us be free with our love and support to all of the victims families.  Let us not forget the families of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered victims of September 11th.   I urge the Department to include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of sexual orientation and marital status.  In good faith, Individual Comment Denver, CO   September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-30 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 dojA000228.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. 2001-11-30 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. Monday, March 11, 2002 12:43 PM How dare you! Mr. Feinberg: After reading the Meet the Press March 10 transcript of the comments you made, I can only state; how dare you use the 9/11 tragedy to discriminate against gay and lesbian Americans! It simply amazes me that you are willing to turn the other cheek, despite the direct violation of Federal and State laws against illegal immigration, to allow the distribution of funds to illegal aliens whose loved ones perished on 9/11-- but, you'll blatantly discriminate against lawful citizens of the United States because that are nothing more than the same-sex partners of those lost! How outrageous! "Otherwise, Tim, I would find myself getting sued in every state by people claiming that I'm not following how the state distributes money. I can't get into that local battle. I've got to rely on state law." Do you honestly think that some State that condones discrimination against gays will sue you if you disburse funds to the surviving same-sex partners of those killed on 9/11? Have you completely LOST YOUR MIND? What state is going to initiate a lawsuit post and post 9/11 to stop the humanitarian relief to surviving same-sex partners? Obviously, given your stupidity, prejudice, intolerance and hate your immediate resignation is warranted! How dare you! Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-11 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 dojR000192.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. 2002-03-11 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 10:14 PM (no subject) Give funds to gay partners! Individual Comment South Euclid, Oh 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 dojR002131.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. Tuesday, November 27, 2001 11:45 PM Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking Attachment 1: November 26, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division US Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: This will serve as my submission of comments on the implementation and rule-making aspect of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 legislation. I am in possession of a nine-page document issued by your Division entitled "Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking" (hereinafter referred to as the Notice). I write this as a professional economist who has been engaged in the field of forensic economics for over fifteen years. I serve as &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp of the National Association of Forensic Economics (NAFE), and I am Professor of Economics at &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp where I have served on the faculty for over thirty years. I have authored more than 1,000 damages reports in litigated matters and have testified at more than 500 trials and depositions as an expert witness and qualified economist. (I will not take up any more space regarding my background and qualifications to speak to the issues contained in this letter. My qualifications profile is available upon request should anyone in your office require a copy.) Regarding Topic #4, Procedures to assist an individual in filing and pursuing claims under this title, your notice states that "the Department believes that it is important that claimants be able to proceed without economic experts." I suppose the thinking here is that both money and time can be saved by not utilizing economic experts. However, there has been discussion among members of NAFE who want to do their part in addressing the events of September 11th by providing pro bono services to disaster claimants on a timely basis. Hence, I think it would be a mistake to rule out the use of economic experts. Instead, the Department could compile a list of acceptable experts who would be willing to provide pro bono services. Alternatively, perhaps the Special Master would want to permit the charging of fees by economic experts but at a reduced "public service" rate. I know that when I do work for municipalities, there is usually a request to be charged a fee lower than my standard rate and I am willing to oblige. The same could be applied to the September 11th filings. Furthermore, all of this could be done by having the Special Master engage the expert who would work on behalf of the court instead of individual litigants. Regarding Topic #6, "Nature and Amount of Compensation," regarding the actual calculation of economic losses that may have been suffered by claimants, it appears that the Department is well aware of the variables that can impact a damages calculation. To compensate survivors for their losses, the underlying methodology should be the "make whole" principle so well established in case law. This implies, among other things, that economists must limit themselves to calculating measurable economic losses. Typically, this includes measurement of lost earnings, lost fringe benefits (including such elements as medical insurance and stock options), lost pension benefits, and the like. But what is amenable to economic measurement does not have unanimity. For example, under New York State court rules, in death cases valuation of loss of household services to spouse and children is permitted as is valuation of the loss of parental nurture, guidance and care to surviving children. Economists routinely measure these losses. In contrast, under New Jersey rules, economists are regularly called upon to measure not only parental nurture and care but also the value of lost companionship services as well as the loss of guidance and counsel to a decedent's spouse. These losses are distinguished from non-economic damages such as consortium and emotional feeling because they are amenable to market equivalent replacements whereas emotional feelings are not. Hence, the Special Master is faced with the prospect of having different components of loss measured in different venues, depending on the geographic location of the decedent. Either the Special Master should allow prevailing state law to apply, or should establish universal damages guidelines that would apply to all claimants. If the latter, which appears to be an even-handed policy, some claimants would then complain that they are being "shortchanged" because their claim would have encompassed additional loss components had it been brought to court in their local jurisdiction. Regarding documentation that should be required of every claimant, many of us forensic economists routinely use some version of what I call a Fact-Finding Questionnaire in eliciting relevant information in preparing our damages calculations. It would be helpful to the Special Master to adopt a standard format for this type of questionnaire as a reasonable way of gathering information from each and every claimant. Consultation with several economic experts would be a fruitful approach to developing such an instrument. For those "individuals whose lost future income streams would have been highly contingent, variable, or unpredictable" (Notice, p. 8), forensic economists often encounter this problem. Generally, we rely on the past earnings performance of an individual. If that performance has been variable from year to year, the economist would be wise to take an average, which would incorporate good and bad years, to develop a reasonable projection of future earnings losses. My point is that there are reasonable methodologies that can address this difficulty without being characterized as speculative. Regarding "Collateral Sources," most state courts recognize that Social Security survivors payments should be subtracted from claimed damages. At the same time, virtually all states remove from consideration any proceeds from life insurance policies. Furthermore, I have never seen charitable contributions received by a family considered to a collateral source offset. Neither are in-kind payments such as those provided by family members considered collateral income sources. In short, I think that the Special Master can take some steps to standardize procedures, but must face the fact that damages claims by September 11th claimants will vary in substantial ways, depending on the employment history of the victim, family structure and size, place of residence, and other variables that must be considered in arriving at a fair valuation of losses. Like many of my colleagues in the field of forensic economics, I stand ready to assist in whatever way would be helpful to the Special Master. Sincerely, Individual Comment South Orange, NJ 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 dojA000053.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:53 AM Support Victims Equally 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 Wahiawa, HI 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 dojA002507.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bloomfield, NJ 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 dojA004738.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. Thursday, November 29, 2001 7:49 AM Comments of Aviation Consumer Action Project/ Attachment 1: Comments in Response to Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking By the US Attorney General on September 11th Victim Assistance Fund Regulations Date: 11/26/01 Organizational description: ACAP is a nonprofit public organization founded in 1971 with several thousand contributor/members to act as a voice and ear for the pubic and air travelers on major aviation issues, particularly on issues of safety, security and consumer rights. A number of its members are air disaster family members. ACAP receives no funding from the airline industry or the government. ACAP has published and distributed consumer guides for air travelers, air crash victims and the 9/11 victims. General Comments: The rules should clarify the law and make it as simple as possible for claimants to obtain prompt, just recovery. The amount of recovery should be largely predictable within a range so victims can make an informed election of remedy choice between the no fault Fund and traditional civil lawsuits in negligence. Topics #1 and #2. The claim form should be comprehensive and detailed but use plain language as well as legal terms of art whenever possible. As the law in effect provides for claimant to receive amounts of various forms of compensatory damages, directions should provide detailed explanation of the various forms of losses, especially non-economic and business related losses (e.g. loss of consortium, pain and suffering loss of society, loss of future business opportunities). The sources of such explanations would include the legal encyclopedia Am Jur and Pattern Jury instructions from jurisdiction which provide for such benefits. Likewise, collateral sources should include a specific types included and excluded, with a definition of the phrase "amounts to be received or entitled to". Filing should normally be when the claim form is received, not when it is deemed complete by the Special Master. Rather a conference should be held or notice sent to the claimant as to any omissions or deficiencies. However, if the claimant contains insufficient information or documentation to determine whether the victim is an eligible claimant under the Fund, it should not be considered as filed if it is rejected for lack of information or documentation to determine eligibility. Crime victim compensation programs often provide for a two step procedure: (a) an initial Claim Form that asks only for basic information to determine eligibility for an award only, and (b) a very detailed Claimant Affidavit which is sent after a claim form has been accepted for filing. Topic #3 It is possible for hearings to be held on thousands of claim within 120 days and for a final decision to be rendered. Assuming 6,000 claims and a minimum for 10 hours for review hearing and decisions, this is 60,000 person hours in 86 businesses days (120 calendar days) requiring about 100 to 150 hearing officers/claims examiners full time or probable triple that number if part time. Claimants should be allowed to waive or extend the 120 days rule within reason, but hearing officers should not be given general authority to do so or the 120 day time frame will quickly become an empty government promise. Hearing officers are necessary and should be experienced attorneys, judges, or former or retired judges with experience in wrongful death and personal injury cases. Even if no hearing is held and decision is made on papers submitted, the person deciding the claim should have the same or similar qualifications. Proceedings should be recorded, held in a convenient location for the claimant if possible, enforcement of evidentiary requests should be provided for by DOJ, and video conferences or hearings should be allowed. No attorneys for DOJ should appear or participate in the proceedings, lest the no fault process quickly become adversarial. Topic #4 Economic experts should be allowed but a grid or standard tables should also be allowed in lieu of such experts. Professional fees should be non-contingency payable at the end of the case out of the award, assuming an award is made based on a presumptive or fixed hourly rate of $180 with an overall cap of 15%. Normally fees should be 3%-10% of the total award. This will avoid the usual complications. Another alternative would be to use the Social Security systems attorney fee system with a cap of 15%. "Physical harm" should be liberally defined as physical injury and should include mental injury if it requires professional treatment and/or medication for an extended period. The "serious injury" of no fault insurance statutes is not appropriate as the intent here is to follow and mimic the most generous common law compensatory damage remedies, not to carve out an exception to the common law for a particular class of less serious injuries. "Present at" should mean within the area of destruction (for the WTC generally south of Canal Street in Manhattan, or within the boundaries of the Pentagon property). All survivors should be notified including spouse, former spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, or other next of kin or immediate family members. The Special Master should designate the personal representative unless a surrogate or probate court or other court of competent jurisdiction has already done so. In cases of dispute as who should be the personal representative, the claim should proceed with neutral third person appointed by the Special Master as temporary personal representative, unless all disputants agree that the claim should not proceed until the dispute is resolved by the courts. The distribution of awards among family members is normally the province of the probate and surrogate courts in wrongful death settlements. Here award decisions as similar to special verdict damage awards should specify the amounts being awarded for each type of compensation claimed and if appropriate to which survivor. This will earmark and should avoid any disputes in the state courts as to distribution, especially for non-economic compensation such as loss of society or grief, and would also expedite any review. The rules should make it clear that the forms of compensation explicitly mentioned in the law are available to all claimants subject to proof of the loss, and that others not explicitly mentioned are available if the victim's home state or the home state of the survivors would allow them. Otherwise the restrictive New York wrongful death law which generally does not allow for loss of society or grief or other non-pecuniary damages except for pain and suffering of the decedent, could result is dramatically different awards in non-dependency cases depending on the residency of the victim and survivors and other esoteric conflict of law rules. Topic #6 Presumptive award schedules should be published as otherwise there is no rationale way for claimants to determine whether they should elect the Fund or a traditional lawsuit, at least until a range of awards has been decided in actual claims. Many victims would probably forgo a hearing and submit claims on papers if the presumptive awards appeared acceptable to them. Some victims will want a hearing and others will want to avoid a hearing. The claimants should have the choice. A presumptive award schedule is therefore appropriate. Under the NY Crime Victims Board scheme a Board Member makes an initial decision on a claim which becomes final after a short period unless the claimant or another Board Member disagrees, in which case a hearing is held. Here a similar procedure could be followed: No hearing unless requested by the claimant or hearing officer or the Special Master. Economic loss data should be published, and economic experts should be required to meet the usual expert witness criteria. Where future lost earnings are uncertain or vary variable the standard should be the average earnings for a worker in that field and location over the victims expected life, and based on decision by the Special Master as to where the victim would fall based on the best available evidence presented by the claimant on the victim's future earning prospects. Non-economic losses should be presumptive for various classes of victims and survivors, and also include a range. Collateral Sources Charitable cash and in kind assistance and scholarships are gifts (under income tax and other law), not collateral sources and would not be considered such under the common law of most jurisdictions. Where the Fund statute is in derogation of the common law on damages, it should be construed in favor of the claimant. In general collateral sources are only those things that the victim or survivors had a legal right to and actually received or are certain to receive in the future. It should also exclude sources that are means tested. As to insurance claim proceeds the cost of the insurance premiums over the life of the policy or its predecessors should be deducted from the proceeds received and any future added insurance premium costs (e.g. health insurance) considered an economic loss. Fraud Warnings for claimants on fraud are appropriate, but the incidents of fraud where the victim was killed or physically injured in crime situations are quite rare. Comment by: Aviation Consumer Action Report Washington, DC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-29 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 dojA000177.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. 2001-11-29 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 4:32 PM Eqauality I found it outrageous that you are excluding gay and lesbian partners from receiving compensation when you see fit to give my tax dollars to illegal aliens. I demand that you treat gay and lesbian partners as equals when dispersing any compensation to victims Individual Comment Long Island, New York 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 dojR001481.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, January 17, 2002 10:34 PM take care of survivors of ALL 9-11's victims- I request that you assure that ALL survivors of victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks are provided for, including unmarried domestic partners. Hundreds of thousands of Americans didn't give millions of dollars in relief funds so that only SOME victims would be helped. It makes me deeply angry that in the face of our tragedy, some people want to argue about who counts. Individual Comment Newark OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-17 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 dojN001962.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. 2002-01-17 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. Wednesday, March 27, 2002 7:14 PM Gay and Lesbian compensation I would like to say that I am strongly opposed to your exclusion of gay and lesbian household members in distributing compensation. Gays and lesbians comprise about 10% of the population, therefore 10% of the heroes, 10% of the victims, 10% of the bereaved. I don't think it is right to leave them out. Individual Comment Denver, CO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-27 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 dojR002788.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. 2002-03-27 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. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 11:12 PM How indecent! How decent of you to ignore the laws of this country and compensate the families of illegal aliens and even fetuses (not yet even human beings) of victims. It is my opinion that it is colossally INDECENT of you to slavishly "adhere" to your version of the law and not be willing to compensate the partners of gay and lesbian victims. Standards for determining who and who is not a legitimate partner are just as easy to determine--even if such a relationship is not registered (which hardly makes it legal almost everywhere in this backward country)--as it is for those with a state sponsored licensing service for heterosexuals. It is my strongly held opinion that the true "Axis of Evil" begins, not abroad, but at home and this discrimination you are fostering is yet another example of a true "Axis of Evil." 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 dojR000452.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 Emeryville, 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 dojA004954.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