68 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. Monday, January 21, 2002 4:44 PM life insurance Under my husband's life insurance policy, his parents are the beneficiaies. It has been brought to my attention that I will not be receiving any of the proceeds from this substantial policy. When considering the revision of the victims compensation fund, please take into consideration that life insurance proceeds should not be deducted when the spouse is not the beneficiary. Under the present circumstances, I cannot afford to live in the home my husband and I bought for ourselves and our young daughter. If the life insurance policy is deducted from the award, I will be forced to sell my home. Individual Comment 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 dojN002182.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. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 10:08 PM Compensation for 9/11 Families I understand you are in the midst of developing the regulations for family support for 9/11 victims. I urge you to allow for compensation to the partners and children of gay families as well as traditional ones. Whatever the politics of the issue, this is a time of drawing together as Americans, and divisiveness is intolerable. Individual Comment Mill Valley, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000603.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 9:26 AM Justice For ALL!! To whom this may concern- After reading an article that is discriminating against gays and lesbians, I feel that it is unjust to not give all individuals the same benefits as others in light of the instances of 9-11. ALL people should receive the same benefits! When you start discriminating against one particular "group" of people then it only makes YOU look bad. A victim stems much further than you think. Many gays and lesbians have a great relationship with their partner and have planned on living eternity together, building their lives together. Just because they are not understood, does not mean a line can be drawn to discriminate against them. EQUAL RIGHTS & JUSTICE FOR ALL!!!!!! Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002078.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 06, 2001 11:17 AM FW: Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund To: Kenneth L. Zwick Director of Management Programs, Civil Division Dear Mr. Zwick, This letter comes in reference to the Department's request for public comments regarding the regulations for implementing and distributing the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I am asking that you and your department draft regulations that will treat ALL victims of this attack with fairness and honesty, including domestic partners and the non-biological children of these gay and lesbian couples. Please help send a message to those that would seek to further separate and divide us as a nation and a free people that we are a great nation because of our diversity not in spite of it. Surely, the losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are equal to those suffered by other families and should be compensated accordingly. On a day when so many innocent people lost their lives, let us say to those people, we honor your life and your memory and the lives you left behind. God bless you with the task ahead and God bless the World. Best and kindest regards, Individual Comment NY NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001144.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. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. UNITED STATES SENATE Washington, Dc 20519-3204 January 15, 2002 The Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg Special Master, Victim Compensation Fund The Feinberg Group, LLP Suite 740 South 1120 20th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Dear Mr. Attorney General and Mr. Feinberg: I appreciate having this opportunity to recommend changes to the Interim Final Rule of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. When we in Congress passed legislation creating the Victim Compensation Fund, we did so because we felt passionately that the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were not simply directed at the victims of that tragic day; they were attacks on our country. For this reason, we believe it important that those who lost loved ones or were themselves physically harmed should have some relief from the financial burdens they now face and should also be compensated for the losses and harm they endured. I have been meeting with the families of the victims of September 11th to discuss a number of concerns they are facing in the wake of this terrible tragedy. It is clear that no amount of money can truly make up for the suffering these families will face throughout their lives. Worries about money, however, should not be added to the physical and emotional burdens these families must carry. While I am pleased with some of the provisions in the Interim Rule, in several important ways, your proposal contravenes both the spirit and express language of the law. For example: 1. The Interim Rule improperly narrows the definition of "eligible claimants" of the attack by limiting the definition of what constitutes "physical harm." Specifically, you say that physical harm must be defined as a temporary or permanent disability and must have been treated within 24 hours of the attacks. Those restriction are not in the statute and could eliminate people who are truly victims of September 11th from eligibility for compensation. 2. The Interim Rule is written in a way that might result in zero compensation from the Fund for a number of families of the victims of the attacks. That would run counter to the intent of Congress and could undermine public confidence in the Fund itself. I am recommending a change to ensure that every family can receive at least a basic level of compensation from the Victim Compensation Fund, regardless of their circumstances. 3. Beyond its failure to create a floor of compensation, the Interim Rule improperly sets a ceiling. This will put an unfair cap on compensation for many families and will likely encourage many to resort to court instead of the Fund. That would be an unnecessary burden on them and on our court dockets and runs against the spirit of this Fund, which is designed to ensure that victims receive compensation fairly and promptly. 4. The Interim Rule does not account for the varied circumstances of the victims when determining compensation for pain and suffering. Just as the Interim Rule provides that compensation for economic damages will be determined based upon proof of economic damages, such as lost wages, sustained by individual claimants, the Interim Rule should provide that compensation for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, will be based upon proof of the non-economic damages that individual victims suffered. Compensation for pain and suffering should not be based upon a pre-determined amount if claimants are able to demonstrate that the non-economic damages are greater than that amount. 5. While it appears from some language in the rule as well as public statements by those representing the Victim Compensation Fund that charitable donations to families will not be subtracted from awards by the Fund, the Interim Rule does not clearly spell out such assurances. There needs to be unequivocal language in the rule stating that charitable contributions will not be subtracted from the amount of federal compensation. 6. The Interim Rule lacks specific guidelines covering domestic and same-sex partners of victims who perished on September 11th. The vague language in the Interim Rule could result in some partners receiving no compensation from the Fund. 7. The Interim Rule does not clearly protect the families of undocumented workers who died September 11th from deportation if they apply for compensation from the Fund. Such people may have suffered among the most grievous of economic losses on that tragic day, yet fear of reprisal might prevent them from taking action to protect their families' financial future. I have explained my concerns about the Interim Rule in the attached legal memorandum. I hope you will address the shortcomings outlined herein, as well as other issues that have been raised by families of the victims and others who have taken the time to review your proposal. It is my hope that the final result will fulfill the mandate of the Congress and the will of the American people and help to provide all the victims of September 11th and their families compensation in a equitable and speedy manner. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss these issues in greater detail at any time. Sincerely yours, Comment By: Hillary Rodham Clinton UNITED STATE SENATE WASHINGTON, DC MEMORANDUM OF CONCERNS REGARDING THE INTERIM RULE FOR THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND I. The Interim Rule Inappropriately and Unnecessarily Narrows the Class of Victims Entitled to Seek Relief Under the Fund The Interim Rule of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Interim Rule") contains provisions concerning the eligibility of victims to receive compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund ("Fund") that are not only unduly restrictive but are also inconsistent with the Fund's statutory language, set forth in Title IV of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (Public Law 107-42, the "Act"). Title IV provides, for example, that if a victim, "suffered physical harm or death as a result" of the September 11th terrorist attack, he or she, in the case of harm, or his or her heirs, in the case of death, would be eligible to receive compensation from the Fund. There is no minimum threshold for physical harm in the Act. In stark contrast to the statutory language, however, the Interim Rule defines "physical harm" as "physical injury to the body that was treated by a medical professional within 24 hours of the injury having been sustained or within 24 hours of rescue: and (i) [r]equired hospitalization as an inpatient for ast least 24 hours; or (ii)[c]aused, either temporarily or permanently, partial or total physical disability, incapacity or disfigurement." Interim Rule, at 104.2(c)(l). The Interim Rule further provides that "[i]n every case not involving death, the physical injury must be verified by contemporaneous medical records created by or at the direction of the medical professional who provided the medical care." Id., at 104.2(c)(2). These provisions of the Interim Rule are faulty in a number of respects. First, as noted above, nowhere in the statutory language is there any reference to a minimum threshold for physical harm; specifically, the statute does not require a victim to demonstrate that he or she has sustained a temporary or permanent disability. If we in Congress had meant to limit relief only to those victims who sustained a temporary or permanent disability, we would have, and could have, easily said so in the authorization statute, but we did not. Imposing such a threshold in the Interim Rule goes beyond the administrative promulgation of regulations to implement Title IV of the Act. Second these provisions are unnecessarily restrictive and will leave too many victims victims who were physically harmed by the terrorist attacks of September 11th but who did not become temporarily or permanently disabled or for any number of reasons did not seek (or could not seek) medical treatment within 24 hours out in the cold with no possibility of receiving compensation from the Fund. If these provisions were proposed because of a concern about the submission of fraudulent claims, that concern can be addressed by procedures the Special Master will implement that are designed, among other thing, "to [v]erify, authenticate, and audit claims." id., at 104.71(a)(l). Concerns about the submission of fraudulent claims should not serve to deny victims with legitimate claims access to the Fund. II. The Interim Rule Fails to Consider Lost Future Wages in Accordance with the Statutory Language As you know, the eligible claimants are entitled to receive economic and non-economic damages from the Fund. Title IV of the Act defines "economic loss" as "any pecuniary loss resulting from harm (including the loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment, medical expenses loss, replacement services loss, loss due to death, burial costs, and loss of business or employment opportunities) to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." Title Iv. Section 402. The Interim Rule states, however, that "[t]he Special Master's methodology... shall yield presumed determinations of loss earning or other benefits related to employment for annual incomes up to but not beyond the 98th percentile of individual income, " which is $231,000 for the year 2000. Interim Rule, at 104.43(a). Economic damages based on loss of business or employment opportunities are similarly treated. Id., at 104.43(e). As a practical matter, these provisions mean than few claimants would receive more than $3 million even though they would be entitled to more than this amount under the statute. These provisions of the Interim Rule suffer from many of the same deficiencies as the provisions in the Interim Rule concerning physical harm in that they impose limitations that are absent fro the governing statute. When this legislation was being drafted, some expressed concern about how much compensation families of "high earners" would receive from the Fund, believing it would be unfair for high-income families to receive lost future wages and other collateral funds, such as pension and life insurance proceeds. That concern was addressed by requiring the Special Master to subtract collateral funds, such as life insurance proceeds, from the amount surviving family members would otherwise receive under the Fund. Imposing an artificial 98th percentile limit in the Interim Rule penalizes the surviving family members of decedents who were high-income earners, especially given that most such families will be disproportionately affected by the collateral source provision in the statute. In short, if these provisions of the Interim Rule were made final, some surviving family members of deceased victims would receive far less compensation from the Fund than they are entitled to receive under the governing statute, especially when the Special Master considers collateral sources. I believe these provisions in their current form would also cause a number of victims who are entitled to compensation under the Fund to instead seek compensation by filing suit in the Southern District of New York, which would only serve to further congest that overburdened court. For all these reasons, the 98th percentile cap (which effectively limits virtually all awards to $3 million) should be deleted so that all families can receive from the Fund the compensation to which they are entitled. In addition, I believe it important that all eligible claimants receive some compensation from the Fund. Under the Interim Rule, it may be difficult for some surviving family members to receive any compensation because of the existence of collateral sources such as pension payments, government death benefits, life insurance proceeds, etc. For this reason, I ask that you subtract collateral source amounts from only the economic loss compensation (rather than form the total compensation, which would include compensation from economic and non-economic damages) that a surviving family is eligible to receive. That will insure that all surviving families will receive at least the amount of compensation for non-economic damages, regardless of the collateral sources that may exist. Lastly, the Interim Rule provides that lost earnings for victims who perished be calculated based on the income of the decedent for the past three years. I have heard from a number of personal representatives, however, of situations in which the persons on whose behalf is claim may be filed that the decedent to a voluntary reduction in pay or didn't work for a portion of the three-years period to perform charitable work. I ask, therefore, that the Final Rule provide claimants in the circumstances described above with the option of basing lost earnings on either the average of the last three years or one of the past three years. III. The Interim Rule Does Not Account for the Varied Circumstances of the Victims When Determining Compensation for Pain and Suffering Just as the Interim Rule provides that compensation for economic damages will be determined based upon proof of economic damages, such as lost wages, sustained by individual claimants, the Interim Rule should provide that compensation for non-economic damages, such as for pain and suffering, will be based upon proof of the non-economic damages that individual victims suffered. Compensation for pain and suffering should not be based upon a predetermined amount if claimants are able to demonstrate that the non-economic damages are greater than the amount. Amending the Interim Rule in this way would be in keeping with the statutory language, which contains no restrictions on compensation for pain and suffering. IV. The Interim Rule Is Ambiguous as to How Charitable Contributions Will Be Treated Finally, although the Interim Rule states that charitable contributions will not be considered as a collateral source, the Interim Rule as a whole is ambiguous on this issue because of other language in the Interim Rule that unequivocally states that charitable contributions, depending on the circumstances, shall be deemed a collateral source. The ambiguous language is as follows: "(a) Payments that constitute collateral source compensation. The amount of compensation shall be reduced by all collateral source compensation, including life insurance, pension funds, death benefits programs, and payments by federal, state, or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. (b) Payments that do not constitute collateral source compensation. The following payments received by claimants do not constitute collateral source compensation: (1) The value of services or in-kind charitable gifts such as provision of emergency housing, food, or clothing; and (2) Charitable donations distributed to the beneficiaries of the decedent, to the injured claimant, or the beneficiaries of the injured claimant by private charitable entities; provided, however, that the Special Master may determine that funds provided to victims or their families through private charitable entity constitute, in substance, a payment described in paragraph (a) of ths section. id., at 104.47 (Italics in original; language italicized and bolder for emphasis). This language does not convey a clear message about how charitable contributions will be treated. As you know, I believe that such contributions should not be considered a collateral source for a number of reasons, but primarily because considering such contributions as a collateral source would, in effect, nullify the wonderful acts of charity by hundreds of thousand of people, both here in the United States and elsewhere. I ask that you amend the Interim Rule by simply striking the last clause of section 104.47(b)(2) of the Interim Rule. V. Interim Rule Lacks Specific Guidelines Covering Surviving Domestic Partners of Victims Who Perished. Though I am pleased to see that domestic partner (including same-sex partners, fiancee, and fiancee's) can file claims with the Fund, I am concerned that the Interim Rule lacks provisions making it clear in all circumstances that surviving domestic partners are entitled to receive compensation from the Fund. Under the statute, the personal representative of a deceased victim can file a claim for compensation under the Fund. Ad you know, the Interim Rule defines "personal representative" as "[an individual appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction as the personal representative of the decedent or as the executor or administrator of the decedent will or estate," (28 C.F.R. 104.4(a)(1)), and if no personal representative, executor or administrator has been appointed by a court, then the Special Master may determine that the personal representative for purposes of the Fund is the person named in the decedent's will as the executor or administrator of the decedents's estate. If no will exists, the Special Master may determine that the personal representative is the first person in the line of succession established by the law of the decedent's domicile governing the intestacy. Id. at 104.4(a)(2). While these provisions will in most instances result in the appropriate person being named as the personal representative of a deceased victim, in those instances involving a surviving domestic partner of a decedent with no will, the surviving partner may not be named as the personal representative. For this reason, I ask that you amend the Interim Rule to provide specific guidance to surviving domestic partners so that they may be deemed personal representative and receive the appropriate compensation. VI. The Interim Rule Fails to Provide Any Protection for Undocumented Immigrants Who are Entitled to Relief Under the Fund It is clear that undocumented immigrants who were physically harmed by the September 11th terrorist attacks and the surviving family members of undocumented immigrants who died as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks may receive compensation under the Fund. Indeed, in determining eligibility under the Fund, no distinction is made in the statute among citizens of the United States, foreign nationals, and undocumented immigrants. The Interim Rule is consistent with the statutory language in this regard. Unfortunately, however, there are no protections from arrest and/or deportation for undocumented immigrants who were victims of the terrorist attacks and who have a legitimate claim for relief under the Fund. Thus, for example, a surviving wife of an undocumented worker who was killed is faced with caring for her children on her own, without any assistance, or filing a claim under the Fund and facing deportation. Such a result would be inconsistent with the spirit of the Fund. I hope, therefore, that the Final Rule will have provisions that will protect undocumented immigrants from deportation, including, for example, a provision, stating that information obtained from the submission of a claim cannot be used in deportation proceedings. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 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 dojN002683.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. 2002-01-15 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 Arroyo Grande, 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 dojA002631.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 6:24 PM (no subject) i recently read an article on about.com about the september 11 fund and how the money is being distributed. i am wondering how it is impossible to give money to a gay or lesbian spouse left behind while their partner went on to be a hero, yet it is possible to give money to illegal aliens who are not even citizens of this country. i find this kind of hypocrisy appalling. i understand laws cannot be bent, but they clearly are in one case and not the other. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002142.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 14, 2001 8:14 AM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: This responds 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. THERE MUST BE NO EXCLUDING the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. 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 Austin, Texas 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 dojA001715.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 2:15 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick, I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. The Red Cross has worked closely with groups in New York City and have implemented a similar policy in compensating gay and lesbians and their families. 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 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 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 dojA000853.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, December 10, 2001 6:33 AM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund I am assisting a British family whose son died in the World Trade Center on Sept.11. I seek clarification on their behalf that they will be eligible to apply to the fund for compensation even though they are not US citizens. Thank-you Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-10 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 dojA001399.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. 2001-12-10 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:34 PM Justice and Equality for all. 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 Rutherford, CA 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 dojA003835.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, January 15, 2002 1:12 PM September 11th Federal Fund Dear Mr. Zwick, I am a widow as of the result of the September 11th attack and that is why I am writing to you. After going to the information meeting that Mr. Feinberg held for the families I came away a little discouraged. I know Mr. Feinberg has some control but I know there are others in the justice department that are helping set these guidelines up for the compensation amounts. There are 3 points I would like you and your colleages to consider. 1. Set a minimum amount that the families can recieve. After insurance, pensions and chartiable donations there will be little left if any. 2. Extend the tables that calculate the compensation for people who made above $236,000 to at least $500,000. How can you expect a person to sign a legal document forgoing any type of legal action if they have no accurate idea of what they might end up with. 3. Make the awards and compensation consistent all the way up the chart. I'm sure that the justice department is hesitant to provide these tables and make these rewards public because middle America will not understand why these people are getting this money from the government. I can just say that the people that worked in those building were not the average working person. They were in the tops of their fields and the countries economic growth and development depended on them. As well as the fact that the airlines,security companies and our government let these people down. They should have been safe in their place of work and we should have seen this coming. Please don't take these accusations personally I know you are trying to do your job, I just hope you take my three points into consideration when you are finalizing the rules Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 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 dojN001624.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. 2002-01-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 8:20 PM Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Richmond, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000548.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:04 PM I am writing to request a review of the decision to not compensate partners of gay and lesbian victims of 9/11. Please consider that the people who have survived their gay/lesbian partners are just as affected as their heterosexual counterparts; they are just as broken hearted, their lives are just as destroyed and their families are just as torn apart. Don't turn your backs on their needs at this time. Do the merciful and just thing - include partners of gay and lesbian victims of 9/11 in the Victim Compensation Relief Fund!! Thank you,Individual Comment Berkeely, CA (born and raised in New York City) 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 dojR000576.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. Thursday, January 17, 2002 2:32 PM Comments on Victim Compensation Fund First, let me thank the Department of Justice and Congress for legislating such a fund, and the American Taxpayers who will be paying for it. I know it will help many people, who would otherwise be devastated by this horrific act of cruelty. My objection to how the act is structured, is that it punishes families such as mine who lived below their means, putting aside money for the future in 401 K's, life insurance, maximum health insurance, etc. and rewards those who lived for today and didn't have the forethought to plan for the future or for the unforeseen tragedy. There is an inherent unfairness in deducting these amounts from the formula. Putting a price on a life is always a difficult task, and I sympathize with the Special Master, Mr. Feinberg, who had to make some tough decisions. I know he says he will consider special circumstances, but without knowing in advance what compensation I'd be likely to get, I might as well take my chances with the airlines, who through their lobbying efforts in Congress made it clear that their financial bottom line was more important than public safety and the lives of their passengers. I am also horrified that with all that American Airlines went through, they didn't have a sky Marshall on the Paris plane with the Sneaker Bomber. Due to much very good luck, the flight attendants and passengers were able to avert another disaster. With less sharp flight attendants, or without doctors on board, and &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , it could have turned out quite differently. I am certainly tempted to seek compensation through the fund, as I know it will help us move on from this tragedy. But how will I feel later on, when others who sued the airlines get awards of 5 or 10 million dollars? I will feel like a fool, whose children could have had choices open to them that because of my foolishness, they did not. I will feel like I disappointed my husband who worked so hard and saved so well so his children could have every opportunity to live a secure and comfortable life. Please rethink the way the rules and regulations are structured, so that they make it make sense not to pursue lawsuits with the airlines. This is probably best done by either not deducting life insurance, etc. or raising the base compensation amount for each child. The American people know that on a different day, a different time, a different place, a different flight, it could have been their loved one that perished. They would want to know that those who did lose a loved one would get fair treatment. Also, I hope that the government will get reimbursed in the future by the airlines, by the assets of the terror organizations or individuals found guilty of this crime. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojN001947.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. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 6:47 PM Victim Compensation I wish to express my intense expectation that victim compensation will include domestic partners of the victims of 9/11. I have been in a domestic partnership relationship for 20 years and my partner and I rely on each other, depend on each other, support each other and dream for each other in everyway evident in a legal marital relationship. Do not discount those relationships. I contributed to the fund. I have volunteered at the site. I did so out of respect for my country. Remember: A gay man was one of the heros of the downed PA airplane that day. A who was gay died that day. Thank you for your consideration, 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 dojR000511.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. Saturday, December 22, 2001 5:13 PM No Discrimination for Benefits December 22, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Saint Clairsville, OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000758.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:58 PM EQUAL ACCESS TO CRISIS RELIEF BENEFITS 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 Oakland, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004515.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Flossmoor, 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 dojA002617.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 3:09 PM equal rights I find it extremely offensive that in the face of such a terrible tragedy, you feel a need to promote another one. That is the tragedy of denying the gay and lesbian partners of Sept. 11 their just compensation. If September 11 taught us anything it taught us that we need to start looking for our similarities and stop looking at our differences. Gays and lesbians deserve AT LEAST the same compensation that illegal immigrants and potential lives are getting. By not providing equal treatment you are dividing America further in its time of supposed "healing". Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001973.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18