82 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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 12:36 PM it is un-American to discriminate It is my understanding that the partners of Gay men and women who died as heroes in the 9/11 disaster will not be eligible for the same compensation as straights. Even the survivors of illegal aliens are afforded these benefits. This is America and the even was a test of our resolution that all men/women are created equal. It seems to me that to discriminate against one specific group is un-American. It is known that the 6'5" soccer player from San Francisco was a Gay man who helped bring down the plane that was headed for the Capital building in Washington. Should people like him just sit back and let what ever is going to happen, happen because he is Gay. Gays do not ask for special treatment only equality under our constitution. Sincerely yours Individual Comment Palm Springs, CA 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 dojR001408.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 7:02 AM Justice help all 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 Orlando, Florida September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000341.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Bozeman, MT 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 dojA004135.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 La Jolla, 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 dojA002660.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 12:45 PM 9/11 victim fund To whom it may concern- I would like to say that the recent discrimination of gay and lesbian partners, of those killed in the September 11th attack, by your organization is wholly unjust and goes against what America truly stands for. How can you discriminate against people who have lost loved ones in this tragedy? How hypocritical could you possibly be?! We should all be viewed as equals in this country. That is what this country was founded on. We used to discriminate against people of color but managed to see the inequity in that way of thinking. And we changed our policies to include people of all walks of life. Now we have to do the same for gays and lesbians. Don't send out a message to the nation that we are still a country that condones prejudice, against our own people, heroes in their own right. This is now what we, as a nation united, are all about. Please reconsider your policy of discrimination against gays and lesbians who have lost loved ones in this great tragedy. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, 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 dojR001901.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 1:57 PM Equal Access to Crisis Relief 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. Increasingly, government agencies and private companies and corporations are recognizing the legitimacy of households comprised of cohabiting partners, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. For some years this has been the case with my own employer, a state institution of higher education. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you take these practises into consideration. I urge you to 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." It seems only right and proper that the Federal Government, represented by the Justice Department, uphold these same standards. 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 Albuquerque, NM 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 dojA003354.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 3:19 PM Compensating Gays and Lesbians Dear Sept. 11 Fund: I am writing today to express my dissatisfaction with recent news reports concerning the disbursement of survivor's benefits from the 9/11 attacks. I sincerely hope that gay and lesbian partners will also be obtaining full benefits from the Fund and that news reports to the contrary are false. Americans were not asked to help provide money for straight spouses and family members of the terrorist attacks. We were asked to contribute generously to a fund that would help everyone affected by the evil act that will forever be remembered as the Sept. 11 tragedy. Please let the Fund organizers know of my discontent and to alert them to the fact that while I am not a representative of any organization or group of individuals, I no doubt speak for millions of other Americans when I say "Rid the 9/11 Fund of political and religious nonsense and compensate each and every survivor equally without regard for their sexuality." Sincerely, Individual Comment Fishers, IN 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 dojR000218.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 9:25 PM Wide eyed but not really surprised Dear Family and Friends, We gave to the 9-11 fund a lot of money that we could have used to pay down debts or improve our home or given to our church where we know the money would go to those in need regardless. Now I discover that the man in charge of the fund (Feinberg) refuses to do the right thing and distribute to all affected by the carnage in New York and Washington, D.C. He mouths concern over violating state law but thinks nothing of making sure illegal aliens receive some sort of benefit. If I could take back the money, I would. Let the dead take care of their own. I am furious. And yet, considering the current type of administration we have, I am not the least bit surprised, despite the rhetoric following and blasphemies. Disgusted, Individual Comment Nolanville, TX 9/11 Fund to Discriminate Against Gays About.com - US Politics March 11, 2002 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 dojR000697.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 3:32 PM Comments on the Department of Justice's Rulemaking Regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation 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 Justice's Rulemaking Regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 The following comments respond to the Department's November 5 Notice of Inquiry and Advanced Notice of Rulemaking Re: the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is the nation's oldest and largest legal organization working to advance the civil rights of lesbians and gay men. We are joined in these comments by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Organizational descriptions appear at the end of this document. Our organizations have been assisting many individuals who lost their same-sex partners in the terror attacks of September 11. We submit these comments in their behalf and in behalf of others in the same circumstances. Our remarks focus on issues relevant to their eligibility for compensation from the Fund, the types of damages compensable, and the process by which individual survivors may seek compensation. I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES The laudable purpose of the September 11th Fund is to provide compensation for the losses of relatives of those who died, and those who were injured. See Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act § 403. It is crucial for the many grieving families that the regulations implementing this purpose permit recovery for all deserving relatives, including the committed partners or non-biological childre of gay and lesbian victims of the terror attacks. For those whose family relationships do not meet certain strict formal legal definitions, the enormity of the loss of a beloved companion or parent could be compounded by the prospect of ineligibility for compensation intended for their protection. The Department of Justice should not permit this potential inequity. We 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. As Senator Charles Schumer noted in his October 31 letter to Attorney General Ashcroft: The need for support and recompense is no less real for these survivors than it is for the countless other relatives who lost loved ones. America has reached out with enormous generosity to all of the victims because our common humanity recognizes that grief and loss are not reserved to any single culture or group * they are borne by each and every one of us, whatever our race, religion, or sexual orientation. Many who lost their life companions after lengthy committed relationships have contacted our organizations. Very few of them had prepared wills with their partners, a circumstance which is not surprising considering the relative youth and good health they enjoyed. While many are fortunate to have the support of the biological relatives of the deceased, others (like many affected by this tragedy) face the added stresses of pre-existing family difficulties that have not abated in the wake of the attacks. Each and every one of them is reliant on the continuing good will and generosity of parents, siblings or children of the victim to treat them fairly. The federal September 11 Fund should ensure fair treatment of all surviving family members, including same-sex partners and de facto children of those who perished. Operated on a simple principle of equitable distribution of damages in proportion to losses sustained, it can serve the Congressioal purposes of helping families to recover their economic security and allaying the financial uncertainty of survivors. To accomplish this end, we suggest the following approach. All those who consider themselves survivors must, under this legislation, come together to seek compensation in a single claim. See § 405(c)(3)(a)(limiting claims to one per decedent). In that claim, the personal representative should submit evidence of the financial, physical and emotional losses suffered by each survivor. The Special Master then should (1) confirm that each individual seeking compensation is eligible, based on guidelines which include those in a family relationship of mutual interdependence (as partners or as de facto parent and child); and (2) determine how much compensation should be allotted to each individual, based on the specific evidence of that individual's losses. It is the responsibility of the personal representative, in turn, to distribute the total sum awarded in the proportions that the Special Master directs. II. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS A. The Personal Representative Should Act As A Fiduciary To Make A Single Claim On Behalf Of All Individuals Eligible For Compensation. A statement of policy by the Special Master addressing certain questions related to the personal representative would provide much-needed guidance to families as they consider whether to make a claim through the Fund or to participate in a civil action. The Department should make clear how it will determine the identity of a personal representative, and more important, on whose behalf that personal representative is obligated to make claims for compensation. "Personal representative" is a term common to many states' estates law. (For example, in New York, the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (E.P.T.L.) § 1-2.13 defines "personal representative" as the individual who has received a letter to administer the estate of a decedent by the surrogate's court.) Already, many families have begun the process of distribtion of the estate and thus have received or are seeking letters of administration which identify the personal representative. The individual who acts as the personal representative for the estate should be the one entitled to file a claim with this Fund. In a traditional wrongful death action, it is the duty of the personal representative to act as the fiduciary on behalf of the family of the deceased in prosecuting the suit. See, e.g., N.Y. E.P.T.L. § 5-4.1 (establishing right of personal representative to prosecute wrongful death action). The personal representative must distribute the proceeds of that action to the proper beneficiaries, in proportion to their losses. E.g., N.Y. E.P.T.L. § 5-4.4 (a)(1). The proceeds typically go neither to the personal representative who prosecuted the suit nor to the estate; rather, they go directly to the family members who suffered losses. Id; see also N. Y. E.P.T.L. § 5-4.1 Practice Commentaries. The court, not the personal representative, determines the amounts each individual receives. Id. The federal Fund should likewise vest in the personal representative the duty to act as fiduciary on behalf of all those who consider themselves to be survivors, seeking compensation in proportion to their losses and distributing the awards accordingly. This approach makes the identity of the personal representative less important than the Department's determination of who is eligible to seek compensation as a survivor of a deceased victim, through that victim's personal representative. (See discussion below.) It reduces the likelihood of disputes concerning who should be appointed personal representative and ensures that all survivors have the same opportunity to present evidence of their losses. And it imposes a fiduciary duty on the representative to ensure that all potential beneficiaries' claims are fully and fairly presented, and distributed as the Special Master directs. In the event that the personal representative for purposes of estate distribution does ot wish to take on the responsibility of filing a claim and formally agrees to step aside, a federal hearing officer should appoint another representative. In many cases, survivors may agree on the proper individual, but where the matter is contested the appointment should not be deferred to independent adjudication by state courts. In processing claims, a federal hearing officer will ultimately have to sort through the evidence presented on behalf of surviving relatives to determine who is eligible for compensation and in what amounts; it makes sense that the same officer should resolve disputes about the appropriate personal representative as well. Judicial economy and efficiency weighs against calling on an entirely separate branch of government to go through the same process. Moreover, the determination is best made by a federal officer with knowledge of the particular rules of the federal Fund as they will apply to the parties before him or her, rather than by a state court with expertise in a different set of laws. B. All Relatives And Dependents, Including Same-Sex Partners and De Facto Parents And Children, Should Be Eligible For Compensation In Proportion To Their Losses. In the grim task of valuing a life, the operative principle ought to be to award compensation to those whom the deceased helped support in both material and emotional ways. Those who lost a partner suffer the emotional deprivations of being without a day-to-day companion, in addition to the help of another paycheck within an intermingled household economy. Those who lost a parent have lost the support and guidance of someone who provided nearly everything. And those who lost a child will be without the security of their son or daughter's companionship and assistance as they grow older. Each survivor's losses should be equally considered and accounted for, based on the daily realities of emotional and financial support the victim provided. Compensation should not be limited by legal distinctions among types of relatives, bcause those distinctions may frequently be untethered to the actual family burdens shouldered by those who died. Those eligible for compensation as a survivor of a deceased victim should include individuals who can show that they had (1) a family relationship of mutual interdependence with the victim, including as a de facto parent or child, and (2) suffered losses of the sort identified in the Act at §§ 402(5) and (7). Where the individual does not share a blood or legal tie with the victim,1 mutual interdependence is shown if the claimant shared a residence with the victim and was emotionally and financially intertwined in a familial relationship. The federal Fund should look to New York's law governing emergency relief awards for guidance. Only days after September 11, Governor Pataki issued an Executive Order granting surviving partners of the World Trade Center attacks benefits comparable to those received by surviving spouses from the state's Crime Victim Board. See Exec. Order No. 113.30, Suspension of Provisions Relating to Crime Victims Awards for Persons Dependent Upon Victims of the World Trade Center Attacks (October 10, 2001), available at . Eligibility is based 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 a family deserves help in this time of need. That Executive Order follows the example set as early as 1989 by New York's highest court, which interpreted the state's rent control laws to protect the life partners of rent-controlled tenants. See Braschi v. Stahl Associates, 74 N.Y.2d 201 (1989). That Court held that the law's protection against eviction when a loved one dies "should not rest on fictitious legal distinctions or genetic history, but instead should find its foundation in the reality of family life." Id. at 211. Regulations codifying the Court's holding appear at 9 N.Y.C.R.R. 2104.6(d)(3). Permittingall relatives who suffered losses to be eligible for compensation ensures equitable treatment of all the diverse families that suffered losses in this tragedy. As the United States Supreme Court recently noted, "[t]he demographic changes of the past century make it difficult to speak of an average American family. . . . [P]ersons outside the nuclear family are called upon with increasing frequency to assist in the everyday tasks of childrearing," Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. ___, 120 S.Ct. 2054, 2059 (2000), and the same can be said of other daily supports for family members. The proposed criteria effectively account for the variety of family configurations and support obligations that Americans create today. C. Notice To All Potentially Eligible Survivors Should Be Required Prior To Filing A Claim. Personal representatives should be required to identify all those who meet the eligibility criteria outlined above for compensation, and to provide notice to each. New York law specifically contemplates that similar notice will issue "to all interested parties" before a court will hear evidence of damages sustained in wrongful death suits. See N.Y. E.P.T.L. § 5-4.4(1). Notice is a workable and indispensable element of a claims process in which one individual, the personal representative, has authority to bring forth evidence and litigate damages sustained by others. A claim should not be considered "filed" until the personal representative can show that all eligible survivors have received notice. The process of identifying individuals eligible for compensation as survivors of a victim should not be unwieldy. The proposed eligibility criteria contemplate that those eligible will include close biological or adoptive relatives, those whom the victim supported or who inherited from the victim, and those with whom the victim shared a residence in a family relationship. These guidelines provide a simple and straightforward way to identify those whose losses should be compensated in a single claim. If a personal representative fails to provide notice to all eligible beneficiaries, those who did not receive notice should have an opportunity to intervene in a pending claim, tolling the 120-day limit of § 405(b)(3), or to re-open a completed claim. Preliminary hearings should be available to determine eligibility for compensation if the personal representative refuses to present evidence of losses sustained by another potential claimant. Where the personal representative knowingly fails to bring a potential beneficiary to the Special Master's attention, penalties should be imposed, including the possibility of liability for breach of fiduciary duty. If the Department requires each survivor to sign a waiver against bringing other litigation, only potential beneficiaries should be subject to the waiver requirement and each on the same terms as every other potential beneficiary. D. All Types Of Compensation Should Be Available On Equal Terms To Same-Sex Partners. Compensation for economic losses as defined at § 402(5) and noneconomic losses as defined at sec. 402(7) should be equally available to all those eligible for compensation in proportion to their demonstrated losses. There is no principled basis for distinguishing among survivors as to the kinds of losses for which recovery is available. For example, excluding anyone but a legal spouse from recovery for loss of companionship or loss of consortium would be to fail to account for actual losses suffered by many survivors and to impose a barrier that has the effect of discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. The same would be true if same-sex partners were eligible for lesser amounts than legal spouses. Rather, everyone who suffered similar losses should be entitled to compensation under the same principles. Noneconomic damages awarded to compensate for the conscious pain and suffering of the victim should be apportioned among the survivors in proportion to their other losses. While under some states' laws these damages wold be granted to the estate, that rule should not govern here, where so many victims died without a will. Consider the situation of one individual who has contacted Lambda. Denise and her partner Laura (not their actual names) were together over six years, and committed to one another in a ceremony of holy union through their church three years ago. Laura had worked in a support position in Tower One for over a year when the terrorists struck. The first plane hit and she was horribly burned over a vast portion of her body. As the firefighters rushed Laura to the hospital, the last words she was able to utter were Denise's name and phone number. Denise was the first one to the hospital. Laura fought for life for over a month before dying. Denise stayed at her bedside through this period of suffering, talking and praying alongside her while she silently struggled to live. Because there was no will, Denise is now at the mercy of Laura's biological family to decide how long she may stay in the home they shared. Denise is making plans to move. And she faces even more anxiety because she apparently will not receive the financial cushion Laura provided for her through her employer's life insurance program. Because the employer's beneficiary designation forms were destroyed in the collapse of the buildings, Denise cannot document that she was the intended beneficiary on Laura's policy. So the money will be paid to Laura's estate, and not to Denise. Grieving and trying to carry on after the pain of this loss, Denise has no access to the basic support Laura intended for her, nor to the basic social safety net available for spouses. Denise should be eligible for compensation for her emotional and economic losses under the federal Fund. She should also share in the damages awarded to compensate for Laura's pain and suffering before death * money that should not be denied to the person Laura cried out for with her final words. E. Collateral Source Payments Made To Same-Sex Partners Should Reduce Their Awrds In The Same Proportion That They Are Eligible For Compensation. Most of the individuals who have contacted us for assistance will be receiving life insurance distributions as the designated beneficiary on their partners' life insurance policies. Life insurance is defined as a "collateral source" payment under § 402(4), and therefore must be reduced from any award made. See § 405(b)(6). To the extent that same-sex partners are ultimately eligible for compensation under this Fund, their awards should likewise be reduced by the collateral source payments they receive. By the same token, in the event that they * unfairly * are ineligible to collect September 11 Fund compensation, their collateral source payments should not be taken into account in reducing the award made to other family members. F. Forms And Procedures Should Be Easily Accessible. Easy access to the claims process and full understanding of its rules for all potential beneficiaries is vital for the Fund to achieve its purpose. To meet these goals, we suggest that all forms and informational materials published by the Department use inclusive language that would make clear to a surviving same-sex partner or de facto child or parent that she or he may be eligible for compensation, and the responsibility of the personal representative to include them in the claims process. Similarly, hearing officers should be fully trained in applying the eligibility criteria to these families, and alerted to the importance of avoiding any perception of discrimination. We also recommend designation of an ombudsperson to engage in outreach to surviving same-sex partners and children, to assist them in the claims process and advocate where necessary. III. CONCLUSION Strong policy reasons support an equitable approach to determine who may be eligible for compensation. Those who actually suffered losses as a result of the death of a loved one should share the right to compensation. Adherence to rigid legal distinctions would obscur the family realities of many of the diverse families who suffered as a result of this attack. By establishing a system that would permit claims by all survivors and compensation in fair proportion to actual losses, the Department would provide a model of fair, effective, and humane response to this horrific tragedy. It would also encourage families to elect compensation from the Fund rather than a civil action. This is because through the Fund, the constellation of family obligations that an individual victim might have undertaken could all be properly accounted for in allocating compensation. Respectfully submitted, Comment by: Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Chicago, Illinois Human Rights Campaign Empire State Pride Agenda Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders National Center for Lesbian Rights September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000114.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 La Grange,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 dojA004699.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, January 23, 2002 1:00 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 Brooklyn,NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000027.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. 2002-01-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 North Kingstown, RI 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 dojA004458.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 4:00 PM Compensation Plan TO: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director There is no denying that the Sept. 11 attacks were horrendous and life altering............... But my husband I have discussed this in great length and this is what we think. If my husband walked out the door today and got hit by a car the impact on our family would be no less than it was for any of the families affected by the 9/11 deaths. The financial and emotional impact would be the same. But somehow I do not think if I called my mortgage company they would grant me penalty free payment forgiveness, I do not think if I called the student loan processor that forbearance would be given, and I can guarantee that if I called the federal government I would not receive a check for over a million dollars. Aren't we all suppose to be responsible for our own families? Tonight my husband and I are completely medical screening exams to purchase additional life insurance policies (which we have to scrimp to pay for) to provide for each other in case of an emergency. The majority of employees who worked in the WTC buildings made good money and were fiscally aware and should have life insurance. Why do their children need more money and assistance than my daughter would? We think the amount of these awards are extremely high and wonder how we as a country are going to fund this? What about the families of the 50,000 people who are murdered every year, or the families whose loved ones are killed in auto accidents..........why aren't they being helped? Individual Comment Harrisonburg, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 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 dojN002298.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. 2002-01-22 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. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 2:18 PM Prevention of Suits Does this prevent family members from suing Osama Bin Laden or the Taliban or other terrorist organization or does it just prevent form suing the Airlines or other domestic corporations? Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000098.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 3:11 PM Equal Access 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. Individual Comment St Marys, GA 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 dojA003444.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 New York, NY 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 dojA004792.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 4:49 PM (q)double dipping(q) I am opposed to the idea of double dipping. There seems to be little reason to provide taxpayer fund for costs that are already covered by a charity (non profit organization). As a taxpayer I would be paying twice for the same benefit to the claimant- once via my contribution to the charity and once via my tax payment to the government - both State and Federal. thank you Individual Comment Closter, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000133.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:38 PM Victims Relief Fund 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 Williamstown, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA003552.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 9:49 AM Is this politics? I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. FOR THE MEMORY OF: And so many more... You should not discriminate! Individual Comment Chicago, IL 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 dojR001719.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. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 5:25 PM I think that the public policy concerning the compensation of families of gay heroes in the September 11th catastrophy is disgraceful. I had thought that if anything could surpass our differences and petty enforced "beliefs" that the tragedy of September 11th could. Your policy makes me feel both disappointed and ashamed at the lack of rights of some of our citizens. I think you should sincerely consider revising your policy. Individual Comment Syracuse, NY 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 dojR002230.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