97 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. Thursday, March 21, 2002 3:37 PM Discrimination at Its Worst We are outraged that the partners of the gays and lesbians who died on 9/11 are not going to automatically receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. This flies in the face of equality which one would expect to be an American given. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 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 dojR002551.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. 2002-03-21 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. 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 Boulder, CO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-11 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 dojA004426.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. 2002-01-11 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. Friday, January 18, 2002 1:07 PM ltr Zwick.DOC January 18, 2002 By e-mail to victimcompensation.comments@usdoj.gov By fax to 301-519-5956 Mr. 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: Sept. 11th Compensation Fund of 2001 Interim Final Rules Dear Mr. Zwick: We are writing to comment on the interim final rules (the "Rules") implementing the September 11th Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Fund"). In our capacity as estate attorneys, we are representing the personal representatives and surviving families of approximately ten victims of the World Trade Center disaster. With limited exceptions, we are representing these clients on a pro bono basis because we have concluded they have limited financial resources and are unable to pay for legal counsel. The victims whose estates we represent constitute a varied group. The victims, all male, include both married and unmarried men, men who were childless and fathers who left up to seven children. The victims range in age from 29 to 45, and represent a wide range of compensation, from $30,000 to well over $300,000 annually. The victims include at least three firefighters, one construction worker, and several individuals in the financial services industry. We have estimated the potential awards that would be received by our clients from the Fund under the Rules. It is noteworthy that over half of the families we represent will receive virtually nothing from the Fund under the current Rules. None of the survivors of the firefighters will receive anything from the Fund. Three of the families will receive an amount between $500,000 and $1,000,000, in each case calculated before any offset for workers' compensation. The distinguishing factor in the amount of awards to the survivors of the victims (other than firefighters) is whether or not, and in what amounts, the victims had life insurance. With one exception (the family of a victim who was childless and had no collateral source compensation), all of the surviving families strongly believe they will be unfairly compensated by the Fund and are seriously considering the possibility of legal action. They do not believe that the awards received under the Fund will be sufficient to dissuade them from bringing suits against the parties whose negligence, they believe, has deprived them of their loved ones. Our comments are set forth in more detail as follows: 1. The Awards are too Low. We believe that the awards as calculated under the Rules are too low, even prior to the reductions due to collateral source compensation. Section 405(b) (1)(B) of The Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (the "Act") requires that the Special Master determine "(i) the extent of the harm to the claimant, including any economic and noneconomic losses; and (ii) the amount of compensation to which the claimant is entitled based on the harm to the claimant, the facts of the claim and the individual circumstances of the claimant." "Economic loss" is defined in Section 402(5) of the Act as "any pecuniary loss resulting from harm (including the loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment, medical expense 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." Most of the families that we represent (who, as stated, include families of victims of different marital status, ages and income levels and families of victims working in the private sector and deceased firefighters) are going to receive virtually nothing from the Fund. They will therefore have little or no incentive not to sue the airlines and others. We respectfully submit that the Special Master is underestimating the potential damages that would be available to the estates of the victims and to the victims' families if they were to bring liability actions. In particular, we submit that the non-economic losses -- $250,000 plus $50,000 per dependent -- are far too low given the enormity of the tragedy on September 11 and the horrifying way in which these victims died. We also respectfully submit that there is no basis in the Act to limit the "loss of earnings" component of economic harm for wage-earners in the top two percent. The amount of compensation in the statute is supposed to be based on the harm to the individual, "the facts of the claim and the individual circumstances of the claimant." Nowhere is there a presumption in the statute that families of those earning in the top two percent should not be able to recover for economic loss. Damages for wrongful death suits are not similarly limited under New York State law. The Special Master's concern that the awards not be too disparate is misplaced. The Special Master's correct decision to include a minimum compensatory amount eliminates the concern that a strict analysis of economic harm would leave the families of low-earning individuals out in the cold. 2. "Collateral Source Compensation" Should be Interpreted Narrowly. Section 104.47(a) of the Rules provides that the amount of an award "shall be reduced by all collateral source compensation, including life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by federal, state, or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." (Emphasis added.) This generally tracks the definition of collateral source compensation in Section 402(4) of the Act. Section 405(b)(6) of the Act requires a reduction for collateral source compensation that a claimant receives "as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." (Emphasis added.) The statutory language is not crystal clear. It is respectfully submitted that it would be consistent with the Act to include as collateral source compensation only life insurance and pension benefits that were augmented or triggered by terrorist acts, such as the double indemnity provision for accidental death of many life insurance policies. Furthermore, collateral source compensation should not include social security and workers' compensation, because these federal and state payments are not related to the terrorist attacks. In any case, guidance is desperately needed as to the specific payments which will constitute collateral source compensation, so that families will be able to calculate their presumed awards in advance and determine whether or not to apply to the Fund. For example, it is unclear under the current Rules whether workers' compensation will be an offset. The families that we represent believe it is particularly unfair that the award from the Fund will be offset by life insurance. These families believe they are being penalized for sound financial planning. The awards of some of our clients are completely offset by life insurance. The family of a victim who was highly compensated and left seven children will receive virtually nothing from the Fund, simply because the victim made a substantial investment in life insurance to protect his family in the event of his death. If this victim had invested instead in the stock market or in real estate, the amount of those assets would not be an offset to the amount of the award from the Fund. Moreover, none of these sources would offset a settlement or jury award in the case of a tort liability action. We respectfully submit that, at the very least, collateral source compensation should not offset the amount of the award intended to compensate non-economic losses. The funds provided by life insurance, pensions, social security and workers' compensation are intended solely to provide income to a decedent's survivors. The victims had earned or paid for these assets. These assets have no connection to the events of September 11, and survivors would have received these assets upon the victim's death under any circumstances. Certainly these assets were not intended to reimburse the pain and suffering and other non-economic losses of the decedent who provided these assets for his or her survivors. As stated, offsetting the awards by these assets causes the majority of our clients to receive little or nothing from the Fund. It is an indignity for the survivors to receive nothing for pain and suffering simply because their loved one worked to provide them with economic protection in the event of his death. In short, the broad interpretation of the "collateral source" offset will leave many of our clients with no real choice but to seek redress from the courts. This is certainly not the result intended by the spirit -- or, we assert, the text - of the Act. 3. Offsets Should Reflect Taxes on Collateral Source Compensation. Any offset of collateral source compensation should take into account the fact that the collateral source compensation, unlike the Fund award, will be subject to income or estate taxes. Consider, for example, a victim with substantial pension benefits which are payable after death either in a lump sum or over a number of years. The pension benefits will be subject to income tax as they are paid, and thus will represent substantially less value, dollar-for-dollar, than an award from the Fund. Alternatively, consider a victim who was domiciled in the United States and married to a non-U.S. citizen. If the victim had substantial life insurance payable to his or her spouse (or children), some or all of the insurance proceeds will be subject to U.S. estate tax, which should be considered in determining any offset. Several of our clients will be penalized if their awards will be offset by the gross amount of collateral source compensation which will be subject to income and or estate taxes. Section 104.47 of the Rules should indicate how such taxes will be taken into account in determining offsets. 4. Gifts from Private Charities Should Not Constitute Collateral Source Compensation. Section 104.47(b)(2) of the Rules provides that charitable donations by private charitable entities do not constitute collateral source compensation that must be offset against the amount of the award. However, the same section then authorizes the Special Master to "determine that funds provided to victims or their families through a private charitable entity constitute, in substance," collateral source compensation. This proviso undermines the basic policy determination not to offset charitable contributions as collateral source compensation. It will also create substantial uncertainty concerning the amount of the award, thus will make it impossible for a family to make an informed decision as to whether to apply to the Fund or proceed with tort litigation. The preamble to the Rules states that in order for a claimant to make an informed decision whether or not to apply to the Fund and thereby waive the right to file a tort action, the claimant should have "some understanding of how their award will be calculated and how much they should receive from the Fund should they decide to file a claim." Section 104.47(b)(2) of the Rules totally undermines this principle. 5. The Presumed Economic and Non-Economic Loss Tables Provide Insufficient Guidance. The Presumed Economic and Non-Economic Loss Tables do not provide sufficient guidance to enable victims' personal representatives and families to determine their presumptive awards. The Special Master should publish the formulas that are used to calculate the presumed economic and non-economic loss amounts. We have observed that the increment in the award per dependent child varies with the victim's compensation but not the victim's age. It also appears to vary based upon the ages of the dependent children. The increment for the first dependent child (assumed to be 9 years old for both married and single victims) is markedly different for a single victim than for a married victim. Thus, for a victim who earns $150,000 a year, the increment in the award for one dependent child for a single victim is more than $400,000; for a married victim, the increment for the first dependent child is approximately $89,300, but the increment for the second dependent child is approximately $110,300. These disparities make any attempt to extrapolate from the published tables perilous for victims with more than two dependent children. Ideally, the Special Master should add to the website a calculator that would allow a family to input the marital status, ages of dependent children, age and salary of the victim, and thereby to obtain a guideline presumed award that would reflect the victim's circumstances. At the very least, more tables are essential to allow families with larger numbers of children or children of different ages to assess their situation. * * * * * * We respectfully urge you to amend the Rules to address the issues set forth above. As currently drafted, the Rules operate in such a way that many victims will receive little or nothing from the Fund. This result subverts the purpose of the Act - to provide fair, predictable and consistent compensation to the victims of September 11 and their families, in an expedited, efficient manner, thereby offering them a viable alternative to the tort litigation which would have extremely negative economic and non-economic consequences for the American people. Respectfully Submitted, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002514.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. January 8, 2002 To: Kenneth L. Zwick Director, office of Management Programs Civil Division, USDOJ Re: September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Sir: I have reviewd the USDOJ's interim final rules for the September fund of 2001 and have the following comments: 1. The intent of the fund is not only to minimize the pain for survivors and the loved ones of those lost, but to reduce the cost and pain to our society that would result from lengthy litigation in a public forum. I feel the USDOJ failed to meet these goals of the victim's fund. This has become obvious to anyone involved since as of January 7th only 100 people have filed claims. The most troubling aspect of the final rules is that it minimizes every life lost or person injured in this terrorist attack. Never in the history of our country have we experienced such a horrific act of murder and terrorism on our soil. To suggest that the emotional loss, pain and suffering could be compared to anything we every experienced before is absurd and desecrates the memory of those who died in this attack. The government has an obligation to these citizens and their families to acknowledge this pain, which was caused by our governments failure to act on known weaknesses in our country's security. Though the fund will not pass judgement on who is to blame, the Special Master, Congress and the President know in their hearts, the government failed to protect its citizens. The amount of $250,000 for these people's lives is disgraceful. People who sue for car accidents in wich a person did not even intentionally get hurt or kill someone reciever far more for pain and suffering. How can this be the case? The special master said that he can not and will not playy Solomon, yet inserting such an arbitrary number he is doing just that. I urge that this number be increased to at least $500,000 and not be subject to offsets. The collateral offsets should only be applied to economic losses, since the collateral offsets established in the Air Transportation Safety Act are monies that are designed soley to support families economically not to east their pain and suffering. 2. The USDOJ needs to provide exact details of what constitutes collateral sources. As the rules currently stand there is too much uncertainty for a person to waive their right to sue. The government must eliminate this uncertainty, so that when a person calculates their claims value, they can be almost 100% certain of the amount they would receiver before waiving their right to sue. As i stated in my first response to the USDOJ, improper awards will lead to a public outcry since claimants will have waived their right to sue and can not appeal their award. This would lead to claimants feeling that not only did the Federal Government fail them on September 11th, but also thay mislead them and duped them into an unfair settlement. The plan as it is currently set up has already tled to public outcries and a minimal number of people have filed fo rclaims under the plan. This alone should make it clear to the USDOJ that the plan they ahve set up is inadequate and lacks the compassion it so needs. 3. I am strongly opposed to any offsets from collateral sources such as insurance that would be due a decedent's estate under normal circumstances. The status specifically states that. "The Special Master shall reduce the amount of compensation determined (under paragraph(1)(B)(ii) by the amount of collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11th, 2001". I believe the statutes wording supports my claim that all funds paid as a result of death not specifically related to the September 11th terrorist attacks are not part of the collateral offset. The USDOJ policy takes funds from the injured party and in affect give it to the government who itself must bear some responsibility for the claimants injuries or deaths because it did not provide proper airline security laws as confirmed by the hasty passage of the airline safety act. Reducing awards for life insurance that a decendant purchased to protect their family and estate under the assumption of normal death not soley because of the terrorist attack of September 11th should not be considered a collateral source under the strict wording of the statute. I believe that offsets for workman's compensation death benefits and other death benefits paid specifically as a result of the attack are reasonable offers. 4. The statute specifically states that pension funds are to be considered collateral source. The IRS specifically defines a pension plan as a defined benefit planthat typically pays a fixed income to a person( see attatched page with definition from IRS publication 575). The company and not the individual fund these funds. Many people have 401k plans which the IRS defines as a defined contribution plan. These plans are provided by the employer but ate significantly if not entirely funded by the individual. Therefore, I submit that accordingly 401k funds as well as IRA's and individual annuitites are not to be considered collateral sources in accordance with the government's pwm definition of these funds. 5. I strongly support the USDOJ's belief that claims should be proced without economic experts. However as the rules currently are set up this is not possible. Therefore to accomplish this task the USDOJ must establish a set of simple formulas for determining economic compensation and spell out the exact offsets a claim would have held against it that can be open for interpretation. I feel strongly that this be done so a claimant is not ask to waive their right to sue without knowing the exact amount compensation they could expect as a minimum. 6. New York State Attorney General Wlliot Spitzer said, it is wrong to demand that families waive their right to sue before they are told what they will ultimately reciever from their claim. I agree with teh Attorney General, which is why I propose that the plan allow claimants to file their claims and request an award determination. If the claimant would like to accept the awared as sdetermined they must waive their righ to sue. If the claimant disagrees with the award determination, it can be applealed as stated in the proposed rules. However, in order to appeal the award determination they must waive their right to sue since they have a guaranteed minimum award. I believe my proposal is fair and equitable and meets the requirements of the statute. I also feel it would cause no additional burden or delays to the plan. It simply changes the point in the process at which the waiving of the rights to sue is done. I strongly believe that the USDOJ needs modify the current rules. I believe my suggestions in this letter are fair to claimants, provide a strong incentive to avoid litigation, encourage the use of Victims compensation Fund and conform to all the rules set out in the statute. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss my comments with Mr. Feinberg. If Mr. Feingberg feels this would be constructive, please contact me at the number below. Sincerely Individual Comment Kings Park, NY GENERAL INFORMATION Some of the terms used in this publication are defined in the following paragraphs. A pension is generally a serious of definitaly determinable payments made to you after you retire from work. Pension payments are made regularly and ar ebased on certain factors, such as years of service with your employer or your prior compensation. --> A 401k is not a pension September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-08 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001892.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. 2002-01-08 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:04 PM 9/11 Victims Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director > Office of Management Programs > Civil Division > U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I hope the e-mail message I received today, stating that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses, is in error. If the message is indeed true, this is a total outrage. Such discrimination makes no sense at all. The dollars we Americans sent for the relief of our fellow citizens in their tragic loss were sent with love and concern for ALL fellow citizens, not just those of specific ethnic heritage or specific sexual orientation, i.e. heterosexual. I submit my protest to this unfair, un-American, un-patriotic discriminatory stance FOR THE MEMORY OF: > And so many more... Individual Comment Billings, Montana September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002440.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 17, 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 Pittsburgh, PA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 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 dojA005077.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. 2001-12-17 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. 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 Tualatin, OR September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002593.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:14 AM Equal access to benefits 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 Norwich, VT 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 dojA003084.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. Sunday, February 03, 2002 1:10 PM New Vote.com votes as of 01:09 PM EST on February 03rd, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, DOES THE GOVERNMENT'S AID PROGRAM FOR FAMILIES OF SEPT. 11 VICTIMS GO FAR ENOUGH?: YES: 33 votes NO: 0 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000365.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. 2002-02-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 07, 2001 9:02 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund December 7 , 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice 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 Arlington, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001323.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. 2001-12-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Individual CommentS Marcellus, NY 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 dojA003714.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. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:30 AM september 11 victims I THINK FAMILIES SHOULD BE MADE WHOLE AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD MAKE A CLEAR AND FIRM DECISION THUS KEEPING GREEDY LAWYERS AT BAY ..... Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000027.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. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 9:13 PM Re: Victim Compensation Fund December 4, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice 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 New York, NY 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 dojA000581.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. Monday, January 14, 2002 8:18 PM Compensation for victims - rules It is my understanding that compensation for the families of victims of Sept. 11's terrorist attacks will be reduced or eliminated if they have life insurance or pensions and etc. I object to this in the most stringent of terms. To suggest that people who demonstrate financial irresponsibility should be rewarded and people who have tried to provide for their heirs should be penalized is ludicrous and completely unfair!! The purpose of the fund is to compensate people directly as a replacement for the normal lawful method of compensation by filing a civil suit in a court of law. But, what you propose doesn't replace on form of compensation with another... you are denying them their right under law to any compensation. Treat everyone fairly. Give the financially responsible their fair share! Individual Comment Tuscaloosa, AL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001601.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 9:17 AM Compensation denied to gay/lesbian partners of victims of 9/11 I think it is absolutely atrocious that the partners of the gay and lesbian Americans that were killed on 9/11/01 are being denied the same financial assistance and compensation that heterosexual partners are receiving. Congratulations. You have just victimized those partners a second time. It is even more disturbing that benefits are being afforded to illegal immigrants, but to gay and lesbian partners. The immigrants are not Americans and are breaking the law! What a message you are sending to gay and lesbian Americans: that they are not even as worthy of the support of their country as non-citizens who are committing an illegal act. It is probably in vain, but I sincerely hope that you experience predjudice like that someday; the pain and anger will undoubtedly rock your world. Individual Comment Toledo, OH 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 dojR002088.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. 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 New York, NY 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 dojA003238.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 Staten Island,NY 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 dojA004875.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. I am particularly concerned about part time workers without benefits - and the high probability of long term psychological damage to children who lost a parent, or parents, with subsequent need for counseling support Sincerely, Individual Comment Flagstaff, AZ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005500.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, December 16, 2001 2:40 PM Fair compensation for victims of September 11 Attachment 1: 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 Duluth, MN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002070.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. 2001-12-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:38 AM 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 Chicago, IL 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 dojA002880.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