614 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 21, 2002 1:33 PM Federal Victims Compensation Program I feel the division of the Twin Tower Funds is most unfair. Everyone should receive the same and equal amount. To decide who is worth more is just out of the question. As a Vietnam Veteran, lets look at the injustice done to the 55, 000 plus men who died for their country. I believe the death benefits was about $10,000 and a smack in the face for being there. Let's just settle this fairly by equal division. Thank you Individual Comment Franklin Square, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002173.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, January 17, 2002 9:01 AM A UNITED NATION ???? January 17, 2002 Mr. Zwick, We were a UNITED NATION on September 11th after they murdered my brother ( ). We were a UNITED NATION when CONGRESS tried to do something to help the families. We were in Shock. Reality is we WERE a UNITED NATION until it started coming apart again. WHY??? Because government, the media and the selfish "Me-American" came out. Now we want the politicly correct statue. Now it is about race--not the real event. And DIVIDE the nation a little. Now we want what will sell the papers and pay for the million dollar salaries of the news anchors. NOT the TRUTH. We tell the public all the families will receive one and half million dollars in benefits for the government fund. The average American (the ones that are not living this nightmare) say, "that is great the families are taken care of". Then they hear the families ask for justice because in reality they are receiving ZERO. The same average American is now calling the same grieving family GREEDY-they don't get my tax dollar!!. Who do you think created that monster ????? And DIVIDE the nation a little more. The government fund (the compassionate answer for the families--[ or is it the salvation for the airlines and corporate America]) comes out with charts and numbers and formulas to show how everyone is different and not equal. Pitting one family against another. When they are just trying to hang onto any sense of reality. And DIVIDE the nation a little more. My family paid a HIGH price to see our nation come together on September 11th. To see the flag fly high again, sing our patriotic songs. To see the NATION UNITED. My family will continue to pay a high price because the government program is an insult to the families of the September 11th victims. It is an insult to the nation that was UNITED and wanted to help it's citizens who lost loved ones that day. Are you going to DIVIDE this nation or are you going to help it heal and REUNITE ????? Start with the families. Equal amounts to all. You have a budget for this fund. Divide it across the board then it is fair--- everyone is equal. Drop the collateral sources deduction and STOP tormenting the families. We have had enough, let us heal. When you think about the pain and suffering, please don't forget we must endure this suffering forever. We will get to see the planes kill our loved ones every September 11th. Put yourself in our position. Watch your mother, farther, sister, brother, wife, son, daughter, husband, grandchild be killed every night on the news. Relive it every anniversary. Now don't breeze over this. STOP ----HOW DO YOU FEEL????? What A SHORT MEMORY OUR CONGRESS, OUR MEDIA AND OUR AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE. Remember HOW YOU FELT ON SEPT 11th. Do the right thing. Don't make the families who suffered the most be victimized twice. IT IS IN YOUR HANDS. Sincerely, Individual Comment Scituate, Ma September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001924.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 4:58 PM More Discrimination To the Victims Compensation Fund: I am outraged to learn that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on Sept. 11th will not automatically receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. It's bad enough that our gay and lesbian family members and friends who are in long-term, committed relationships are not allowed to enjoy the full legal and financial benefits associated with marriage in other aspects of their lives. In this case, it is scandalous and downright un-American that they should be denied equal benefits, having lost the one they shared their lives with to an act of terrorism. Their loss is no less than those of surviving spouses. Anyone who thinks so needs to get to know gay people who are married in every sense of the word except by law. It's one thing for straight people who decide not to marry to forfeit the legal and financial benefits of marriage. That is their choice. But gay people have no choice to legalize their relationships. We treat them as second class citizens in this respect, and in doing so we dishonor their committed, loving relationships. Failing to honor them in this instance betrays an unfounded belief that gay people do not deserve what the rest of the world is entitled to, simply because they are not straight. That's outrageous and wrong, and I urge you to reconsider. 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 dojR002040.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 1:47 PM Victim Compensation Fund I find it so hard too believe that we continue to discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation. Discrimination is absolutely un-American! Let's show equality for those like &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , who helped save countless other lives and &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp who gave his life helping others by setting a fair and equal payment to the families, survivors and yes, life partners of those who perished. Please don't let them die in vain and be-smirch their memories, honor their acts of courage, for THEY are, like the fire fighters and police officers, the true American heroes of Sept. 11, 2001. Respectfully, Individual Comment Monahans, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000936.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, March 15, 2002 1:21 PM 911 fund It makes my stomach turn to read mister Feinberg's excuses for not extended compensation to gay and lesbian AMERICAN that lost their partner's on 9/11, yet ILLEGAL aliens will be able to receive money. Will you be extending compensation to the families of the pilots that drove those planes into the building too? When will America ever learn? I thought 9/11 was suppose to help bring about change and tolerance. But I guess many for people all over the world will have to die, needlessly I must add, before American conservative right gets their head out of their ass!!! My God Bless your injustice and hypocrisy!!! Individual Comment Dallas, Texas September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000849.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. 2002-03-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:21 PM Equality 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 Avon, CT 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 dojA003524.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 10:13 AM Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Lindenhurst, 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 dojA002947.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 8:01 AM Aid To Victims Greetings, The quarreling about fund distribution must come to a speedy halt. Those of us who have contributed...those of us who have grieved...do not want the fund or charities to conflict. We do not want our government to trifle with our tax dollars regarding this issue. The fund should be distributed without regard to charitable donations received by a victims loved ones. The rules regarding life insurance and pensions restrict the fund enough. Please get on with it. I support the creation of a "fund master" (who has a history of fairness and compassion) who will interpret and enforce the fund's rules and decide final awards...without unnecessary time consuming appeals. Kenneth R. Feinberg would be a good choice. Thanks for hearing our plea. Kind Regards, 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 dojW000071.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. January 21, 2002 The Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg Special Master, Victim Compensation Fund The Feinberg Group, LLP Suite 740 South 1120 20th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 Dear Mr. Attorney General and Mr. Feinberg: My name is &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and I lost my husband, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp, on September 11, 2001, in One World Trade Center. We were married for 19 years and he is the father of my two children &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp. We lost a remarkable, loving and dedicated man. This has left us devastated and with deep wounds to heal, not only because he is dead, but also because the trauma that has followed due to the violent way he was killed, retrieving him in pieces and the constant visuals. This was the second time my husband was at The World Trade Center when terrorists attacked and for whatever the reasons may be the attempt to protect the World Trade Center failed. Our lives as we knew it is over. We will have to deal with unrealized hopes, dreams and expectations about the future. I ask you to realize the tremendous pressure that has been put on my shoulders to rebuild our hopes, dreams and expectations. We are faced with harsh realities and the reality is that we need compensation to face whatever challenges lay ahead, the predictable as well as the unpredictable ones. The lease we should have is that security, after what has been taken from us. Compensation should be realistic and fairly compared to compensation sought in court in order for us to move on with our lives. Most of us are mothers with the task of rebuilding for not only ourselves but for our children. Do not formulaize us into a statistic. Consider what you would want if it were your family. When Congress passed legislation creating the Victim Compensation Fund, it did so to provide compensation for those who lost a loved one or were themselves physically harmed. It was to relieve them form financial burdens. As you know this Fund, was enacted as part of a comprehensive package, which bailed out the airline industry, The World Trade Center and other parties and imposed restrictions on the rights of the victim's families to sue the airlines in court. We implore upon you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation, which was enacted. 1. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those victims form the financial industry are specially harmed by this limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jogs they held and where they worked-the World Trade Center, the Financial capital of the world, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American Business and commerce, democracy and freedom, and let us not forget the American Dream. We ask that you demand that Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly; commensurate with the support they provided their families before their death. 2. If these provisions of the Interim Rule were made final, some surviving, family members of deceased victims would receive far less compensation from the Fund than they are entitled to receive under the governing statute, especially when collateral sources are considered. Collateral sources penalize those who planned and saved and should be eliminated from the process. 3. The restrictions of the non-economic award for pain and suffering are insulting. These were citizens that were not protected when alive and whose rights are not being protected when they died. The award should not be compared to awards given to service men, who also receive other benefits that we do not, but to the awards given in a wrongful death claim. It must reflect our government's and society's estimation and appreciation of the magnitude of our loss. Non-economic awards in considerable excess of $1 million are typical for other airline crashes and terrorism cases. 4. Consumption deductions are also unfair unless you take into consideration loss of service that a family experiences when it looses a primary overseer of a home, autos, and finances, etc. and a secondary caretaker of children. In many cases there is an increase in total insurance payments because of loss of employer discounts and a loss of flexible health spending allowances. As Mayor Giulani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did die...Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families.. There should be no compromise about that ever..." We request that the interim rules be amended and that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less. Sincerely Individual Comment Manhasset, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000112.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:38 AM Victims 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 Kansas City, MO 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 dojA003119.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, November 07, 2001 11:05 AM 911 Relief Before we "divide up the money", a baseline must be established as to who gets the money. A good example may be how the Native Americans do it with their gambling monies. Each member of the tribe receives the same amount, man, woman and child regardless of age, status or present income level. For some this could be a huge windfall, for others a huge cut in pay. Some may see this is unfair but in this case I think we must treat each other equally, not necessarily fairly. The money should be divided equally among all surviving family members. Who is a family member? 1. A spouse presently living with the victim and living as a family unit. 2. A child under the age of 18 presently living with the victim and living as a family unit. 3. What if the victim was 55 and there is still a child living at home at age 30? No they should not get money regardless of handicap/disability etc. If they are 30 and able to work and are not, they need to find work. If disabled/handicapped etc there are already programs to support these people. However, if the victim was able to claim the person as a dependent on their taxes then yes, they should get the money. 4. What if the victims child is 20 and in college? Yes as long as the victim was able to claim them as a dependent on taxes. If not, no. 5. Divorced spouse that was receiving alimony should receive the same amount as every other man, woman and child. A divorced spouse that was not receiving alimony was obviously recognized by the courts as not required to receive the victims' money and therefore we should support previous court decisions. 6. Child support from victims. Again, obviously the courts had previously determined that the victims money was required to support the child(ren) and therefore each child supported by the victim should receive the same as everyone else. 7. Foster child(ren)/adopted Child(ren). If any of these children were previously being supported by the victim then they should receive the same amount of money as everyone else. Again, courts have already decided these children were being supported by the victim and the support should continue. Follow the laws already in place as to whether or not these children of any age are supported or not. a. Foster children over the age of 18 should not receive money. All federal money ends for foster children at age 18 so should this support. b. Adopted children should be treated the same as biological children. 8. What about spouses and children that were in the process of a divorce but now won't finish? Since they were still legally married to the victim the spouse and children should receive the same as everyone else. The only other option is to finish the trials without the spouse which I believe is unfair simply because the victim clearly cannot defend themselves. 9. What if s/he was unmarried with no children supporting his widowed mother and handicapped sister? Proof of this would be on his/her tax returns from previous years and those family members should be able to receive the same amount of money as everyone else. If they were not claimed as a dependent on the victims taxes then no. 10. What if s/he had a significant other (SO) opposite or same sex? Since this is a federal fund we should follow federal laws. Although some States recognize SO's the fed does not. 11. What if s/he was unmarried with no children supporting a handicapped/laid-off cousin/friend/grandchild/niece/nephew/etc? These are not considered immediate family and I don't believe they should be included. Furthermore, although they would probably receive much less than the victim was providing there are already existing programs to help support these people. But again, if these any of these people were claimed on tax returns then yes. 12. What about a spouse and child(ren) living with the victim who also had additional family members such as grandma or grandpa or cousin, should they receive the same as other family members living in the same house? No. Although they were part of the family unit, as stated above, they would be eligible for other aid such as SSI. Net of all this is simple. If existing marriage, divorce, support (child, foster, alimony, etc) laws recognize someone was being supported by a victim, they get money. If existing law does not, they get none. We will call all those who should get money, "Beneficiaries". Now that we know who gets the money I see the funds utilized in 4 ways. Before we start though lets give each man, woman and child the same amount of money and get the fed out. We do not want to create another huge bureaucracy whereby the money must be managed for many years. Let the private industry and existing agencies do it. However we should make out the checks in 4 different ways. 1. For each beneficiary over the age of 18 they should receive a check and be able to do with it as they please. Hopefully the younger beneficiaries will invest it in a college education, future investments, etc. But the fed should not manage other people's money. 2. For each beneficiary under the age of 18 the guardian should be required to put the money in a trust of their choosing as long as the guardian does not have access to the money. The trust should disperse the money in 2 ways. a. The guardian should receive 5% of the money each year to help support the child. If the guardian decides they don't need all of that money or even some of that money the money remains in the trust for future use by the child. If they need more, they should not be allowed to get it. b. The rest of the money should remain in the trust until the child is 18. At 18 the child can do with the money as they please, leave it alone for college, invest it elsewhere, take the money and run, etc. 3. Short/long-term loans. There are already agencies in place to provide short-term and long-term loans to the "handicapped/disabled/victims/etc. Some of the victims beneficiaries will need loans during their period of transition. Another small percentage, like 5% should be given to these existing agencies for them to manage the loans of the beneficiaries. Grants should not be considered as this would turn into a way for some to get more money than others. This would not be treating everyone equally. 4. What about spouses that were 100% supported by the victim and need to be trained and prepared to enter the workforce? There are already job training programs available for "unskilled workers" and the spouses of the victims should be given priority to enter these programs. If there needs to be additional money for these programs to help train the spouses then a very small percentage, like 5%, should be given to existing programs and let them administer getting the victims spouses trained. We do not want to set up victim's scholarships for the future as this would create additional bureaucracy to help manage the money. If the private sector chooses to do this let them do it but the fed should not be involved. I also agree with the present thinking regarding anyone going the lawsuit route. If a beneficiary chooses to sue instead of taking the money they should be disqualified from receiving any money. Unfortunately I think this decision will be challenged in the near future and this decision will be reversed. There is already existing law allowing both lawsuit and "grant money" to the same person. Therefore if there is a 5th place to put the money it should remain in a special fund inside the government for a period of 5 years until these suits can take their course. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000172.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 17, 2002 12:24 PM 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund March 17, 2002 To whom it may concern; I find it appalling that you have chosen to exclude partners of gay and lesbian victims of the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, from compensation under your current plan. Every life lost on that day is a life given in a war against the very things the United States was founded on; freedom, equality and JUSTICE. The fact that most parts of this country have denied basic freedoms to lesbian and gay families should not be held against the survivors who have lost so much. How can you justify the current plan of inclusion of all (even those in this country illegally) but deny the partners of the gay and lesbian men and women who died on that day? Their families are based upon the concept of Family of Choice, CHOICE being a fundamental freedom guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. UNITED being the key word. Today we must act and stand as UNITED citizens of this, the greatest country in the world, not divided by bigotry, religious fundamentalism or intolerance. Individual Comment New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001404.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. 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 Ithaca, 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 dojA001790.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, November 26, 2001 5:11 PM Where has all the money gone? Attention:Kenneth L. Zwick As a concerned citizen, I am anxious to find out what the millions of dollars that were donated for this specific tragedy are going and how are they being accounted for? The American Red Cross seems to have indicated that they would spend the money as they see fit. If this is the case, it is not what the people donated the money for. These donations were made by concerned people who felt they wanted to help those affected by the happenings of September 11, 2001, and the money was donated for that specific purpose. Every effort should be made to insure that the charitable actions of the people be used for the purpose for which the people intended. I would appreciate hearing for your group as to what is being done to accomplish the intent behind the donations. Thank you Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000771.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. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, April 04, 2002 10:21 AM Gay-Lesbian Discrimination I would like you to reconsider your position regarding the exclusion of gays and lesbians from receiving survivor funds resulting from 9-11. Those gays and lesbians who died on 9-11 are citizens of our country and made the same contributions that the heterosexuals who died. Why shouldn't their partners receive the same benefits? Do the right thing and set a precedent. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-04-04 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 dojR002903.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. 2002-04-04 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, November 26, 2001 11:50 PM Victim's comp. for All Americans! Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, Please be sure that all victim's families/partners are equally compensated for loss of loved ones whether Gay or Straight. As I read Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's statements in a Parade magazine article I was impressed and pleased to hear him say that this war is about preserving our way of life, our freedoms. Do we want to give off the message that we operate out of certain religious beliefs in how we choose which americans are entitled to receive benefits? Is not that the same kind of religious bias that the terrorists used to commit their atrocious acts on Sept. 11th? I believe we are better than that. I hope you do too. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000727.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. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 8:23 PM 9/11 victims fund I and this country is truly at a loss for the type of discrimination that is going on in this country. I CANNOT believe that the 9/11 Victims Fund would exclude gays and lesbians who were in a relationship from claiming benefits for the surviving partners. The attack should have brought EVERY AMERICAN together to get through this, but apparently, if you're hetro, citizen or not you have nothing to worry about, you'll get compensation. Who do you think helps pay taxes in this country that claims to be "home of the brave"? If statistics are correct 1 in every 10 is gay, how much taxes do you think gay and lesbian Americans pay? Why should we be treated differently? Yes, I know there are laws on the books such as DOMA and in most states, same sex relationships are not acknowledged, however, that doesn't mean that they are not valid. I've been w/ my partner for 15 years and I WOULD expect him to receive his fair compensation had I been a victim in the attacks. What if the shoe were on the other foot? What if all hetros were told they would either receive nothing or a less amount than a homosexual surviving partner would receive? Congress would sure move VERY swiftly to change those laws. The attacks should have taught EVERY American that our differences make up this WONDERFUL tapestry of America, but apparently not so. DO NOT let the terrorists succeed! DO NOT be afraid of STANDING up and acting FAIRLY and oppose any attempt to value one life over another. There were too many heroes, gay and straight, to make a division. EVERY LIFE THAT WAS LOST IS TRAGIC, DO NOT MAKE THE WHOLE SITUATION WORSE! Thank you, 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 dojR001751.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 5:42 PM It is unamerican to discriminate against gay and lesbian survivors and families of the 9/11 victims. We will not stand for it!!!! and what is even more ridiculous is that illegal aliens and fetuses will be given compensation but gays and lesbians won't, gays' and lesbians' compensation will differ because they are merely gay or lesbian. that is really petty. aren't we past that? it is outright discrimination!!! and we are not going to stand for it! so, put you homophobia aside and have some compassion for human life! i don't understand how the plan to not include gays a lesbians in the 9/11 fund (or to limit their compensation based on sexual orientation) is going to stop them from being gay/lesbian. gays and lesbians are going to be gays and lesbians--and human beings just like the rest of us--no matter what. so what are you trying to accomplish by being disgustingly cruel, un-american, and homophobic? this makes me unproud to be an american. i thought america was better than that. please, treat family and survivors as human beings--look past any racial, class, or sexual orientaion issues--and stop trying to prove a point. i'd like to leave you with one final thought: we are all different, and that is the one thing that makes us all the same. thank you for your time, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001132.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 10:49 PM Victim compensation fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. 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 Los Banos, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000627.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 4:31 PM equal access to benefits December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bethesda, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000028.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20