622 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. Wednesday, December 12, 2001 11:07 AM compensation for partners and children of gay and lesbian victims of 9/11 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 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001505.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. 2001-12-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, November 26, 2001 3:53 PM United Airlines' comments re Notice of Inquiry re September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: At the request of United Airlines, please find attached in both Word and WordPerfect format United's comments in response to the November 5, 2001 Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking concerning the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Please contact United at the following address if the comments should be submitted in a format other than Word and WordPerfect. Thank you. United Airlines, Inc. Elk Grove Village, IL -------------------------------- VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Mann Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking, September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Director Zwick: United Airlines, Inc. submits this letter in response to the Notice seeking public comment on matters related to the implementation of the victim compensation fund program ("VCFP"). United is pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the matters raised in the Notice, particularly those procedural issues that we believe will facilitate the process in order to make it as streamlined and fair as possible to the victims and their families. Our comments track the order of items mentioned in the Notice. General approach, subsection (f). Should the regulations cover matters in addition to those specified in § 407 of the Act (to provide full information about how the program will work)? United urges that the regulations be as comprehensive and informative as reasonably possible in order to enable individual victims to make prompt and informed choices between participating in the Victim Compensation Fund Program ("VCFP") and filing a private lawsuit. Is the number of individuals who have filed a civil suit or plan to do so in the next few months "very small"? As of the date United submits these comments, no lawsuits have been served on United by individuals who would be eligible to participate in the VCFP. We expect that the more the regulations and forms are clear, swift and fair, the fewer private suits will be filed. Is the statutory requirement that a claimant "withdraw" from a civil suit within 90 days of the promulgation of the new regulations intended to preclude such a claimant from refiling or rejoining a civil action (a) if the claimant changes his or her mind? or (b) if the Special Master determines he isnt eligible to file a claim? In order for the VCFP to work fairly and efficiently and in the manner that Congress intended, a claimant who elects to participate should not be permitted to change his or her mind at a later date and pursue private litigation. However, if it is determined that the claimant is not eligible to file a claim pursuant to the VCFP, the claimant should not necessarily thereby be precluded from pursuing a private lawsuit. Topics 1 & 2: The forms and information to be used. Should the Special Master determine that a claim has not yet been "filed" if a submission is inadequately detailed? In order to achieve the goals of the VCFP generally, and to allow time for the Special Master to determine a fair and appropriate award on each claim, it would seem wise to start the 120-day period running only after the Special Master has determined that the application is complete, including the submission of all supporting documentation. Should the Special Master take any specified action before deeming a claim "filed"? The regulations should include a provision directing the Special Master to assure, before declaring that a claim has been "filed," that the Special Master has received all data, signature, and required documents, and that if any of the required material is missing, to notify the claimant in writing of the deficiencies and confirm to the claimant that the claim will not be deemed "filed" until the missing data and/or documentation has been received. Design and content of claims forms, including readable and readily available. In addition to procedures for electronic filing, the claim form itself should include an explanation of the eligibility requirements to be a "claimant," a description of the kinds of damages that are recoverable, an explanation of the claimants rights and obligations (including the waiver of right to sue, the right to amend, the applicable time periods, the procedures for oral hearings, the penalties for submission of false information, the verification under oath, etc.). The claim form should require information about the injured victim, the deceased victim, and the claimant if someone other than the victim is the claimant; the decedents survivors; the injured or deceased victims dependants and anyone else claiming under the victims right to recover, the injured or deceaseds victims education, employment, and earnings; the basis for eligibility; the physical harm to an injured victim; an itemization of each element of claimed damages; a calculation of the amount of the claim, and a listing of collateral sources and amounts. The claim form should require that it be accompanied by supporting records, including birth certificates for the injured and deceased victims and their dependants; marriage certificates for the injured or deceased victim; death certificates for deceased victims; a drivers license, passport, visa, or green card for the injured or deceased victim and for the claimant; the three most recent years of U.S. income tax returns (or foreign equivalent); the injured or deceased victims medical records for treatment related to the 9-11-01 injuries, certified or attested to by one of the medical providers; a statement of circumstances surrounding the injured/deceased victims death or injury; all applicable life insurance policies, death benefit policies, health insurance policies, and statements of benefits to which the injured/deceased victim is entitled (other than charity); affidavits of any expert witnesses or other consultants on which the claimant relies for the submission of information to support the claim; and the sworn signature of the claimant and, if the claimant is represented by an attorney, the attorney as well. Topic # 3: Procedures for hearings and presentation of evidence Could the Special Master stop the running of the 120-day clock? The Act appears to impose an absolute 120-day requirement for the benefit of claimants, and so it may not allow the Special Master to toll the running of that period, at least not without the consent of the Claimant. If and to the extent the statute is determined to allow waiver of the 120-day period, United believes that a claimant should be allowed to waive this time requirement if the claimant decides that more time is necessary. Could the Special Master dismiss an inadequate claim, and could claimant refile? United urges the adoption of regulations and procedures that allow the Special master to take reasonable steps to secure complete and adequate claim submissions by requiring prompt notification to the claimant that the submission is not complete and adequate, and a clear and plain statement of what the claimant needs to do in order to make the submission complete and adequate. The regulations should provide that a claimant may supplement or amend his or her submission as necessary, and more than once if necessary, in order to be certain that every injured or deceased victim or their representatives are afforded the benefits and protections of the VCFP. The regulations should err on the side of allowing additional submissions and additional opportunities to assure a complete and adequate submission, with the goal of having every claimant who wishes to participate do so successfully, consistent with the 2-year requirement of the statute. Should every claimant be granted an oral hearing, or would submission of paper be enough? While most claims should be able to be decided on the paper, we believe that a claimant who wishes to appear before the Hearing Officer should be afforded an opportunity to do so if the Hearing Officer, in the exercise of sound discretion, deems it to be helpful. Given the volume of claims to be processed, however, and to assure that others waiting in line are not unduly delayed, such an opportunity to present oral evidence will of necessity need to be concise, focused and limited in duration. In addition, the regulations should allow the Special Master the authority to require a claimant to appear to answer questions if there are ambiguities or other issues presented by the claim form and supporting documentation. Should the Special Master use hearing officers? If so, what qualifications and training should they have? Yes, hearing officers are essential in order to meet both the statutory deadlines and claimants expectations that the VCFP will provide a more time-efficient mechanism than a private lawsuit. Because the hearing officers will be called upon to evaluate sophisticated financial/economic data, they should have a law degree from an accredited law school at a minimum, and preferably experience handling dispute resolution (e.g., retired judges, ADR neutrals). What powers should they have (e.g., ask questions, require more information, recommend decisions to Special Master)? The hearing officers should have all these powers, and their recommended decisions should be in writing on a standard form on which they state both the amount of the award, and the reasons for arriving at the award and other pertinent information that supports the award. Should claimants have a right to appeal hearing officer decisions to Special Master? United believes that claimants should have the right to appeal the hearing officers final decision to the Special Master, with the standard of review to be established by the DOJ. However, in order to assure that all claimants receive prompt decisions, claimants challenging the hearing officers decisions should do so only in writing, without an additional hearing. Can DOJ subpoena evidence from non-parties? The DOJ (in particular, the Special Master) can and should do so especially if evidence from a non-party is needed to prove claimants claim or there are indications of mistake or fraud in a written submission or oral testimony. Should oral hearings be recorded? The inclusion of written transcripts, tape recordings or video recordings of the hearings would provide added assurance to the claimants of impartiality, and will be helpful in the event of appeals to the Special Master. Should oral hearings be held in a site convenient to the claimant? United believes that the opportunity (or in some cases, requirement) to present evidence in a convenient location will make the entire VCFP more attractive to claimants. How should scheduling conflicts be dealt with, and can a claimant forfeit the right to a hearing by delay etc.? The appointment of sufficient hearing officers should allow flexibility in scheduling. Given the ongoing stress felt by claimants and their families, and the potential difficulties in obtaining definitive evidence, we would urge that the regulations ensure that any right to an oral hearing (though not to an award) would be forfeited only in a case of extreme and unexcused delay by the claimant. Topic # 4 procedures to assist claimants How can the DOJ assist claimants (e.g., office locations, toll-free phone lines, outreach meetings, newsletters, etc.)? We urge the DOJ to do everything reasonably feasible to assist claimants and their families. Can the Special Master limit fees charged by counsel experts, etc? Yes. Such fees should be paid out of the compensation awards themselves, to ensure that claimants are motivated to negotiate reasonable fee arrangements and take advantage of pro bono opportunities. What limitations should be placed on "non-attorney, non-Claimant representatives participation"? The claimant should be allowed to have any person of his/her choice represent him/her, and to use the assistance of advisors, accountants, and experts to help prepare the forms and documents to be submitted and to offer sworn testimony. Claimants should also be allowed to offer evidence from family members and dependents. Topic #5 Claimant eligibility Would a DOJ regulation or a Special Master statement of policy be appropriate to clarify "eligible claimant"? What should the criteria for "eligible claimant" be? What is the appropriate scope of "present at", "physical harm" and "immediate aftermath"? As with nearly all of the other issues presented in the Notice, additional guidance to claimants, including clarification of "eligible," will assist claimants and their families in determining to participate in the VCFP and will avoid misunderstandings, unnecessary appeals, and additional delays, as the process unfolds, and at the same time ensure that there will be only one "claim" per injured victim or deceased victim as required by the statute. In addition to specifying the "zone of danger" as the relevant boundary, the regulations should specify that "physical harm" be more than a de minimis injury. The DOJ may also wish to address the question of claims for latent injuries that do not manifest themselves until after the 2-year period provided in the statute. United assumes that rescue workers who were present on September 11 in the "immediate aftermath" can be claimants but that those who were assigned to one of the crash sites thereafter will be covered by other compensation systems, principally their workers compensation statutes. What evidence of presence, and of physical harm, should be required? As for presence, an affidavit of the injured claimant or the death certificate of the deceased victim and an affidavit of the personal representative should suffice. As for evidence of physical harm, the physical injuries must be shown to be directly caused by the attacks of September 11, and the medical records with a certification by one of the attending physicians should be enough. Would a DOJ regulation or Special Master statement of policy be appropriate to clarify "personal representative" issues? Such a regulation or statement is essential to the smooth and fair administration of the VCFP, including a requirement that the personal representative notify all survivors and identify all survivors in the claim forms. Can the Special Master determine who is the appropriate "personal representative"? United believes that Congress did not intend for the Special Master to take on this added burden when there are well-established procedures of state probate law to accomplish this essential step. The personal representative should be appointed according to the mechanisms provided under the laws of the state or other jurisdiction in which the deceased victim was domiciled. If a deceased victim was domiciled in a state or other jurisdiction that has no such mechanism for the appointment of a personal representative, the Special Master should be empowered to appoint such a representative with the authority to resolve all claims arising from or derivative of the death of the deceased victim. In order to prevent the multiple claims that the statute prohibits, the regulations should provide that, once the personal representative (whether appointed by the court of the victims domiciliary or by the Special Master) elects to use the VCFP, all persons who wish to pursue claims arising from or derivative of the death of the deceased victim are bound by that election and must pursue their claims in the VCFP through the personal representative. Should the Special Master require court ruling/appointment of "personal representative"? To the extent the domicile states have procedures for such local court appointments, such a requirement would assure that each deceased victims interests are properly represented, and would help avoid fraud and the kind of multiple claims that the statute clearly prohibits. Should the Special Master hold off proceedings until a court decides who the personal representative is? The claim form should include a place for the claimant to indicate who is the personal representative, and one of the required documents to be submitted as part of the claim form should be the court order appointing the representative. The regulations should specifically and clearly state, as should the claim form itself, that the claim will not be deemed "filed" until the required information and documentation of the authorized personal representative is submitted. Topic #6 Nature and amount of compensation What are the practical means to base awards on individual circumstances but also use consistent and clear principles that treat each claimant fairly? In particular, should schedules or statistical methods be used and, if so, should schedules or presumptive awards for classes of individuals be published? Given the statutory time limits, the numbers of potential claims, and the purpose of the Act, it seems clear that such schedules and methods should be used, and that the standards, matrices by type of injury, and formulas should be published. How should the Special Master use specialists/experts in economic losses to analyze such losses? Qualifications Data to be used Methodologies to be employed Required documentation The experts should examine the three most recent years of tax returns, the employer affidavits regarding employment status and future prospects, medical bills, funeral expenses, etc., and advise the hearing examiners as to those matters. Bearing of state law The regulations should specify which states law (domicile vs. situs of crash) will apply to claimants. How to address loss of contingent/variable/unpredictable future income? There are experts in economic loss whom the Special Master can engage to provide consistent computation of such losses, with full explanations of the basis for each decision. What distinctions should be drawn for noneconomic loss purposes between individuals who died in different locations? Should Special the Master draw distinctions between individuals who suffered similar injuries? Should Special the Master issue regulations determining the amount of noneconomic loss for classes of similarly situated individuals, or determine all noneconomic losses on a claim-by-claim basis? Fair and appropriate awards to the claimants should take as their starting point a matrix by type of harm. What facts and circumstances should be considered in determining loss? In addition to the standard earnings, life expectancy, medical records types of facts and circumstances, United urges the Special master to consider all facts that a claimant wishes to submit as part of the claims form. What standards should be employed in determining noneconomic loss? Use of a matrix by element of injury should be employed for this type of claim, to assure consistency. How should Special Master determine what constitutes a "collateral source"? By reference to state laws, other federal statutes, and consideration of the purpose of the Act to provide full compensation to the victims. Does the Act allow the Special Master to exclude charitable contributions? Yes. We doubt that Congress intended to include charitable contributions as "collateral sources" that would diminish a recovery under the VCFP. The definition of "collateral sources" under § 402(4) should include all contractual and/or statutory payments (except payments made under the Act), including by way of example life and health insurance benefits, workers compensation death- or injury-related benefits, and payments made under other statutory schemes. Charitable contributions paid to a victim or a victims estate or family or heirs should not be included or otherwise counted "against" a claim under the VCFP. Does the Act permit in kind contributions to be excluded, too? Yes. How could the Special Master determine whether potential future collateral source payments are included in the statutory definition? By looking first to the language of the contract or statute, and in addition providing a place in the claim form (which the claimant will be verifying under oath) for a statement of the likelihood of such a payment. Fraud Prevention Measures What measures should be adopted to prevent and detect fraud? Clear statements in the claims forms and accompanying instructions of what the DOJ expects of the claimant by way of documentary submissions, are the best way to prevent both innocent mistakes and intentional fraud. Such instruction and notification should make it clear that both the claimant and his or her attorney must verify the statements made in the submissions under oath, on penalty of perjury for false statements, and with indemnification of the federal government in the event of documented fraud, and so forth. The regulations and/or the claim form should remind claimants that submission of knowingly false information would be a violation of Federal law. The claims form should also note that the Special Master has subpoena powers and that the hearing officers and their retained experts will be authorized to question the claimant and the claimants attorney under oath if the hearing officer determines that such questioning is appropriate. In addition, there should be a mechanism for the DOJ to notify the federal court in the Southern District of New York of all filings; similarly, the SDNY should notify the DOJ of new case filings (in the SDNY or elsewhere). * * * * * On behalf of the entire United Airlines community, we thank the DOJ for the opportunity to participate in this vital step towards the recovery and healing of our nation. All of us stand ready to assist you and your colleagues in whatever ways we can to assure that the individual victims of these terrible atrocities receive fair, adequate, and swift compensation through the statutory victims compensation program that Congress has enacted. Comment By: United Airlines, Inc. Elk Grove Township, Illinois 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 dojW000635.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. 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 Eugene, 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 dojA002657.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, March 06, 2002 8:51 AM The Americans got too much, let alone illegal aliens. Individual Comment Indianapolis, IN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-06 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 dojP000597.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. 2002-03-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:57 AM Attn: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U .S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick, Let me add my voice to those encouraging the Justice Department to provide assistance to gay and lesbian families. Sexual orientation should not be a factor in determining who qualifies for the assistance. All of the families of all of the victims should qualify regardless of the conservative Christians' definition of a family. If a family that defines itself as a family has been affected by the September 11th events then that family should receive assistance. This is not a question of morality or of the government promoting any particular lifestyle. This is only about helping the people who need the help regardless of their sexual orientation. Warmest Regards, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000780.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, November 30, 2001 3:04 AM Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Sir: I am asking that you please include the gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual victims and their families that suffered from the Sept. 11 tragedy. Please make sure they get compensated as sorrow for loss is not dependent on one's sexual orientation. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Individual Comment Kansas City, MO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-30 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000212.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-30 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 4, 2001 To: 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 whole heartedly urge the Department to draft regulations ensuring compensation is made available to ALL victims of the attack, including gay and lesbian partners and all of their dependent children. 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 Wimberley, Texas 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 dojA000894.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 10:17 AM 9/11 Didn't Discriminate Based On Gender 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 Battle Creek, MI 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 dojA002959.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, March 19, 2002 2:27 PM Stop discrimating NOW! It is imperative that all victims of the terrible attack on the Twin Towers be taken care of. When the great outpouring of support came in there were no qualifications as from whom the money would be accepted. Gay donations were as readily accepted as any others. Now, however, you are excluding homosexuals from receiving any compensation. Why? The hero that stop the plane from crashing into the Capitol did not pause to consider whether or not he was saving gays or straights. He did what was right. I think that such a no-brainer would come easily. Guess not. So, do the right thing and compensate all victims of this tragedy or compensate no one. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002204.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. Dear Mr. Zwick, 9-Jan-'02 I would like to make a comment on Ken Feinberg's formula for the Sept. 11 Victims' Compensation Fund. I do not believe 'calculating income potential' should be a part of the formula for compensation. I believe, as a democratic country, all people should be treated equally and families be given equal reimbursment. Thank you for taking the time to read my plea/suggestion. Sincerely, Individual Comment Stillwater, MN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-04 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 dojN002570.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. 2002-02-04 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, March 18, 2002 2:07 PM September 11 victims..... I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses, fetuses and illegal aliens. It is amazing that the law would deny benefits because they (gay partners) were not married, while prohibiting them from being married. "We the people...", "...with liberty and justice for all" are inclusive of all our citizens, as our founding father intended. I cannot understand the all the biases created since the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights was passed not so long ago. 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 dojR001944.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 8:22 PM Help all victims of terrorist attack Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 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 dojN001652.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 1:44 AM Fairness is a human concept, not just religious The terrorist attack on September 11th devastated many families and now I hear that many people want to limit compensation to only families that meet the definition of certain religious groups. You only have to know that the terrorists acted out of blind obedience to a religious belief regardless of any rational decision to see how wrong such behavior is. Both the Christian and Islamic fundamentalists act based on how they interpret their Holy texts without giving any thought to our rational abilities. It has been over twenty-five years since the medical community declared homosexuality normal and we are still living under a religious rule because "that is how it has always been". It has been less than 100 years since woman were given the vote and less than 150 years ago people were considered property. These things were also "how it has always been" and religion was invoked to support them. Let it not take a hundred years before we recognize the every human being has needs and a fundamental one is that of being part of a family. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000056.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:32 AM Compensation for victims Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to your department's request for comments for compensation to the victims and their families of the attacks of September 11th. I would hope that the regulations for compensation do not include any exclusions based upon the sexual orientation of the individuals or their families. I would hope that the regulations would stress need-based assistance, covering both natural and adopted children. The devastation endured by these families should not be magnified by some exclusionary government policy as the terrorists were nondiscriminatory in their attack and destruction of lives and futures. Most of the victims of the 11th had families that are in need of support now and they need to know that their government will do just that. I urge you to create a just and equitable set of regulations that will allow these families to continue their lives without feeling discrimination. Sincerely, Individual Comment Columbia, Maryland September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000736.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 1:52 AM Partners of Gays Killed in the 911 Tragedies Attention: Ken Zwick Civil Division, USDOJ Dear Ken: I have read that gay and lebian partners of gay victims of the 911 tragedies will not automatically receive the same compensation as heterosexual spouses of victims from the Victims Compensation Fund created by Congress. I am very distrubed by this. After 911 there was great talk about there being no "hyphenated" Americans, e.g., Italian-Americans, Afro-Americans, etc. We were all only Americans. This was a rallying cry for uniting the country. In six months time, we have forgotten this rallying cry and are now discriminating against the surviving families of Gay-Americans who died in either the World Trade Center, Pentagon, or Pennsylvania tragedies by denying or threatening to deny them the same compensation as heterosexual suviving family members. Many of these gay victims are acknowledged heroes such as &nbsp , &nbsp , and &nbsp . Enough is enough. The U.S. Government needs to do the right thing and compensate the survivors of all vicitims in a non-discrimantory manner. This is the American Way. Sincerely yours, 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 dojR001596.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 7:30 PM 9/11 Fund To Discriminate Against Gays To whom it may concern, After reading the following story, http://uspolitics.about.com/library/weekly/aa031102a.htm I can honestly say that I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed to be an American. A country that can honor a man like as a hero, while at the same time cursing his name, and the names of all of the other gays and lesbians murdered in this tragedy. If anyone actually READS this email, how can you sleep at night knowing that bigotry and hatred are actually endorsed in the name of this tragedy? Individual Comment Houston, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000442.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a diswasher in one of the restaraunts 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 taxpayers 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 famillies are especially vulerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in a traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunaely, 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 Cincinnati, OH 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 dojA001908.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, March 19, 2002 9:28 PM 9/11 Funds I am outraged over your giving of funds to the families of those that perished in the Sept. 11th terrorists attacks. Gays are people too and they have the same families that everyone else had. They deserve the same respect. Get with the times and wake up and see that we really matter in this world too. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002270.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. Friday, December 28, 2001 10:31 AM THEY DESERVE THE SAME BENEFITS!!!!! December 28, 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 Margate, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001072.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. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 21, 2001 1:16 PM Equal Rights December 21, 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 Goshen, IN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000492.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21