671 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. Friday, December 21, 2001 2:55 PM Equal Access to Surviving Gay & Lesbian Partners 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 Lititz, PA 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 dojN000544.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, March 22, 2002 9:00 AM FW: 9/11 Fund to Discriminate Against Gays Please tell me this is not true. This would truly be beyond belief. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002625.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. 2002-03-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 11:23 PM I am absolutely appalled that you are denying funds to the partners of gays and lesbians! Our country is founded on the belief of separation of church and state and we are straying too far away from this principle. Gays and lesbians are denied the legal and civil benefits that heterosexuals have solely based on the prejudices and narrow-mindedness of a vocal minority of voters who are seeking to enforce their religious beliefs on others. (our current experience with the Taliban should clearly demonstrate the error of going down that path, for they are the epitome of church and state becoming one entity!) While different religions should be able to make their own decisions re: religious unions, the legal, civil, and financial benefits of domestic partnerships among consenting adults should be available to all Americans, and to do otherwise, is an example of horrendous discrimination. We need to continue to have all Americans working together despite their differences. I donated a substantial amount of money to the Sept. 11 fund, and if you disallow benefits to gays and lesbians, i would like my $500 donation returned so that I can donate to groups that will include gays and lesbians. I will encourage others to do the same, and I assure you that this will become a huge political mess. Please advise me on your intentions. I do have a credit card invoice to prove that I did make a donation, but I feel that I was misled by not being informed beforehand that gay and lesbian Americans would be excluded. Sincerely, Individual Comment P.S. I am not gay, and I assure you that the majority of heterosexual Americans feel the same way that I do. 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 dojR001638.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 11:52 AM COMPENSATION FOR THE 9/11 VICTIMS AND THEIR SURVIVORS Attention: Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, Chair Sir, I am so angry that I could explode into a million pieces. I have just heard that you demoted me and ALL 10 percent of us gays, lesbians, and transgendered to second class citizens on the Meet the Press show. HOW DARE YOU? The fund that you are mishandling is a Federal one that was contributed to by American citizens who were straight AND gay. You had better make sure that the survivors of our gay heroes are treated JUST as fairly as those of straight ones, otherwise, your Fuhrer, Bush, will feel the backlash at the polls in 2004!!!! UnterFuhrer Ashcroft is busy rescinding every American's civil liberties. This must stop. Individual Comment Spring Hill, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000177.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Anthony, NM September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004585.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Bremerton, WA 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 dojA003667.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, December 09, 2001 11:17 PM grief and government Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Sir: I write in defense and assertion of our individual rights, in the aftermath of 9/11. The mean-spirited notion that some victims should be excluded because of private matters of sexual orientation has no place in the actions of our government. Fairness demands that the families of gay and lesbian victioms of 9/11 be permitted to participate fully in whatever programs are or may be established to provide relief and assistance. The grief stemming from 9/11 cannot be assuaged with compensatory dollars, but hardship may be to some degree alleviated. That is a proper and decent role for government and for private charities as well. The public concurrence is evident from the tremendous outpouring of giving to such purposes. I deplore any act of government that is likely to inflict more grief rather than advance healing. I strongly urge that the government shun bigotry and act with compassion; there's already been too much grief. With urgency, Individual Comment Berkeley, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-09 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 dojA001395.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. 2001-12-09 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 Poughkeepsie, 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 dojA002317.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 17, 2002 4:35 AM discrimination is un-American. Dear Sir/Madam, 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. This is extremely disappointing to hear and in the eyes of those who oversee this fund that some American heroes are now more equal than others. Yours sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojR001333.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. Monday, December 17, 2001 9:14 PM September 11 victim compensation 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 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002137.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 11:32 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund -- Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Dear Sir: It is time to quell those, while wearing the banner of patriotic Americans are, in fact, acting unAmerican. I speak of those who would deny our generosity from the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund" to the surviving partners and children of gay and lesbian victims. It's time to come together not push each other further apart. Left to their devices, these same people would have America be a divisive country, separated between Christians and the rest of us, straight vs gay, and white vs color. Shades of Afghanistan. Let the Department of Justice set aside its own bias, and foster equality for all. Let's not let the terrorists, the Taliban as well as our own home-grown terrorists, win. Respectfully, Individual Comment 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 dojA000641.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. HOTEL EMPLOYEES & RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES UNION, AFL-CIO LOCAL 100 January 22, 2002 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL & FACSIMILE Mr. Kenneth L Zwick Director, Office of Management Programs Civil Division United States Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530-0001 Re: CFR Part 104, Interim Final Rule for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union, Local 100 (the "Union") represented 43 workers who perished in the tragic events of September 11th. These individuals all worked for Windows on the World, a restaurant located in the World Trade Center. Since September 11th the surviving family members of these 43 workers have looked to our Union for assistance and advice in attempting to put their lives back together. In response to the concerns of the families and based on the Union's analysis we submit the following comments with respect to the regulations promulgated by the Department of Justice on December 20, 2001, concerning the administration of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Fund"). Many of the Union's concerns arise from the fact that the majority of the families are immigrants and had incomes on the lower end of the economic scale. In general, we fear that the administration of the Fund as contemplated by the regulations will punish those most in need because it proposes a regressive model for determining economic losses. Below we have outlined the regulations that we believe require significant alteration before our survivors' families could consider opting into the Fund: The first concept that needs to be changed is the provision that survivors' families must waive their rights to proceed in Federal or State Court before opting into the Fund. It is fundamentally unfair to force survivors to waive their rights before they are aware of the amount of compensation they will receive and when they will receive it. There needs to be a mechanism for claimants to receive an advisory opinion from an independent, non-political evaluator regarding the valuation of the award before they are forced to waive their rights to litigate. As it is now drafted, 28 CFR § 104.31 proposes two separate tracks to process claims. A third track should be added in order to provide for such an advisory opinion. A second crucial area that needs to be addressed relates to immigrant, non-citizen claimants. The Union has grave concerns that the residency status of the claimant will disqualify or delay the distribution of awards to families who are non-citizens. For example, the requirement under 28 CFR § 104.4 that a Personal Administrator must be installed according to the laws of the decedent's domicile will, in New York, preclude an undocumented spouse of a victim to assume the role of Personal Administrator. We believe that this could potentially delay the distribution of funds from the Award months or even years. The regulations should be amended to state explicitly that no regulation therein will cause the disqualification or delay in the payment of awards to undocumented claimants. Also with regard to this issue of undocumented claimants, the regulations should prohibit the Justice Department from using the data provided in making claims to the Fund as a basis for legal action against the claimants or their families based on citizenship status. A third key area of concern is the cap on non-economic losses of $250,000 per decedent and $50,000 for each dependent. Because many of the workers our Union represented were low wage workers, their families' recovery for economic losses will be significantly smaller than other families. One method to provide a more equitable system would be to increase the amount of non-economic recovery available to all families. We would also like to take this opportunity to relay to you some individual comments about the Fund from survivors' families that we would also like to be addressed. First, the definition of dependent as defined in 28 CFR § 104.3(b) is too limited, and should be expanded to include anyone who was financially or emotionally dependent upon the decedent, such as domestic partners. Another concern is that the manner in which the regulations determine economic losses punishes families in which the decedent was an older worker. If the decedent was a low wage earner the disparity is compounded. It is the Union's position that this approach discriminates against older workers and the regulations should be rewritten to make for more equitable awards. Finally, with respect Collateral Sources, 28 CFR § 104.47, many of the victims' families believe that such income should not be reduced from the overall Award. While under normal circumstances such benefits would have been offset against personal injury recoveries, the Fund has been established in response to extraordinary events and we believe that new rules need to apply. Furthermore, if claimants choose to opt into the Fund, rather than litigate for a more lucrative outcome, they should not be penalized for availing themselves of collateral sources. Sincerely, Comment By: HOTEL EMPLOYEES & RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES UNION, AFL-CIO LOCAL 100 New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002562.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. October 12, 2001 Dear Honorable Attorney General Ashcroft and Assistant Attorney General Dinh: I am writing in follow up to my letter dated October 8, 2001 wherein we offered our services to assist your office in drafting proposed regulations that are to be promulgated in accordance with the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Fund"). As a former Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, I applaud the efforts that your office has undertaken to find and convict those responsible for the terrorist atrocities of September 11th as well as in your handling of the myriad of issues that have unfolded in the weeks since the attacks. Recognizing that your office is extremely busy, I have taken the liberty of addressing important issues, which I believe the regulations should incorporate if the legislation is to aid the victims and their families. I have done this, in part, because my office has been contacted by the families of over thirty individuals who lost their lives on September 11th and have been asked to represent their interests as a result of the loss of their loved ones. As I am sure you are aware, the regulations will play a critical role in determining the compensation to the victims and families of those injured and killed in the terrorist attacks. Accordingly, I respectfully request that if your office entertains meetings with anyone concerning the regulations, including airline representatives, insurance representatives, etc., I be allowed to participate as a "victims representative" so that the victims of the tragedy have a voice in the promulgation of the regulations. In this regard, the following are our thoughts with respect to certain important issues. One of the most significant issues with the legislation is the definition of "collateral source" as contained in §402(4). The legislation calls for all collateral source payments to be deducted from the award to the claimant and , as such, the definition of same must be restrictively construed. It is generally accepted that "collateral source" refers to contractual payments made to a claimant which compensate for economic losses. The regulations should make it clear that there shall be no collateral source deduction for payments made to victims and/or their families outside of a contractual agreement. The most obvious examples of payments being made to families which fall outside of the definition of collateral source include, but are not limited to, gifts charitable contributions, and any other non-contractual payments made by a decedent's employer. In addition, if an award is made for an intangible loss, such as pain and suffering, this does not compensate for economic loss and, therefore, must fall outside of the collateral source deduction rule. Finally there should be no collateral source deduction if the collateral source is entitled to assert a lien. If the claimant must re-pay the lienholder and the payment is deducted as a collateral source, this in effect would be a double offset which is not permissible under any concept of collateral source deduction. This "bright line" approach has support within the statue itself, i.e. each of the examples listed in the definition of collateral source are all based in contract. See §402(4). Accordingly, by including this definition, the regulation will be consistent with the terms of the statue. The regulations must also clarify the definition of "economic loss" as set forth in §402(5). The definition as it appears in the statute provides for recovery for the "the loss earnings or other benefits relate to employment, medical expense loss, replacement services loss, loss due to death, burial costs, and loss of business or employment opportunities to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law". The reference to "applicable State law" anticipates that some type of choice of law analysis will be required to be undertaken with respect to claims for economic loss. We are particularly concerned that the qualifying term "applicable State law" could be used to "gut" a claimant's economic loss claims. Since the Special Master will be required to determine applicable law, it will be in the best interests of the victims and their families if the regulations set forth a pro-claimant choice of law analysis. The statute itself defines a wide array of economic damages and the choice of law analysis contained in the regulations should be consistent with this broad based definition. While the Special Master will likely look to an interest analysis to determine the appropriate law, i.e., which State has the most significant interest in applying its law in a given case, it is important that the choice of law analysis provide the claimant with the potential for the broadest possible recovery. For example, if New York law (other than the domiciliary law) allows for greater recovery, then the claimant should be able to argue that New York law applies, i.e. the decedent worked in New York, paid New York taxes, etc. If the decedent's domicile provides for more potential elements of damage, domicile law should apply. This type of approach is also consistent with §403 in that the stated purpose of the Act is to provide compensation to those injured or killed. Furthermore, under §403, the regulations must clarify who is entitled to recover under the Act. Simply put, the term "relative" should be construed broadly to include spouse, children, parents, siblings, any relative who was financially dependent upon the decedent, as well as any relative who can demonstrate that he or she has suffered a loss of care, comfort, and companionship (non-economic loss) as a result of the decedent's death. With respect to the right of review and determination set forth in §405, it is essential that the regulations provide each claimant with an opportunity to present evidence to support his or her claim, including the presentation of witnesses and documents, at a hearing. The hearing should be recorded(with the expense for same to be paid by the Fund) so that a record is made of the evidence introduced. Although according to the statute the Special Master has been charged with the responsibility to make a non-reviewable determination and provide written notice of same to the claimant, in all likelihood, a hearing officer will be the individual who makes the determination in a given case. This being the case, the regulations should be written to afford the claimant an opportunity to challenge a hearing officer's award to the Special Master. This can only be done if there is a record made of the hearing. Accordingly, the regulations should allow the claimant twenty days after written receipt of the award to appeal the decision to the Special Master. Although potentially difficult, the claimant should have the right to have a hearing directly with the Special Master in the event that the claimant is not satisfied with the hearing officer's determination as the statute specifically provides for the determination to be made by the Special Master. As concerns evidentiary issues at a hearing, the claimant must be allowed to introduce any documents that he or she deems necessary to establish the claim for damages and the documents should be "freely admitted" so that the claimant need not go through a formal certification process. To facilitate this, some documents could be deemed to be self-authenticating, i.e., tax returns and medical records, and other documents could be admitted through the testimony of witnesses. Documents will naturally include tax returns, employment documents, medical records, etc., but should also include photographs and videotapes so that the hearing officer can actually see and hear the decedent. In addition, the regulations should allow the claimant to submit deposition testimony (including videotaped testimony), of individuals who could not be present at the hearing, as well as all expert reports the claimant deems appropriate. The Act specifically provides a claimant with the right to present witnesses. The regulations should clarify that a claimant may introduce any witness testimony, including, but not limited to, family, friends, relatives, medical care providers, financial witnesses, including, business associates, accountants, as well as any expert witness that the claimant feels is necessary to establish his or her claim for damages. Since this will not be an "adversarial proceeding", adherence to formal rules of evidence are not necessary. All testimony should be deemed admitted and considered by the hearing officer. With respect to a hearing officer's determination, the written report should detail the information relied upon by the hearing officer in making his or her determination. In this way, a claimant who chooses to appeal such a determination to the Special Master will have a basis to do so. It is important that the regulations be drafted in such a way to prevent a "matrix" system of damages. It is certainly not in the best interests of the victims and their families to have "categories" of cases "grouped together" and awarded like amounts, i.e., based upon the number of minor children in a death case, the award for non-pecuniary loss is a pre-determined amount, etc. By fashioning the regulations to provide for individualized hearings and submissions, we can hopefully avoid a matrix system which will invariably lead to lower awards to the claimants who seek compensation through the Fund. I hope that the foregoing comments are helpful. The victims of this tragedy have a significant interest in how these regulations are written. Accordingly, we respectfully request an opportunity to meet with representatives of your office to discuss the foregoing. Certainly, if your office meets with industry representatives, the victims should likewise be present. Thank you in advance for your courtesy and consideration in this matter. Very Truly yours, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-10-12 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 dojW000483.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. 2001-10-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 2:40 PM 9/11 Fund I would think that this event would have brought us together as a nation more than it is tearing us apart. The families of gay and lesbian heroes have just as much right to being compensated for this. After all, they are humans who suffered through these events like any other person. When the government decides to give illegal aliens special treatment because they feel bad for what happened, why are gay people not treated the same way? Thank you, Individual CommentFlint Michigan 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 dojR001001.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. December 17, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office fo Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: We are 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." My husband and I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compen- sation is availabe to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is hard for us to fathom the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are not less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing 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 case. Sincerely, Individual Comment Westtown, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005371.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Royal Oak, MI 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 dojA003998.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojA003923.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 18, 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 Seattle, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 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 dojA005457.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. 2001-12-18 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. Monday, March 18, 2002 8:36 PM 911 fund benefits According to you have the regulatory authority to treat all persons equally with respect to survivor benefits. You have apparently stated that significant others of Gay and Lesbians will not be eligible for benefits. You apparently are taking this position even if the deceased has a Will leaving everything to their significant other and even if the significant other can establish by clear and convincing evidence that they had a committed open relationship. It would seem to me that you could provide benefits to the estate of the deceased and allow the family or significant others to inherit where applicable. It would also seem to me that you could establish objective criteria for significant others to establish their right to benefit. As a U.S. Citizen and taxpayer I continue to be greatly angered by my country's continued stand against me and my fellow GLBT brothers and sisters. If I am so much less than fetuses and illegal aliens then why does my government continue to demand my participation. You are a leader in this country. You are personally responsible for the pain and suffering that your decisions are causing millions of American citizens. Citizens who are hardworking and loyal to their country. You have the power to do what is right. If you choose not to allow benefits to be received by Gay and Lesbian partners of the victims of 9/11 then you are as EVIL as the ones who flew the airplanes. I know that you understand how the religious fundamentalism of the Muslim Terrorists is exactly the same as the religious fundamentalism of Christians in America who persecute Gay and Lesbians for purely religious idealogical reasons. For you to join in the persecution by failing to provide benefits makes you as EVIL as the terrorists. 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 dojR002151.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. Sunday, January 06, 2002 11:47 PM Victim compensation fund How dare the powers that be restrict the amount of pain and suffering to $250,000? That's nothing. I sent money into this fund as did most people in the United States. I find this amount to be repulsive. All the $ sent in to this fund surely allows more money to go to these families . The figure of 1.6 mil for each family sounds fair , however more Money needs to be shown for the loss of a loved one in this act of war . No family should receive less than 1.6 mil . These people are going to be in the history books of our nation . They deserve the entitlements of military personnel . Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-06 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 dojN001379.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. 2002-01-06