701 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. December 5, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 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 dojA001420.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. Sunday, November 25, 2001 2:36 PM Collateral Sources Gentlemen: Although I live less than 15 miles west of Lower Manhattan, no one in my family or circle of friends was a victim of the 9-11 tragedy. Nevertheless, I felt the need to respond to this direct attack on New York City and, by extension, the entire civilian population of the United States of America. At 6:30 A.M. on September 24, 2001, I mailed the following contributions because I felt that if the federal government did not have a clue as to how to use the $300 that became my 2001 tax relief check, I certainly did: (1) $100: September 11 Fund (2) $100: Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) Disaster Relief Fund (3) $100: Twin Towers Fund I concluded that the same federal government that was unable to secure our commercial aviation system would certainly be less than the ideal institution to attempt to ameliorate the individual pain, suffering, and grief it was helpless in preventing, despite its millions of politicians, managers, workers, officers, and soldiers. It was not until November 6, 2001, that I found out that the Airline Stabilization Act that the president had signed into law on September 24, 2001, included the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. I felt pleased that the federal government was both following the lead of a compassionate and generous citizenry while recognizing its total failure in substantiating its main reason for existing: the protection of ordinary citizens--not politicians and high-level bureaucrats, but people like us--in our own homes and offices. The language of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 law is clear. If charity were to be treated as a "collateral source," Congress would have listed it along with "life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by Federal, State, or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." I cannot believe that 535 members of Congress, one president, and hundreds of their paid staff members were as unaware of large amounts of money building up in 9-11 charities as they apparently were about the real costs of airline security. A large amount of contributions collected on a national level is not something that would go unnoticed by those who have made a profession out of campaigning for public office. I gave $300 to 9-11 charities because it was the right thing to do, and I gave before the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 became law. By including charity as a collateral source, it will have a chilling effect on private giving. People will say, "Hey, let the Feds do it." Charity should not be treated as a collateral source under Public Law 107-42. If, however, Congress feels strongly enough about making charity a collateral source, let the members pass an amendment or another law that includes specific language to that effect. Congress can have a "do-over," too bad there are thousands from the 9-11 tragedy who can't. Individual Comment Maplewood, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-25 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 dojW000534.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. 2001-11-25 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 7:59 PM A decidedly Un-American policy To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick, I am writing to express my disgust and outrage at the policy the Dept. of Justice has chosen to pursue in regards to homosexual victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. You, your department, and the Bush administration have chosen not to give the same-sex partners of these victims the same automatic access to the victims' compensation fund that heterosexual partners, illegal aliens and even unborn fetuses are being given. This is quite simply unfair, unjust, un-Christian and decidedly un-American. We are supposed to be living in a land where all citizens are "created equal," but you are selectively denying access to the fund to a specific set of full American citizens while providing such access to illegal aliens (non-citizens) and to fetuses (not technically or legally "created" yet). You claim that you cannot extend such rights, since homosexual partnerships are not legally recognized in most states, and only for state employees in the few states that do recognize them. This argument is specious. There is no federal law granting any rights or recognition of legal status to unborn fetuses, and very few states have any such laws in the area of inheritance or survivor benefits. And there are numerous federal and state laws specifically denying access to all manner of public benefits to illegal aliens, as well as laws that mandate their expulsion from the country upon detection and punishment for companies that employ them. In both of these areas you are choosing to either go beyond state and federal law or ignore and countermand it. In fact, the FBI's investigations post-9/11 have made it abundantly clear that non-citizens, be they legal or illegally immigrated, do not have the same rights as the rest of the us. And tell me, Mohammed Attah was just recently confirmed as having a valid student visa and thus was a *legal* temporary immigrant to this country...will you allow his family to apply for compensation, but still deny the applications of full citizens who just happen to have a different definition of love and family? Your reasons for providing access to the compensation fund for unborn children and the relatives of illegal aliens arise simply from an emotional appeal to fairness and a sense of justice. You rightly conclude that many people would be outraged if the federal government were to use the events of September 11th as a means to increase an illegal immigrant family's woes by deporting them, or to deny a newborn orphan the benefits a child born just a few months earlier was entitled to. I wholeheartedly agree with these policies. They appeal to my inborn, Christian sense of fairness and justice. But I am telling you that, as an American, I am outraged at the exclusion of the surviving partners in homosexual relationships from the victims' compensation fund. You are bending or breaking state and federal laws in the other two cases, why not these? The obvious answer is that you fear a backlash from the cultural conservatives and religious fundamentalists which form a small but powerful element within the Republican party. And you assume that the rest of the American public will simply not care enough to notice or act on any outrage that they have. You fear that if you give surviving same-sex partners access to the fund that these fundamentalist elements will accuse the administration of providing "official endorsement" of the homosexual lifestyle. Again, this is specious. No court of law would allow an illegal alien family to fight their deportation on the grounds that the victims' fund provided evidence of the governments "sponsorship" of their illegal immigrant lifestyle. Nor will any abortion law court cases hinge on this fund's recognition of the unborn. And what is most offensive is that by writing policy to avoid their negative reaction, you are giving these fundamentalist groups the defacto power to legislate their exclusionary, often hate-filled beliefs. Their inability to tolerate and co-exist with different views of the world and their strident attempts to legislate their beliefs make them dangerously close cousins to the religious fundamentalists that form the Taliban and Al-Quaeda. I most strongly urge you to reconsider your policy. It would be quite easy to include same-sex surviving partners in the victims' compensation fund, and to model the requirements of their inclusion after the policies of those states that have already drawn up requirements for domestic partnerships. The fact that so few states provide any legal recognition for this type of committed relationship places a whole level of new and unique hardships on these families that heterosexual families never even have to consider. Issues of inheritance, mortgages, property rights, custody of your deceased partner's children...these are things that a legally-recognized widow or widower can take for granted. By denying a same-sex surviving partner access to the victims' compensation fund you are only heaping further unfair tragedy and hardship into their lives, much as you would if you were to deport the survivors of an illegal immigrant victim. And these people are full American citizens. Contrary to what extreme conservatives might believe, their sexual orientation doesn't make them any less so. The best thing that we as Americans can do in memory of those lost in the tragic events of Sept. 11th is to set an example to the rest of the world that America is a land of acceptance and tolerance, not hatred and exclusion. Be fair. Be just. Open the fund to ALL Americans. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001213.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. Saturday, January 19, 2002 5:31 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 Ware, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-19 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 dojN002103.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. 2002-01-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 9:33 AM 9/11 FUND UNFAIR TO GAYS 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. If exceptions to the law can be found for fetuses and illegal aliens, then exceptions can also be found for gays as well. I'm extremely disappointed over this news. Along with other Americans I wept over this tragedy. This is just more of the same as before. I thought things would change in this country after 9/11. DISCRIMINATION IS UN-AMERICAN!! 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 dojR001701.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, March 17, 2002 7:15 PM Anti-gay Bigotry must end To the 9-11 Fund Administrators: I just learned that you folks are refusing 9-11 Fund benefits to the partners of gays killed in the Sept 11 tragedies; yet at the same time you folks are making exceptions to the law of the land when it comes to compensating the families of illegal aliens and fetuses. While I am not gay, nor an ardent activist for gay causes, I was appalled and disgusted when I learned of such gross bigotry and hypocrisy being practiced in this regard. What happened to the "We are all Americans" regardless of our race, religion, national origins or sexual orientation. Fercrissakes, and and others have been hailed as Great American Heroes in the aftermath of the national nightmare, known as 9-11. How can you people even consider such discrimination in this (or any other) context.?? How can you call yourselves American patriots when you shut out other law abiding tax paying citizens simply because they are gay or lesbian??? Shame on you. Please reconsider your outrageously bigoted decision. A very concerned citizen, Individual Comment Los Gatos, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001534.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. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 10:55 AM victim compensation fund Dear Mr. Zwick: My name, Mr. Zwick, is . My fiancé and I worked at ,One World Trade Center. Floor. One World Trade is gone, as is my . I am here able to write you simply because we were leaving for Bermuda on Sept 12th,to wed on Saturday Sept 15th. I decided to stay home that fateful day to take care of last minute wedding plans. Unfortunately went to work that day and perished with my friends and co-workers of 13 years and all the others who are lost. I understand the Victims Comp Fund is only recognizing next of kin in the fund distribution. Had it been four days later I would indeed be next of kin as would my 5 year old daughter, . lived with us since 1999, and contributed to our home. We had a beautiful life and future planned together, that was suddenly ripped from us. His life and heart were here with and I; as were his bills and expenses. His future income would have come here to his family as he knew it; as he chose it. There are many in similar situations, fiancés and domestic partners. Your decisions should not be a blanket black or white, but based on each individual case where there is a doubt. Other charities have openly recognized the suffering in these instances and have helped, I implore you to be wise and help also. We do exist, we suffer, we have lost our future as planned with our perspective partners, must we also go un recognized in the plan to compensate our loss. Loss of love, companionship, parenthood and income, we suffer this even more than the parents whom they have not lived with for many years. We are the ones who must rebuild our households and finances. I too deserve to be recognized as a victim of this murderous act. Our leaders should have the capacity to deal justly in these matters, to witness all who have suffered. I wish to thank all on the committee for your consideration in this matter. Open your hearts, listen to our stories, listen to your conscience..... Your burden is a heavy one and will affect real lives for many years to come. Please take the e extra time to judge fairly. I remain Individual Comment Hoboken,NJ 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 dojN001616.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, December 19, 2001 2:32 PM gays and lesbians deserve justice 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 Oakland, CA 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 dojA003398.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, January 09, 2002 3:00 PM Interim Rule Comments Dear Mr.Zwick: I am writing to express my disappointment with the rules outlined for the Federal Victims Compensation Fund. I was told that the purpose of this fund was to provide victims with an alternative to the long and costly litigation process. After reviewing the rules outlined by Mr. Feinberg, I determined that they clearly do not provide ANY financial assistance to my family. I do not have any problem with the calculation chart, but I do have a problem with the deduction of "collateral" resources. By deducting collateral resources from the calculated award, my family ends up with a negative balance which means we will not receive anything from the fund. The rules are also very confusing and misleading. What does this statement mean: "For victims who were married or had children, that minimum will be $500,000 - meaning that that they will receive a combined total of at least $500,000 from our program, other state and federal programs, life insurance and other compensation (excluding gifts from charities)." I don't understand if the above statement means that my family will receive at least $500,000 (regardless of any collateral resources) or if we will receive nothing because the collateral resources are greater than the calculated award. I truly believe that if the fund rules are not adjusted to give an adequate payout to each family, then you will not have many people filing claims against your fund. This will lead to many people taking their chance in court with a lawsuit. Isn't this what you were trying to avoid in the first place? If so, you should attempt to fix the rules that govern this fund. You can start by taking out the "collateral resources" deduction. Thank You, Individual Comment Yonkers, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-09 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 dojN001472.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. 2002-01-09 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 11:08 AM I am very concerned December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Arlington, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004246.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 13, 2001 10:13 PM (no subject) 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: Please distribute the funds equally. I don't care if they were rich or poor, gay or lesbian, Christian, Jew, or Muslim. They were all important and all their families need help. Please don't allot the money according to their earnings. Our country, more than ever, needs to pull together to support each individual, not each earner. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Los Gatos, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001663.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. Saturday, January 19, 2002 9:13 PM Comments by Victim's Family I am writing on behalf of World Trade Center victim parents ( , father, and , mother) who are being shortchanged on both the economic and the non-economic parts of the Victims Compensation Fund, as well as other aspects of the interim regulations. 1) The economic part is grossly unfair because the Fund is basing it on the victim's salary in the last three years. The victim had a low salary, but was young and was a college graduate. How can they know how much he was going to earn in the future based on what he made in the past? How can they decide that his life was worth less than that of other people? There should be equality in the awards. 2) The non-economic award is also grossly unfair because we know the victim suffered tremendous pain for a very long time. He was last seen on the Floor, Tower Two, going back to do work, and called his mother at home saying that he was okay and had to work. We know the victim was trapped for a long time, and Special Master Feinburg still insists that the pain and suffering award is fair, when what he wants to give is one-tenth the amount under similar circumstances of terrorist attacks. 3) It is also unfair that the fund categorizes dependents as only spouse and children. The victim was his parents' only son and according to Asian tradition responsible for his parents even though he did not claim them as dependents on his tax return. As with many immigrant families, he lived with and supported his retired parents and was their primary caregiver and constant companion. When his mother fell down the stairs and broke her shoulder three years ago he even bathed her. Besides dealing with their grief and struggling to survive every day without him, his parents are faced with a system which does not recognize them. 4) In addition, there should be no collateral payment deductions from the award. That would make the fund highly unfair. 5) Also, it is absolutely wrong that the victims family must sign away their rights upon filing as claimants when they do not know what their award will be. There should be a fair hearing of each victims family, because individual circumstances are different. The victim was a true American who got up early on September 11 to vote in the primary election before going to work. He believed in his country and he died for his country. He deserves much better than what the Fund is offering. Thank you for taking this into consideration. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-19 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 dojN002095.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. 2002-01-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 2:50 PM Victem's Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Mr. Zwick, As many people around the country, I am truly saddened at the loss of life and family that occured on September 11th. I commend Congress and the DOJ in their effort to further compensate those who have lost because of this tragedy. I urge you to take into consideration the many individuals who have been left behind because of this tragedy. And that should include the partners, surviving adoptive children, and de facto families of the many gay and lesbian victems of the attacks. Several charity groups have out right refused to help these individuals who are as much part of regular American life as anyone else. Their families should not be made to suffer or their suffering be made any less valuable or important because of whom they spent their time with. I think this tragedy showed that GLBT people are heroes every day in this country and deserve to be treated as such with respect. I urge you to include the surviving members of GLBT relationships when you draft the guidelines for the disbursement of funds from the victem's fund. Thank you. Sincerly, Individual Comment Silver Spring, MD 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 dojA000106.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. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 2:50 PM Victims Compensation Fund: illegal aliens Dear Justice Dept.: please do not reward people who were in the USA illegally on Sept. 11 with any benefits; also please do not reward the relatives of illegals. Lax governmental dealings with foreigners illegally in the USA is one of the primary reasons that Sept. 11 happened at all. Giving illegals benefits for Sept. 11 is sending the world the worst possible message and likely causing additional harm to our country in the future. sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojN002283.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. Monday, November 26, 2001 3:26 PM United partners Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, The deaths on September 11th were the result of an attack on America. Please do not discriminate against the unmarried partners of September 11th victims. All unmarried partners, gay or straight, young and old and their dependents should be eligible for compensation. Individual Comment Palm Springs, CA 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 dojW000620.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. Individual Comment Tucson, AZ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA003713.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:41 PM Victims' Fund Dispersal In my opinion, the administration of this fund should definitely take into account the amount of charitable contributions a family has received. While emotions run high on this issue, the point is not to make millionaires out of these families, but to fairly compensate them for lost wages, mental trauma, future educational costs for their children, etc. The burden of this compensation should not be solely born by the taxpayers of this country. Thank you. Sincerely, Individual Comment Middle Village, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000075.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 07, 2002 12:59 PM Thanks for the immoral transfer of my family's wealth! My father died in December 2001. The taxes due on his estate will be approximately $550,000. This morning, I read a news story stating that the federal government intends to distribute from between $650,000 and $1,200,000 to each family that lost somebody on 9-11. Who the hell do you people think you are that you can confiscate some of my father's estate and redistribute it to families who happen to have lost a loved one in a different way? If you compare my family to any of the 9-11 WTC families, the only REAL differences are that my father died in Florida, someone from their family died in New York, and a large portion of my family's wealth is being redistributed to theirs. Both families suffered a great personal loss. Do you suppose we grieve less because our father was not killed by a terrorist? What about the people in the armed services? Is the federal government going to penalize people who don't have the right kind of tragety and distribute some of their hard earned pay to someone else who happens to fall into the Fed's twisted categories. Hell, our soldiers coming back from war have not even been able to get decent health care. I've been to the VA hospital and the conditions are disgusting. All I know is that I don't want to see tax dollars going towards ensuring that some investment banker's wife can keep driving her Mercedes and won't have to work the rest of her lazy life. What happened on 9-11 was tragic for everyone involved. But what person doesn't have anything tragic happen in their life? Should we all try to find blame for it and expect someone to compensate us monetarily? What a sick country we have become! You in the federal government just keep it up!! We common, hard working, sane citizens of the U.S. hate you more with each passing day. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002502.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. 2002-01-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 6:44 PM I am outraged that illegal aliens are entitled to benefits while losing their life partners and family members, however gay and lesbian couples are not! Either pass a law to enable us to have the right to be a "couple" or stop discriminating against us based on the fact that we cannot legally marry. Everyone who was involved in the tragedy is/was a hero! Individual Comment Houghton Lake, MI 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 dojR002245.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. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 1:16 PM Request In keeping with President Bush's message about "compassionate concern" please include include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. Thank you, 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 dojA000078.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