704 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 1:05 PM letter 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. Also, I feel that the "charity" money which was sent in for victims should be allotted according to need and not on the basis of former living standards. There are many people who were working at the World Trade Center who didn't make as much money as top executives and need the money more since they don't have insurance, etc. Please look into this matter also. 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 and that the people who really need the money receive more than those who don't need it. Sincerely, Individual Comment N. Windham, ME 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 dojN000490.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. Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 11:23 AM To: Comments, VictimComp Subject: Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington, DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have? Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist Michelangelo Signorile, writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping Signorile accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Orange, 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 dojA001545.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 14, 2002 7:37 PM Fwd: Fw: concerns over victim compensation fund > Dear Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, I am writing to express my concerns over the victim's compensation fund. > > > Based on the current format of the distribution of the funds myself and > others will be receiving minimal or no compensation from the government. It > appears the guidelines of the fund takes whatever possible measures to > reduce the amount of compensation awarded to the victims' families.The fund > designed to compensate the families of the victims, fails to take in an > adequate account for non - economical losses. Many families of victims > award's are off-set by the collateral sources reduction. If the total > amount of collateral sources myself and others receive is greater than the > total award for the economic losses than the award for non - economic loss > which is understood to be 250,000 is deducted. This is where my great > concern arises. I strongly urge you to increase the non - economic damages > to 1 million for all families. This fund was designed to compensate > families for economic losses as well as non -economic losses such as pain > and suffering, money under the current format, I will not receive. Many > families are not being compensated for pain and suffering and would rather > turn to the courts to get a fair compensation for non economic losses such > as the loss of the enjoyment of life. If the bill pays awards next to > nothing for the families it is leaving them with no other choice than to > pursue in a long drawn out case against the airlines to adequately > compensate for pain and suffering, doing exactly what the bill was designed > to prevent. If there was an increase in the award for non - economical > losses to adequately compensate for pain and suffering it would please many > families and save them a long process of litigation in the courts. > > In addition I believe that it is only fair and equitable that families have > the right to be fully informed of their compensation prior to officially > waving their right to litigate. Anything other is unjust and beneficial to > the airlines and the government. > > Mr. Feinberg I truly thank you for your time and consideration of this > matter. I thank your efforts and all your work pertaining to the > compensation of the families of the victims. I hope you can realize the > problems of the bill that limits many families of their proper reward and > be able to make amendments that benefit the victims as opposed to the > airlines. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. > > Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001608.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 9:25 AM Gay and Lesbian rights of Septmeber 11 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 Wellesley, MA 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 dojA004199.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. FAX TRANSMISSION DATE: 1/21/2002 TO: Mr. Kenneth Zwick, Department of Justice Re: Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: Attached are copies of letters sent today to Senators Clinton and Schumer. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Individual Comment Attachment 1 of 2: January 19, 2001 Senator Hilary Clinton Dear Senator Clinton, My sister's husband , and father of two little girls was aboard American Airlines flight 11 when it was slammed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I am writing to express my serious concerns and objections to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund." The airline bailout act gave the airlines $15 billion in cash and loan guarantees and capped the airlines' liability for the September 11 crashes at the limits of their insurance coverage Because of this cap, the damage caused by the crashes greatly exceeds the private fund available to compensate the victims and their families. Thus for the vast majority of victims and families, the cap has the effect of eliminating the right that they would otherwise have to sue the airlines. Congress set up the fund to ensure that the airline bailout would not come at the expense of the victim's families. The act mandates full and fair compensation to victims and their families for their actual economic and non- economic damages. DOJ has ignored this mandate and instead has written arbitrary regulations that will result in compensation levels far below the losses actually suffered by the victims and their families. In fact, many families' total compensation from the fund and all collateral sources combined will not even fully replace lost income. In effect, these families will not receive any of the non-economic compensation required by the statute. After collateral sources are deducted, as required by the statute, some families would receive nothing from the fund under the interim final regulations. DOJ's formula allows for non-economic awards at only one-tenth the level paid in comparable cases, even though Congress explicitly enumerated a broader range of non- economic damages than could be recovered in any single jurisdiction. DOJ's formula for non-economic damages is $250,000 for the person killed and $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent. In a wide variety of air crash and terrorism cases, however, judges, juries and mediators commonly have provided non-economic damage awards well into the seven figure range. Independent economists have found serious flaws in DOJ's method of calculating economic damages, including use of outdated and inapplicable worklife and life-cycle earnings data. DOJ greatly underestimates promotions and other increases in earnings for victims. IT relies on civil service and military retirement system actuarial data that track federal worker incomes and pension requirements, not the higher-paying private sector career paths followed by the vast majority of victims. The interim final regulations also arbitrarily cap a victim's income at $231,000 a year. Combined with the faulty methodology described above, the income cap would result in some families receiving compensation far less than 25% of their actual economic losses. Under DOJ's rules, a family's award may be increased above the "presumptive" award only by a showing of "extraordinary circumstances" - beyond those suffered by other victims or victim's families. This high burden of proof makes a charade of the right to a hearing provided by the statute. DOJ should fulfill that act's intent by revising the rules to compensate victims and their families for the types of damages specified by Congress, at levels comparable to those provide in the tort system the fund was designed to replace. While DOJ has shown flexibility on some aspects of the rules, it is resisting the victims and families' requests for significant changes. If the proposed regulations are not changed significantly, victims' widows will have to sell their homes, deplete their children's college finds, and give up their plans of being full-time parents while their children are young. Many families, anticipating little relief from the fund, will decide to sue the airlines and others, despite the handicap of the liability limits. We do not believe these are the outcomes Congress intended. Please contact Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg and tell them of your concern that the interim final regulations fail to conform to the language and intent of the act. With the regulations soon to become final, I believe that only the swift and strong support of Congress can avert unnecessary financial and emotional damage. Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention. Attachment 2 of 2: January 19, 2001 Senator Charles Schumer Dear Senator Schumer, My sister's husband , and father of two little girls was aboard American Airlines flight 11 when it was slammed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I am writing to express my serious concerns and objections to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund." The airline bailout act gave the airlines $15 billion in cash and loan guarantees and capped the airlines' liability for the September 11 crashes at the limits of their insurance coverage Because of this cap, the damage caused by the crashes greatly exceeds the private fund available to compensate the victims and their families. Thus for the vast majority of victims and families, the cap has the effect of eliminating the right that they would otherwise have to sue the airlines. Congress set up the fund to ensure that the airline bailout would not come at the expense of the victim's families. The act mandates full and fair compensation to victims and their families for their actual economic and non- economic damages. DOJ has ignored this mandate and instead has written arbitrary regulations that will result in compensation levels far below the losses actually suffered by the victims and their families. In fact, many families' total compensation from the fund and all collateral sources combined will not even fully replace lost income. In effect, these families will not receive any of the non-economic compensation required by the statute. After collateral sources are deducted, as required by the statute, some families would receive nothing from the fund under the interim final regulations. DOJ's formula allows for non-economic awards at only one-tenth the level paid in comparable cases, even though Congress explicitly enumerated a broader range of non- economic damages than could be recovered in any single jurisdiction. DOJ's formula for non-economic damages is $250,000 for the person killed and $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent. In a wide variety of air crash and terrorism cases, however, judges, juries and mediators commonly have provided non-economic damage awards well into the seven figure range. Independent economists have found serious flaws in DOJ's method of calculating economic damages, including use of outdated and inapplicable worklife and life-cycle earnings data. DOJ greatly underestimates promotions and other increases in earnings for victims. IT relies on civil service and military retirement system actuarial data that track federal worker incomes and pension requirements, not the higher-paying private sector career paths followed by the vast majority of victims. The interim final regulations also arbitrarily cap a victim's income at $231,000 a year. Combined with the faulty methodology described above, the income cap would result in some families receiving compensation far less than 25% of their actual economic losses. Under DOJ's rules, a family's award may be increased above the "presumptive" award only by a showing of "extraordinary circumstances" - beyond those suffered by other victims or victim's families. This high burden of proof makes a charade of the right to a hearing provided by the statute. DOJ should fulfill that act's intent by revising the rules to compensate victims and their families for the types of damages specified by Congress, at levels comparable to those provide in the tort system the fund was designed to replace. While DOJ has shown flexibility on some aspects of the rules, it is resisting the victims and families' requests for significant changes. If the proposed regulations are not changed significantly, victims' widows will have to sell their homes, deplete their children's college finds, and give up their plans of being full-time parents while their children are young. Many families, anticipating little relief from the fund, will decide to sue the airlines and others, despite the handicap of the liability limits. We do not believe these are the outcomes Congress intended. Please contact Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg and tell them of your concern that the interim final regulations fail to conform to the language and intent of the act. With the regulations soon to become final, I believe that only the swift and strong support of Congress can avert unnecessary financial and emotional damage. Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention. Sincerely, Individual Comment Selkirk, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002419.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:18 PM equal access to crisis relief benefits December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Palm Harbor, FL 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 dojA004498.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. Wednesday, January 16, 2002 6:10 PM Dear Mr. Feinberg: As a widow due to the 9/11 attack, I find the regulations of the Victims' Compensation Fund totally inadequate in attempting to meet the family needs, make just compensation and live up to some form of moral responsibility. The non- economic award of $250,000 and $50,000 for each dependent is an insult when one considers the economic bailout given to the airline industry. I truly believe my husband's death falls under the category of "wrongful death". After all, he and all the other victims, were killed to an action that should have been avoided had the airlines acted competently and implemented security measures already in place. And now, that same industry is being bailed out by the government while the victim's are scratching for compensation while undergoing deep grief. You're rewarding incompetence while at the same time penalizing the innocent victims. Mr. Feinberg, please allow yourself to not think of us in terms of numbers, but as people - wives, husbands, parents and many children whose lives will never be the same. We have all suffered an unimaginable loss-the loss of a loved one due to a unprecedented terrorist attack. The loss of a loved one who's only mistake was going to work on time or early. A loved one who was working to support his/her family, and pay his/her taxes to the government. The same government that is now turning its back on the families. Mr. Feinberg, the majority of the victims were white-collared workers. Part of the corporate benefits is grou I sincerely urge you to modify the victim's compensation plan by excluding deduction of "collateral sources" and/or raising the monetary value of pain and loss. Sincerely, Individual Comment Cortlandt Manor, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-16 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 dojN001908.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. 2002-01-16 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, January 14, 2002 8:35 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 Pittsburgh, PA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001751.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, November 30, 2001 1:21 PM Victim Compensation Dear Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, I write to urge the Department of Justice to include among relatives eligible for compensation for the events of September 11, 2001 those who lost their lifes partners or de facto parents or children regardless of sexual orientation. Thank you, Individual Comment San Francisco, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-30 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000225.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-30 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, January 20, 2002 12:01 PM Setp. 11 Victim's Compensation Fund To the U.S. Department of Justice: I am writing to protest the unfair distribution of money and other regulations of the Federal Victim's Compensation Fund for those who died in the attacks on Sept. 11. I write on behalf of several families I know who lost loved ones in the Twin Towers. Each of the victims was in a different income bracket, from a $17,000-a-year mailroom clerk to a computer expert earning 6 figures. Despite the huge disparity in their incomes, none of the victims' families should receive more than the others. It is impossible to put a financial value on an individual's life, but that seems to be what Special Master Feinberg is trying to do by distributing money on the basis of the deceased victim's income. While the gentleman mentioned above earning 6 figures left behind a wife and 3 children who live in a beautiful house on Long Island, the mailroom clerk was a young college graduate with a great deal of promise who financially supported and cared for his elderly parents (including his ailing mother), as is the tradition in Asian families. Since this young man was just starting out in his career, there is no telling how much he might have earned in the future. It is wrong and ignorant of anyone to assume that his family deserves less than that of the other, wealthier victim. It is also extremely unfair to force families who accept the funds to sign away their right to sue for a greater share of the millions that are being distributed, especially when they do not know at the time that they sign exactly how much they will be receiving up front. It seems un-American to force people to relinquish their right to protest a perceived injustice, and I am ashamed that our government is even suggesting they do so. There is only one fair way to distribute the millions of dollars donated by caring Americans to the victims of Sept. 11: Give an equal share to every family, regardless of the deceased victim's financial status. Thank you. Sincerely, Individual Comment Flushing, New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-20 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 dojN002114.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. 2002-01-20 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. Friday, December 28, 2001 10:39 AM Use Sept. 11 relief funds for all people, including gay and lesbian victims and their families December 28, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bellingham , WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001074.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick Director, Office of Management Programs Civil Division, US Dept of Justice Main Building Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 March 18, 2002 Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing to you as a survivor of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States. I worked in 2 World Trade Center, Floor, at . On September 11th, I was following my normal routine, walking up Church Street from the A/C subway towards the plaza of the World Trade Center to enter 2 World Trade Center on the Mezzanine Level. I was 2 blocks away when the first plane struck 1 World Trade Center and stood in shock with others on their way to work. While Mayor Guiliani, yourself and others were encouraging Americans to get back to a sense of normalcy, all of us who worked in the World Trade Center, had no normalcy in our lives. I spent several weeks volunteering with the Red Cross at Respite 1 and 3 for recovery workers and everyone participating in the recovery efforts. The Respite Centers were incredible places that offered services to everyone involved in the recovery efforts without distinguishing workers by rank, position, or any type of difference. Everyone was treated with respect and equality. This was very important at the Respite Centers to not treat differently the National Guard, fireman, construction and iron workers, sanitation workers, Verizon workers and all different groups who were critical to the recovery process. In fact, many of whom did not receive praise for their efforts in the media such as a sanitation truck driver who was working 15 hour days transporting trucks filled with wreckage and debris to Fresh Kills. I have recently learned that same sex partners are excluded from the September 11th Victims' Compenstion Fund and that Mr. Kenneth feinberg, on March 10th, stated on NBC's Meet the Press that he is not including same sex partners as eligible for compensation although all other groups are eligible. I am very saddened by this decision to discriminate against the partner's of individual's who were killed on September 11th. The September 11th Fund is not a sate fund and was created for a unique reason, to help families of those who were killed in a terrorist on the United States and on the United States government. To point to state laws that do not acknowledge same sex partnerships is not a valid reason to deny same sex widows and widowers compensation. In fact, many companies that were located in the World Trade Center had domestic partnership policies that did recognize same sex relationships and that benefits, such as health insurance were extended to same sex partners. To deny same sex partners eligibility for the September11th Fund is to say to the world that some Americans are not as valued and that we do not consider all Americans to be equal. I urge you to reconsider this policy that excludes some victims from the Septmber 11th Fund and let all Americans know that you consider every life lost on September 11th to be of equal value and that the pain and sadness to those family members of the victims is not distinguished by the type of relationship. Regardless of state laws, federal law and personal beliefs, the partners of lesbians and gays on September 11th should not be treated differently, given that their loved ones were killed for the same reasons as their co-workers and all those who worked or were at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and on 4 airplanes that day, as a result of terrorism targeted at all Americans. The World Trade Center was for thousands of workers, our ssecond home, and in many ways an ordinary place with diversity in types of people who worked and visited there. It will now be remembered as a place of immense horror and with great sadness. Please do not let this be a place that will be remembered as disregarding the lives of some who worked and were killed there because the September 11th Fund currently discriminates against gays and lesbians. I hope that you will send the message that you do not condone discriminating against victims of the September 11th terrorist attack on the United States. Sincerely, Individual Comment Brooklyn, NY 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 dojR002905.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 10:56 PM Public Comment Kenneth L. Zwick Director, Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, Title IV of Public Law 107-42, 28 CFR Part 104 I am a relative of a partner from New York State that died on September 11. I am submitting this public comment in connection with the U.S. Department of Justice's Interim Final Rule regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the ?Fund?) on his widow?s behalf, and on behalf of other similarly situated individuals. Please note that my statements below are specifically directed at the interpretation of ?economic loss? under the Interim Final Rule; however, I request that this submission be treated as supporting and fully incorporating the public comment submission(s) of and its affiliates. THE FUND BACKGROUND In reading a number of prior public comments, I am struck by the fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Fund as I read ?taxpayer? arguments that victim?s families have ?gotten enough?, are receiving a ?gift?, and, amazingly, that they are ?greedy?. The Fund is just one part of a statute created by Congress and titled the ?Air Transportation Safety and Stabilization Act? (the ?Act?) to provide an alternative to litigation and to avert the possible bankrupting of airlines by litigation. One goal of the Act is to encourage claimants to obtain compensation from the Fund, rather than from the filing of lawsuits. Even the Special Master appointed to administer the Fund acknowledges this fact by stating that it ?offers the eligible claimant an alternative to litigation.? (Statement of Special Master, Interim Final Rule at http://www.usdoj.gov/victimcompensation/victimcompfedreg.htm, hereinafter the ?Special Master Statement?). For a number of potential claimants, this is simply not the case. It is true that the Fund is an unprecedented act on behalf of the U.S. government and its people; however, it is also true that the Act was drafted not simply to provide gifts at taxpayer expense. Again, it must be remembered that the Act was created as a $15 Billion bailout to keep the airlines flying and to place a cap on airline and insurance liability. Moreover, it will effectively, if victim?s families participate in the Fund, immunize from suit the various governmental entities (and other non-governmental parties) that also face potentially enormous liability. The purpose of the Act would be circumvented by anything that arbitrarily limited the amount claimants could recover from the Fund or severely undercompensated them for their economic loss. Indeed, any such interpretation undoubtedly would encourage those with the largest economic losses to file suit. That is exactly what will happen if the Fund is administered in accordance with the rules as currently set forth in the Interim Final Rule. ?ECONOMIC LOSS? IS NOT NEEDS BASED The express language of the Act reflects Congress? mandate, as well as its intent. Nowhere does the Act mention or in any way authorize compensation of anything less than a claimant's full damages. Specifically, ?economic loss? is defined as "any pecuniary loss?to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." (See Section 402(5) of the Act). This Section provides, in no uncertain terms, that a claimant has a right to receive full and complete compensation for at least the same pecuniary losses that could be recovered under applicable state law. Economic damages under state law are based on the individual circumstances of the victim, including that victim?s full economic loss. There is no doubt that the September 11 victims earned different incomes and suffered varying economic losses; however, state law compensates for and reflects those differences. And what is clear is that basic formulas can be created to apply to all claimants in a fair, predictable and consistent manner. However, for some unknown reason, and despite the plain language of the Act, the Special Master and the Justice Department have determined that economic loss shall de determined based on individual ?needs?. The specific reason given by the Special Master is that ?[w]e have concluded that the purpose of the Act is not simply to examine economic and non-economic harm, but also to provide compensation that is just and appropriate in light of claimants' individual circumstances. We have concluded that any methodology that does nothing more than attempt to replicate a theoretically possible future income stream would lead to awards that would be insufficient relative to the needs of some victims' families, and excessive relative to the needs of others.? (See Special Master Statement). It is abundantly clear that this is not an appropriate interpretation under either state law or the Act itself. The Fund was not designed to be needs based, and any needs based reading would be in violation of its provisions. Neither New York State law nor the Act provide for a measure of economic loss through this type of analysis. I can only surmise that this is a cost-cutting solution of the Justice Department, the Special Master or the Office of Management & Budget, presumably as a result of some financial or political pressure. The problem is that given the blatant disregard of the plain language of the Act (without any statutory support or relevant explanation), the interpretation of the Act by the Justice Department and the Special Master is an unacceptable abuse of the legislative process. ARBITRARY (AND POSSIBLY UNLAWFUL) LIMIT ON ?ECONOMIC LOSS? The Justice Department and the Special Master have taken the needs based analysis even further in Section 104.43 of the Interim Final Rule. This Section provides in pertinent part that ?[t]he Special Master's methodology and schedules, tables, or charts shall yield presumed determinations of loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment for annual incomes up to but not beyond the 98th percentile of individual income in the United States for the year 2000?? This artificial limitation on salaries above the 98th percentile has come completely out of nowhere. There is absolutely no justification for it?indeed, this limitation was arrived at in a completely arbitrary manner and was incorporated into the Interim Final Rule despite very specific congressional language in the Act to the contrary. Moreover, in an October 25, 2001 proposal directed to Attorney General Ashcroft, Congressional leaders stated that claimants ?shall be entitled to recover full economic and non-economic loss?? (See Public Comment W000787; emphasis added). Even the Special Master states that ?[w]e were required, of course, to adhere to the language which Congress set out in the [Act]?? (See Special Master Statement). Despite the above, the Interim Final Rule clearly does not adhere to the language of the Act. If the Fund is administered in accordance with the Interim Final Rule as it relates to this compensation limitation, the Justice Department and the Special Master will have taken extraordinary (and quite possibly unlawful) steps. The Justice Department and the Special Master attempt to craft a reason for this arbitrary limitation. They state ?that projecting earnings over worklife for people with extraordinary annual incomes is a very complex exercise, often requiring a detailed evaluation of variable and often complex formulae for nonvariable income, differing work life expectations, often highly volatile industries or markets, and other factors that are not often subject to easy generalization.? (See Special Master Statement). That alone does not allow Justice, or the Special Master, to arbitrarily limit salary levels. Indeed, this arbitrary limitation has no relation to the supposed ?difficulties? that could be overcome with a simple formula. In fact, a simple formula was used to create the presumptive award charts for the Interim Final Rule. This salary limitation has absolutely no connection to any supposed difficulties. These were highly compensated individuals who were targeted for that specific reason. For example, creating a consistent system for determining a net present value for future income (similar to lottery lump sum payments) is not difficult. An even simpler solution that would be absolutely consistent would be as simple as continuing the Special Master?s compensation charts forward for any appropriate average salary. Indeed, the charts themselves are the best evidence that a simple calculation can be made. The Justice Department and the Special Master cannot legitimately state that determining a salary level of one victim that is $280,000 (as an example) is so much more extraordinarily complex than determining compensation based upon the $240,000 salary cutoff level. It is utter nonsense. The arbitrary salary cutoff at the 98th percentile is in direct contravention of the express language of the Act as enacted and would not likely withstand judicial review. If the Interim Final Rule is adopted as drafted, it is entirely possible (and highly likely) that the Justice Department and the Special Master will be in Federal Court litigating their improper implementation. This cannot be the desired effect. Congress, in mandating that claimants could recover the economic damages that are allowed under state law, did not authorize the Justice Department or the Special Master to discriminate against groups of victims by issuing awards for less than their actual damages. Instead, the Special Master and the Justice Department must act in accordance with the Act. The problem, however, is that the Interim Final Rule, as drafted, is likely in direct violation of the express will of Congress, as set forth in the Act. This is an unacceptable abuse by the executive branch. FUNDAMENTAL INCONSISTENCY A very basic example of the serious inconsistencies found in the Interim Final Rule is as follows: a victim earning $1.5 million a year purchases a fairly standard 3x salary life insurance policy. Based on the Fund charts, that victim?s salary would be automatically lowered to approximately $240,000 per year for a Fund total award of approximately 3 to 4 million dollars, which would then be diminished by $4.5 million of life insurance, for a total award of $0. Next, taking a second victim earning $250,000 per year with a similar 3x salary life insurance policy (or even no life insurance). Using the same calculations, a Fund total award would be approximately 3 to 4 million dollars, essentially the same as the higher earner who had the wherewithal to purchase a life insurance safety net. Even assuming the $750,000 of life insurance is offset as a collateral source, the award would then only be diminished for a total award of approximately 2.5 to 3 million dollars. While it is true that the higher earner received a substantial payout from life insurance, that insurance was purchased by the victim as a prudent investment. Indeed, these two victims will have received nearly the same compensation?one as a direct result of the Fund and one as a direct result of the victim?s own initiative. The problem is that one of the Fund?s main objectives is ?[t]o provide fair, predictable and consistent compensation to the victims of September 11 and their families?? (See Special Master Statement). The above result may be predictable, however it is entirely unfair and inconsistent because it inexplicably, arbitrarily and unjustifiably limits compensation above the 98th percentile. In fact, despite the Special Master?s contentions regarding the difficulty of measuring economic loss, these results are very predictable (again, the Special Master?s own charts belie any claim of difficulties). This economic loss limitation in no way represents the language, nor the intent, of the Act. It bears repeating that the Fund was created by Congress as one part of a broader act that provided an airline and insurance bailout, as well as an incentive to get victims to waive their rights in order to protect these businesses (and, ultimately, the various governmental entities that have potential liability). There is absolutely no incentive for high earners to participate in this situation. The limitation is entirely inconsistent with the Act, despite the fact that consistency is a main goal in administering the Fund. Moreover, and as I stated above, there is no precedent for this limitation on the value of economic loss under state law or the Act. As a final matter, I feel compelled to respond to the Special Master?s assertion that ?[c]laimants should not expect awards grossly in excess of the highest awards listed on the Special Master's presumed award chart, as the individual circumstances of the wealthiest and highest-income claimants will often indicate that multi-million dollar awards out of the public coffers are not necessary to provide them with a strong economic foundation from which to rebuild their lives.? (See Special Master Statement). This comment is insulting and offensive. Monies coming out of the ?public coffers? are for an enormous airline, insurance, and government liability bailout and not simply a gift to potential claimants. We must not forget that these high earners also paid substantial taxes on these large salaries. That tax money is now to be used in this same bailout; however, when it comes to determining that victim?s economic loss, it will be as if the victim never made that money. It is painfully clear that these people were attacked for who they were: young, successful, businesspeople who represented the pinnacle of America?s financial success. Their families should not be penalized by arbitrary actions taken in contravention of the express and unambiguous will of Congress. Thank you. Individual Comment 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 dojN002372.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. Thursday, January 03, 2002 8:08 PM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington. DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have?Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Orlando, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001329.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. 2002-01-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 31, 2001 2:02 PM help the families December 31, 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 Grand Rapids, MI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-31 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 dojN001256.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. 2001-12-31 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 2:02 PM Hello, Please allow the partners of Gay and Lesbian victims to recieve federal benefits. Thank you, Individual Comment 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 dojR000141.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. Thursday, March 14, 2002 4:27 PM If this angers you as much as it does me. . . This DOES anger me, and I want someone to know about it. I cannot understand why ILLEGAL ALIENS (who have NO rights in our country) will be compensated but gay and lesbians are to be treated as NOTHING. There is no excuse. I?m disgusted. I had been willing to give this Republican administration a chance, but no more. Rest assured I will NEVER vote for another Republican again. I know a large number of people who feel exactly the same. Individual Comment Subject: If this angers you as much as it does me ... 9/11 Fund to Discriminate Against Gays About.com - US Politics March 11, 2002 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-14 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 dojR000782.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. 2002-03-14 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. Monday, January 14, 2002 8:38 PM Help same sex partners of terrorist victims 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 Salina, KS September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001776.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, March 21, 2002 11:28 AM Gay/Lesbian Rights Dear Government/Fund Relief Politicians/Law Makers and Breakers and to everyone that could be involved in any way: It is absolutely insane to NOT honor Gay/Lesbian families left behind from the 9/11 tragedy. Why would the funds, the same funds many gays and lesbians donated to, NOT be used to help the families left behind if they are Gay/Lesbian families? We were told that there were no more hyphenated-Americans, which included Gay-Americans but now they are being kept out of the fund? Should then all the money donated by Lesbians/Gays be returned to them? Should all Gay/Lesbian people that donated be asked where they want their money to go in the donations made by the fund? In fact, since everyone donated with the faith and foolishness of believing that the funds would go to every family left behind and now that it is known that certain families are being withheld from the fund shouldn't ALL the money be returned so the donators can decide who they want it to go to? I will send my share to Gay/Lesbian families left behind- as would many, many others if we were given the constitutional right of being asked. I am ashamed of our government, this so-called fund and the treatment of our fellow Americans- look at other countries for help, we are trailing behind in taking care of our own. This is reminiscent of excluding Blacks (African-Americans, but no hyphens anymore, remember?) from drinking fountains, front bus seats, entrances with the whites on buildings, or sharing the same bathrooms. I have not seem signs on the buildings or buses, saying "Gay/Lesbian" entrance or "Gays/Lesbians" to the rear of the bus- do we have separate war memorials for Gay/Lesbians who fought for our country or are they on the same memorials as other fallen Americans? Instead I see our government and politicians passing judgments, laws and decisions that insult, affect, hurt, penalize and dishonor our fellow Americans in withholding the constitutional rights that every other American is entitled to. Either take care of ALL the families left behind by our fallen heroes and fellow Americans lost in the 9/11 disaster or withhold it from them all, send it back to each and every donor so we can pass it out constitutionally. Be sure then to include a list of all people that died and left families behind and after each name you will have to include their race, religion, sexual preference, etc so all small minded bigots can send only to those they want money to go to. I can guarantee there are enough good Americans out here that no Gay/Lesbian family left behind will suffer. I do wonder about the families of unfair law makers- would the country want to support bigots that are begetting bigots? Of course we would, it doesn't seem right since it will enforce unfairness in this country, but we would not intentionally withhold help from anyone, we are Americans. When I forwarded this call for help to my friends, I sent it to everyone, my small minded friends, and my normal minded friends, I included in my message to them the urge for them to write today, plus I asked them if a Gay or Lesbian pulled them from a burning car would they say "no thanks"? Give me a break, Americans are Americans, people are people, quit thinking as bigots and start thinking like Americans- include all our fellow AMERICANS in this fund or send it ALL back to the donors and we will disperse it fairly. I am as thankful to each and every one of the people that helped at the disaster sites, either digging out bodies or passing out washcloths, water and food to the workers, crashed planes to save others, risked their lives to save others, etc and I don't remember anyone asking at the time are you Gay, are you Lesbian? Well then if you are we don't want your help, go away. If we did not turn away their help in the time of our need, then why are we turning them away now? Sincerely, Group Comment Harrison, MI (we may live in a small community but we are NOT small minded) September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002501.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, January 20, 2002 1:45 PM Help all victims of terrorist attack Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-20 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 dojN002126.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. 2002-01-20