770 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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 10:59 AM unfair benefit distribution Attachment 1: I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. I cannot imagine that the people who donated to the fund intended that gay and lesbian victims receive lesser benefits than heterosexual victims. Please make sure that EVERYONE receives the compensation. It is not our fault that this country does not recognize gay marriages. Best, Individual Comment NYC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001382.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 11, 2002 2:39 PM 9/11 Fund descriminates This is an outrage! Please rethink your decisions to descriminate against American heroes and their families. Individual Comment, North Logan, UT. 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 dojR000203.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 5:15 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 , 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 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 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 dojN000590.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 21, 2001 6:54 AM Justice help all 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 Olympia, WA 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 dojN000327.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. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 9:04 PM Victim Compensation To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director, Office of Management Programs, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice. I appreciate the DOJ request for public input into the issue of Victim Compensation for the September 11 incident. It should be noted that victims of that tragedy include gay and lesbian partners and the children in the care of such couples. I am pleading with you to make sure that the wording of the policy is inclusive of these gay and lesbian partners and especially the children afflicted by this incident. Individual Comment Cullowhee, NC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000153.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 8:43 AM Comments on Interim Final Rule I wish to address several issues that are of concern to me with regard to compensation for victims of the September 11, 2001 catastrophe. * Although there is no way to determine monetary compensation for the terror and fear these people have experienced, I believe it is wrong to say that those who have suffered emotional or mental problems as a result of the events are not entitled to benefits. The images and horrors of that day are something that these people will have to live with for the rest of their lives. It may affect their ablility to function in this society. To say that this nightmare that they will live with is not worthy off compensation is an abomination. There are many cases where people having witnessed devasting events have had their lives severely affected. I believe that these people need to be compensated also. These people have no life insurance or other charitable donations to help them move past what may be economic devastion for many. I suggest there should be at least a minimum monetary compensation for ALL people that were in the World Trade Center that fateful day. Addtional values then should be added for those with injuries etc with of course the ultimate value being to those who lives were lost. Another reason to consider a minimum compensation is that there are also people whose companies have been wiped out, their livelyhood taken away from them through no fault of their own. These people may be in severe economic hardship as well as not have health insurance benefits. It is easy for us not there that day to say that they can always get another job. For many that is not as easy as it may seem. I also urge you to consider the plight of the many gay/lesbian families and other non-married or non-traditional families that have also been affected. The Rule addresses the issue of a "personal representative" but that definition may be construed to exclude members of these "families". I believe that the rules set up in many jurisdiction to determine "domestic partnership" be considered in determining who is indeed is a survivor of that victim. Another defintion that could be used is if the company that person worked for provided benefits for domestic partners. I thank the Government of the United States for taking the initiative to indeed help and compenstate these victims. I only ask that you consider the ramifications of not helping ALL the victims. Individual Comment Columbus, Ohio 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 dojN002210.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. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Minneapolis, MN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004823.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, December 01, 2001 2:22 PM DOJ Rules for 9/11 Victim Fund ATTENTION: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice I urge the Department of Justice to include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. Individual Comment Dayton, OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-01 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 dojA000250.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. 2001-12-01 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:17 AM Crisis Relief for All Families December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Lilburn, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002836.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. January 24, 2002 Department of Justice 10th and Constitution Avenue NW Washington DC 20530 Dear Mr. Feinberg: I hardly knew where to start concerning the 9/11 survivor's compensation fund. Has pure unreality descended on Washington? If my husband were murdered, where would the government be: Not with money, that is for sure. If my husband were murdered with a hundred other people, by foreigners, where would the government be? I would need to adjust my life and get another job (right now I work for him). Even if there were some mysterious government fund, why would it not be reduced by what retirement fund and life insurance he left me? As much as I feel sorry for these people (as with anyone whose life is visited by disaster), this compensation issue is making me more angry every day. I am hearing angry statements everywhere I go, by people who are afraid to go public. I would love a reply from you, but I will not identify myself, as I do not trust the system to not send repercussions my way. I pay a great deal of taxes, and don't want to pay any more. Nor do I want to support women who want to stay at home and continue to live in the style to which they'd become accustomed. cc: Hilary Clinton Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-24 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 dojP000628.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. 2002-01-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:58 PM equal access December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Adrian, MI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA003566.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515-3004 January 17, 2002 The Honorable John Ashcroft Office of the Attorney General 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest U.S. Department of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530 FAX: (202)514-4482 Dear Attorney General: I am writing to request a meeting with you and several of my constituents who are surviving widows of the horrendous attacks of September 11th. They are particularly interested in meeting with you to express their grave concerns about the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund. As you know, the Special Master for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, Ken Feinberg, has been meeting both privately and publicly with those expected to be eligible for compensation through the fund. Still, I believe it is critical that you meet personally with the victims as there is widespread dissatisfaction regarding the limitations set in the proposed rules for the fund. For instance, at a meeting this week Mr. Feinberg explained that the inadequate amount proposed for non-economic compensation for surviving widows ($250,000) and children ($50,000 per child) for pain and suffering was reached in consultation with you and top officials at the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Feinberg said he would like to see the non- economic compensation amount universally increased. We are hoping you can agree with him. Similarly, there is confusion and concern about the proposed regulations as they pertain to the offset required for life insurance payments made to some of the victims. It seems grossly unfair to penalize those who tried to act responsibly for their families by purchasing life insurance. As yo may know, I have drafted legislation to repeal the collateral offset provision of the fund. In the meantime, however, Mr. Feinberg stated that he is committed to finding ways to minimize the "harshness of the collateral offsets." We would like to sit down with you to discuss some creative proposals that we believe meet the current requirements of the statute, without harshly punishing the victims' families. I have enclosed, for your review, a letter written by whose husband, , a portfolio manager, was murdered in 2 WTC on September 11th. thoughtful letter articulately expresses the views and concerns of many of the widows who have attended and spoken out at the meetings in New York and New Jersey. I know you agree that those who lost loved ones on September 11th have suffered enormously. Sadly, there is a growing sentiment among the victims that the Department of Justice and the Bush Administration do not yet fully appreciate the pain these widows endure and the overwhelming personal and economic challenges they now face - many as single parents. I am confident that after meeting with you, the victims will know that their government is listening, is responsive, and working to establish a fair and equitable program to help them. Sincerely, Comment By: CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH Member of Congress Washington, DC enclosure January 15, 2002 Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, I am a widow at the age of 30, left alone to raise my 2-1/2 year old daughter. On the morning of September 11, 2001, my husband left for work as a portfolio manager for on the floor of 2 WTC. Six minutes before the second plane hit his building, he phoned me to tell me of the horror he was witnessing outside his window. He told me that he was ok, that he had been told to stay at his desk and not evacuate, and that he loved me. I never spoke to him again. It has been over four months since September 11th, and my daughter no longer walks around the house asking for her "daddy". She smiles and points to him in photographs, but the word "daddy" has all but left her daily vocabulary. Any shred of her dad and who and what a "daddy" is has been erased from her memory and her mind forever. Because of my daughter's tender age, I am fortunate in that I don't have to explain to her the "why" and "how" of September 11th. Many of my widow friends do not have that luxury. Somehow they must come up with answers and explanations on a daily basis. They have to talk to their 5, 7, and 10 year olds. They have to try to make them feel safe and secure. They have to hold them and rock them back to sleep when they wake up in the middle of the night screaming for their dads. This is the legacy my friends and I are left. I am writing to you because I do not think that you have heard our voice. I do not think that you have even attempted to walk in our shoes. And I think that it is time that you do listen to our voices, hear our needs, and understand our nightmare. I think that you need to do all of these things so that you can more fairly address the Victim's Compensation Fund. This country failed each and every one of our children, our spouses, and us on the morning of September 11th. Quite simply, September 11th should have never happened. I often ask myself where our government was that morning. I know that President Bush was reading to a group of kindergartners both before and after the first plane hit. And, with the fact well known that there was a place bearing down on the White House, I can all but imagine what the remaining governmental officials were doing that fateful morning. Its unfortunate that my husband and the thousands like him were not given the same warning or the same opportunity to run. These are some facts that bother me: 1. In August 2001, the FBI was given tips from two flight schools about the possibility of terrorist using American airplanes as trajectory missiles. They were told that foreign men were taking flight lessons, did not speak English, could not pilot even a small place, and only wanted to learn how to pilot a large plane mid-flight. 2. In August of 2001, Zacarias Moussaoui was arrested and held in custody under some degree of probable cause. 3. On the morning of September 11th, a flight attendant from the first airplane was on the phone with her supervisor for 45 minutes prior to that plane crashing into Tower 1. Her supervisor knew that the plane was hijacked, knew that they were flying above water, and knew that the men on board were particularly ruthless. That phone call equates to 45 minutes of notice with regard to both Towers. The flight attendant's final words were, "my god, we are way too low, we are way too low." 4. After the first plane barreled into building 1, my husband was told by the Port Authority and his company to not evacuate his building. Sixteen minutes later, the second place barreled through the floors immediately below him. (Sixteen minutes on an express elevator would have put him below the floors of impact.) 5. Less than 3 days after September 11th a videotape of Mohammed Atta was released to the press showing him at an ATM machine in Maine and at the airport check-in at Logan Airport. It took the NJ state police 4 months to locate a video of one of the hijackers who actually received a written citation on the NJ turnpike, and yet the FBI quite miraculously produced a video of Mohammed Atta at an ATM machine in Maine less than 48 hours after September 11th. )With all of the millions of ATM machines in the country, how could you locate such a video in such a short time? Could a possible explanation be that Atta was already under FBI surveillance, and the FBI watched him get on that plane?) The fact is that those murderers should have never been allowed to get on those planes. Furthermore, the Twin Towers should have been evacuated 45 minutes before that first plane plowed into Tower 1. The FAA should have been promptly notified by that supervisor who was on the phone with that flight attendant, and the FAA should have alerted the Twin Towers to evacuate immediately. And, any death caused as a result of the plane hitting Tower 2 is absolutely and wholly unacceptable since there was even more notice and time provided to evacuate the building. There is simply no excuse for it. And what is this government's response? Three days after the 11th, the airline industry lobbies Congress who turns around and shields them and their fault. Congress enacted the Airline Bailout Bill that capped the airline's liability at its insurance levels. As an outgrowth of the Bailout Bill, the Victim's Compensation Fund was created. Reading the Congressional Record from that day, some comments that were made about the Victim's Compensation Fund are the following: 1. It is paradoxical to fully support the airline industry by limiting their liability to their insurance levels, and yet reduce support for the families by requiring collateral deductions. (Jones) 2. Congress has provided a method whereby the victims of those who have died will have full recovery for their economic and non-economic damages. the Treasury of the United States has been opened by the members of Congress to ensure that every family will receive just recovery. (Turner) 3. The families deserve everything we can do for them. (Delahunt) My husband's life, liberty and pursuit of happiness were taken from him on the morning of September 11th. All I am asking for is justice fair and equitable justice. And, the Victim's Compensation Fund is not providing it. While I know that Congress enacted the Victim's Compensation Fund (hereinafter, the "Fund"), with the collateral deductions attached, I think you must strongly reconsider them. It is completely unprecedented in any personal injury case to require such deductions. The Fund's collateral deduction rewards those for irresponsibility and penalizes those for responsibility. People like my husband paid into life insurance policies, pension plans, 401k's, and social security because they were responsible men. They were fathers who had children and wives. They planned for their future and wanted to ensure their family's financial security within that future. My husband and all of those beside him were brutally targeted and murdered on September 11th and now you, or own government, is stealing one of the few pieces that remain of these family men the financial security that they left for the ones they loved. We have been wronged enough, through enough, and had enough. The collateral deduction's impact must be softened. This government has done enough taking away from our families. It is time to talk about giving back. Clearly, this entire nation recognizes the unfairness of the collateral source deduction. Quite frankly, it is precisely why many of us will not even consider entering the Fund. So, why not lessen the impact of the collateral source deduction. I know that you cannot eliminate it (Ken Feinberg has made that abundantly clear), but how about softening its edge by capping it at $250,000, the value Mr. Feinberg has placed on each human life. Playing the devil's advocate, I am sure your argument against this will be that in doing so the government will yield a much lower return, and, therefore, the actual cost of the Fund will be raised. My response is two-fold. First, I have read the Congressional Record. There is no cap on this Fund, and there was never any Congressional intent to cap this Fund. Recall from the floor of Congress that, "the United States Treasury has been opened to ensure that every family receives a just recovery." Hence, saving money should not be one of your goals in carrying out the rules and regulations of this Fund. Secondly, if the non-economic number (set at $250,000) provided by the Fund is deemed by you to be sufficient enough to compensate me for my husband's pain and suffering while he burned alive for 45 minutes, then certainly, it should be enough for the government as a collateral source deduction. After all, this was the most unprecedented attack in US history. The families would like you to set the collateral source deduction to a limit no higher than $250,000. This limit should be applied across the board, to every party involved. In doing so, you are not only providing an incentive for families to enter the fund, but you are also alleviating some of the unfairness that lurks behind the rules and regulations of this Fund. Our Senators, Congressmen, and the Special Master, himself, have commented about this unfairness. We think you should do something about it. Limiting the collateral deduction to a maximum of $250,000 is that particular something. Another topic that the families would like to address with you, President Bush and the Office of Management and Budget is the non-economic recovery. We have been told by the Special Master that this number was chosen since the men and women who were killed on September 11th are being likened to military men killed in the line of duty. Understand this, our husband's and wives in no way, shape, or form "signed up" for the morning of September 11th. Our husband's worked in finance; they were not federal employees, civil servants, or members of our armed forces. They were stock brokers, stock traders, portfolio managers, etc. In short, they were businessmen, not servicemen. They were innocently murdered when an airplane crashed into their civilian office building and to apply a military award to this case is absolutely and utterly wrong. We would suggest that in setting the amount for the non-economic recovery provided by the fund, you look towards personal injury recoveries in airline crashes. These victims were civilian men and women who went to their office building on the morning of September 11th. They did not knowingly assume any risk that fateful morning. When we married our spouses we were not knowingly assuming any risk of them being killed. We were not marrying a fighter pilot, a navy SEAL or even a fireman. We were marrying a broker, a trader, or a portfolio manager. We were not given the luxury of ever planning for our husband's to be killed, because the worst-case scenario for a trader, a broker, or a money manager does not include a plane flying into their office building. Moreover, the non-economic recovery must be raised to a more respectful number. To be offering $50,000 for each dependent child is essentially telling an entire generation of children that their entire life without their parent is worth less money than their therapy bills, alone. These children will grow up with the raw horror of September 11th on their face every single day. They will, much like the Kennedy children, have to witness the exact moment of their parent's death over and over and over again. They will see it on television shows, learn it in history class, and read about it in books sold at Barnes & noble. Americans across this country, who are not even directly affected by September 11th are claiming post-traumatic stress disorder; all of these people talk about how their lives have irrevocably changed. Think about these children and what they will have to endure over their lifetime, the pain and suffering they will endure day in and day out. think about the older children who walked out their back doors for 10 days following September 11th and actually had to smell Ground Zero burning. Think about the children waking up in the middle of the night screaming for their fathers the burning birds falling to the ground. Just think about these things, and know that I cannot even begin to explain the absolute horror these kids must endure. And, $50,000 is what they get $50,000, less money than a luxury SUV. It is wrong. It is unconscionable. And, for the sake of these children, you must prove to them that their life and their pain and suffering is worth more than $50,000. Another issue that I would like to address is the top 2% money earners; those individuals who earned more than $225,000 per year. We have been assured by the Special Master that individuals who made above this amount will be entitled to their full economic recovery. I trust the Special Master, and I believe that he does speak the truth when he says that there is no $6 billion dollar cp on this fund. However, I would like to note some comments that can be lifted from the floor of Congress the day the Airline Bailout Bill was passed. There was much debate when apparently confusion arose as to whether or not the airline executive's salaries would be "capped" at $225,000. Various Congressmen spoke and the end result was that it was made clear that if an airline executive made $3, 5 or 15 million dollars in 2001, he will be entitled to earn that income in 2002, he just could not earn any more than that amount. I would suggest to you Mr. Attorney General, that if it is "ok" for the airline executives to be compensated up to and beyond $15 million per year by the American taxpayers, when these men are at fault for my husband's death, then the Compensation Fund should best not "cap" my husband's or any other victim's income, regardless of how high that income may prove to be. In closing, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with either you or President Bush. It would be extremely nice to know that you care about people like myself. We have requested numerous meetings with each of you and have been repeatedly told that you are unwilling to meet with us. Please keep my daughter and myself and the thousands of others like us in your thoughts. And again, I implore you to listen to our voices, hear our needs, and understand our nightmare so that you can better understand why we so desperately need the Victim's Compensation Fund to work for us. Sincerely, Individual Comment Attachment: 107th Congress 2D Session H.R. 3665 To amend the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 to ensure equity for victims. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002674.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 10:08 PM Comments on the Interim Final Rule Dear Mr. Feinberg and Mr. Zwick: The purpose of this letter is to express my concern regarding a few aspects of the Interim Final Rule.First, I believe that the rules regarding eligibility for the fund are unfair and not in the spirit of the intended purpose of the creation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. To require that a victim must have been treated within 24 hours after sustaining the injury seems unfair and unrealistic given the chaos taking place within the 24 hours following the tragic events of September 11th. Injured victims could reasonably have had more pressing concerns within those first 24 hours than seeking treatment, including but not limited to notifying their loved ones of their situation, as well as ascertaining the condition of their loved ones (including family, co-workers, friends,...) Additionally, certain injured victims may have either not realized that they were injured during those first 24 hours; not realized the severity of their injuries; or believed that available medical resources would be better used for others, possibly more severely injured. The Interim Final Rule then goes on to add th e additional requirement regarding in-patient hospitalization for at least 24 hours or temporary or permanent, partial or total physical disability, incapacity or disfigurement. The extent of these requirements seems drastic, with the effect that many injured and seriously injured persons(who I believe were intended, by the spirit of the law which created the fund, to be eligible for the fund) will not be eligible for the fund. Second, it does not seem to be clear in the case of the death of a victim who is or will be precluded from filing or maintaining a civil action for damages sustained as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. Is it the estate of the decedent? Is it the Personal Representative him or herself? Or, are both precluded?Finally, I would like to point out another ambiguity in the Interim Final Rule. I know of at least one instance (which may or may not be unique to this point) where it appears that the body of a deceased victim of the September 11th tragedy was misidentified (The spouse of one of the deceased victims was originally informed that the remains of a body which were found were those of her husband. After a funeral, with a burial, the spouse was informed that the remains were, in fact, the remains of a different victim!) The spouse of the victim intends to potentially be the Personal Representative of her deceased husband. She would have a potential personal cause of action against the relevant Medical Examiner's office in connection with said misidentification. Will her damages in connection with the body misidentification be covered under the fund? If not, and if she applies to the fund in connection with the death of her spouse, will she be permitted to file or maintain a separate action for her personal damages in connection with the body misidentification? Thank you for your consideration of the above issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002369.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 07, 2002 10:28 AM Fair treatment for victims' families I hope there will be no discrimination against same sex partners and long term relationships even if not legally married. I also hope that the people who are already provided for with good insurance etc. will not get huge amounts more than the folks who had low paying jobs. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001404.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, November 25, 2001 8:40 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Notice Of Inquiry And Advance Notice Of Rulemaking Dear Attorney General John Ashcroft, I am one of two surviving daughters of , a passenger on American Airlines flight 11. I am also president of Families of September 11, Inc. My mother and thousands more were injured and murdered on September 11, 2001, leaving behind the grieving families that I now represent. Our emotional reservoirs have been sapped low by grief, the foundations of our lives shaken and our coping skills challenged. The diverse futures upon which our eyes were cast before September 11th are now lost from our view. We will replace them, but with what and how we are not certain. The Congress and the President have put in your hands the means that will help us begin to shape our futures. We urge you to shape the regulations you now consider so that we may see with hope what our lives might come to be. I have attached to this e-mail the Comment of Families of September 11, Inc. in response to Notice Of Inquiry And Advance Notice Of Rulemaking Of The Civil Division Of The Justice Department [CIV 104P; AG Order No. 2531-2001] RIN 1105-AA79. We would like very much to participate further in the detailed articulation of the rules under your consideration. Very truly yours, Comments by Families of September 11, Inc. Attachment 1: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Comment Of Families of September 11, Inc. In Response to Notice Of Inquiry And Advance Notice Of Rulemaking Of The Civil Division Of The Justice Department [CIV 104P; AG Order No. 2531-2001] RIN 1105-AA79 INTRODUCTION This response is submitted by Families of September 11, Inc., a not for profit corporation whose members are surviving victims and survivors of victims of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. Included among our members are "legal" relatives (e.g., spouses, parents, children and siblings) and "de facto" relatives (e.g., step children and parents, survivors of engaged couples and long term co-habitors, etc.) of those victims. Although our members' relationships with the victims and the nature, manifestation and magnitude of their losses are different, all of our members have suffered, are suffering and are likely to continue to suffer from grief and the trauma of September 11th. Many, indeed most, of our members are incapacitated, in varying degrees, from effectively pursuing their previous careers and employment activities. Our members recognize that they have only three effective means by which to obtain redress for the harm they have suffered and will continue to suffer: (a) commence litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, (b) file a claim for compensation under section 405(a)(1) of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 ("the Act"), and/or (c) apply for charitable relief and that only the first (commencement of litigation) will afford them an opportunity to actively participate in the discovery of the truth about the causes of their injuries and the injury and death to their loved ones. Until the Attorney General, in consultation with the Special Master, has promulgated the regulations mandated by the Act, our members will have no basis upon which to choose from these alternatives. Because the Act has effectively capped the pool of funds available from the air carriers to the limits of the liability coverage maintained by them and because the magnitude of the potential claims (not only for bodily injury and death, but for property damage and other economic loss) is enormous, the regulations under consideration by the Attorney General must afford full compensation to the entire population of victims and survivors of victims of the September 11th attacks or the only remedy available to them will be charitable donations. For a wide variety of reasons (e.g., the Internal Revenue Code limitations on charitable giving, limited available resources, the inconsistent functioning of charitable organizations, etc.), our members have little expectation of obtaining substantial charitable relief. In effect, therefore, the regulations promulgated by the Attorney General are of critical importance to our members. It cannot be forgotten that the Families of September 11 are all innocents. They have been and feel victimized. The rest of the country has or will separate itself from the events of September 11th. The members of our organization have not and likely never will. They need not only the means with which to attempt to rebuild their lives but a process that validates their suffering. The recommendations made by Families of September 11 focus on four basic issues: 1. The population of eligible applicants; 2. Rules of evidence and substantive law designed to determine the full and fair value of claims before any collateral sources are deducted; 3. Interpretation of the term "collateral sources"; and 4. Making the process simple, convenient, fair and fast. We address these issues in each of the topics contained in the Notice of Rulemaking in the order presented there. Topics 1 and 2: The Forms To Be Used in Submitting Claims Under This Program and the Information To Be Included on the Claim Form The American Trial Lawyers Association has promised to provide pro-bono service to all persons who wish to make claims under the Act. This promise should be confirmed. The form should be drafted with the expectation that an experienced trial lawyer will fill it out. In the case of an applicant who claims to represent a deceased victim (i.e., "the Claimant"), the form should require disclosure of the names, addresses and phone numbers of all presumptive relatives of the decedent (see Topic 5) and whether or not such person has been appointed to represent the decedent by a court of competent jurisdiction. Similarly, in the case of an injured victim, the form should require that the Claimant disclose the names, addresses and phone numbers of his/her relatives. See Topics 3 and 5. In the case of an applicant who claims to be an eligible survivor of a deceased victim, the form should require an affidavit of that individual setting forth the relationship with the decedent and a statement setting forth the basis upon which he/she claims eligibility. Although the form should contain a statement that the American Trial Lawyers Association will provide an attorney at no charge to assist in the preparation of the form and the representation of a claimant throughout the process, it should also contain a statement that the reasonable fees of a private non- pro bono attorney will be paid to that attorney in addition to the award in an amount not in excess of 10% of the award. See Topic 5. The form should inform the applicant that the form will not be deemed to have been filed until the Hearing Officer has determined that an appropriate representative of the decedent has been determined and the last survivor seeking status as an eligible applicant has intervened or opted in under the rules (see Topic 3). The form should be designed in such a way that proof of the applicant's relationship to the injured or decedent victim, the status as a victim and all proof of damages can be accomplished by filing of certified copies of public documents (e.g., birth certificates), affidavits (e.g., proof of presence in or near the World Trade Center or Pentagon at the time of or in the immediate aftermath of the crashes, etc.) and written statements (e.g., air carrier passenger manifests, medical records, etc.). The form should make clear that the statements made on the application and in affidavits are made under the pains and penalties of perjury, that the Special Master and Hearing Officers have authority and have been directed to report suspected fraud to the Attorney General, and that any knowingly false statement made on the application or any affidavit will result in prosecution. See Topic 6. The form should provide the applicant an option to present oral evidence at a hearing and should inform the applicant that, if that option is chosen, a hearing will be provided within that state, territory or the District of Columbia in which at least one applicant resides and which the Hearing Officer determines most convenient for the applicants (see Topic 3). Topic 3: Procedures for Hearing and the Presentation of Evidence In the case of a decedent, the claim should be deemed to have been filed only when the Hearing Officer has determined that an appropriate representative of the decedent has been determined and the last of the survivor applicants has intervened or opted in, under the rules. A claimant should be considered an appropriate legal representative of a decedent if appointed as such by a court of competent jurisdiction. In the absence of such a judicial appointment, the Hearing Officer should have authority to designate the representative of the decedent and, where the Hearing Officer deems it appropriate, to require the filing of a bond. See Topic 4. A hearing, if requested, should be provided within that state, territory or the District of Columbia in which at least one applicant resides and which the Hearing Officer determines to be most convenient for the applicants. Formal rules of evidence should not apply. There should be a record of the proceedings. Any person who seeks status as an eligible individual should be entitled to a review of his/her status as an eligible individual and the amount of the award by a Review Panel chosen by the Special Master on the record of the proceedings before the Hearing Officer. Among the issues to be considered by the Review Panel should be adherence by the Hearing Officers to the expansive and uniform application of state law (see Topics 5 and 6) and the resolution of issues unique to individual claims. There should be no further right of review. Topic 4: Procedures to Assist an Individual in Filing and Pursuing Claims Under This Title There should be at least one Hearing Officer in every state, territory and the District of Columbia in which an applicant under the Act resides, and each Hearing Officer should have an Applicants' Assistant whose responsibility it is to assist applicants and liaison with the American Trial Lawyers Association. The regulations should provide for payment by the Justice Department of the reasonable fees of those attorneys who do not agree to perform their services pro bono, who assist applicants in the processing of their claims. The amount of those fees should not exceed 10% of the award to the claimant. Provision for payment of reasonable attorney fees is required to assure that all claimants get competent representation by counsel of their choosing, notwithstanding the offer of pro bono services by the American Trial Lawyers Association. Public notices should be disseminated making it clear that applicants for compensation under the Act have a right to intervene in or opt into a claim filed by a representative of a decedent and written notice, by certified mail return receipt requested, should be given to all persons who are presumptive relatives of a survivor or decedent. See Topic 5. Topic 5: Claimant Eligibility The stated purpose of The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 ("the Act") is to "provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of a surviving or deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. The population of "relatives of deceased individuals" is not clearly defined in the Act and a tension is created between the express purpose of the Act to compensate those "relatives" and other provisions of the Act. Although there is no express provision in the Act for relatives of physically injured, but not killed, individuals, those relatives should be compensated under the Act and the regulations should so provide. The Act provides, "Not more than one claim may be submitted ... on behalf of a deceased individual," and "in the case a decedent ... [the claimant is] the personal representative of the decedent who files a claim on behalf of the decedent." The Act further provides, "Upon the submission of a claim ..., the claimant waives the right to file a civil action (or be a party to an action) in any ... court for damages...." The term "personal representative of the decedent" is not defined in the Act. As a matter of substantive law, the personal representative of a decedent need not be a relative of the decedent. It is the position of Families of September 11 that the regulations promulgated to carry out the Act should make clear that all "relatives" who were spouses and parents, children, or siblings of a decedent or injured victim (whether or not survived by a spouse) are presumptively eligible individuals and that other "relatives" may be such eligible individuals. The amount of the compensation awarded to such "relatives" may be highly variable based upon the relationship in fact between the decedent/injured victim and the relative, but the right of the presumptive relatives to participate in the claims process should be assured. In addition, the regulations should make clear that there is no compensation limit per decedent/injured victim: i.e., the aggregate amount of an award to multiple relatives of such a decedent/injured victim will not be capped in any way. This can be accomplished by requiring that the legal representative of the decedent or the injured victim identify, in affidavit form, all presumptive relatives and that effective notice be given to all such relatives giving them the opportunity (within a reasonable time - 60 days) to opt into the claim process. If they do not opt in, they will be excluded from compensation under the Act and, if they do opt in, they will effectively waive the right to sue in court. But they should have the choice. Other relatives (e.g., grandparents) who might be eligible will have to be vigilant and take affirmative steps to attempt to qualify. The regulations should provide a temporal limit (e.g., 60 days after notice is sent to presumptive relatives) on intervention in the claim by such more remote relatives. The regulations should make clear, however, that in no event shall a claim on behalf of a decedent be deemed to have been filed earlier than the first to occur of (a) the filing of a claim by an applicant who is the representative of the decedent appointed as such by a court of competent jurisdiction or (b) March 1, 2003. This will prevent a "remote" relative from pre-empting the rights of the duly appointed representative of the estate of the decedent to choose whether and, if so, when to file a claim under the Act, while at the same time preserving the right of such "remote" relative(s) to seek compensation under the Act. We are concerned with the exclusive effect of this proposal. It appears, however, to have been the intention of the Act to limit compensation to "relatives." If this is construed to mean relatives at law, many deserving individuals with close relationships in fact (i.e., co-habiting partners, survivors of engaged couples, step-children, etc.) who are injured survivors will be excluded. The regulations should more broadly define "relative" to include de facto relatives. Should the regulations not reflect the "presumptive relatives" approach and its corollaries set forth above, they should at a minimum capture in the population of eligible claimants the most expansive population permitted by an assessment of the law on such issues as it has been developed in all the state and federal courts applying state law, without deference to the law of any such jurisdiction. See Topic 6. Topic 6: Nature and Amount of Compensation We believe that experienced Hearing Officers who receive careful guidance from the Special Master can and should decide each case on its own merits. We recognize that using this approach will require the employment of as many as a hundred experienced Hearing Officers and require that they all receive careful training from the Special Master. Any attempt to provide formulaic outcomes will inevitably be arbitrary. It cannot be forgotten that the families of the victims are all now suffering from the most horrific act of arbitrary violence this country has ever experienced. They need not only compensation that reflects the realities of their lives and their losses, but also the well justified belief that the compensation they receive has been fairly determined. Furthermore, if the act is to fulfill its purpose of providing an effective alternative to litigation, it must promise and give results that fit the circumstances of each case. Each applicant should be permitted to submit expert testimony on any and all issues (economic and non-economic) upon which the courts have allowed such testimony, including past and projected future economic loss (income streams and expenses), hedonic damages, etc. The probative value of this type and all other evidence should be determined by an assessment of the law on such issues as it has been developed in all the state and federal courts applying state law, without deference to the law of any such jurisdiction. The substantive rules employed to determine that sum of money that will fully and fairly compensate each eligible applicant should be determined by an assessment of that law on such issues, as it has been developed in all the state and federal courts applying state law, without deference to the law of any such jurisdiction, which provides the most expansive remedies. For instance, although some jurisdictions do not permit recovery for grief and its consequences, such recovery should be permitted here. The specific rules to be applied should not be set forth in detail in these regulations (with the possible exception noted in the second next paragraph), but should be adopted by the Special Master pursuant to the above mandate and communicated to the Hearing Officers during their training. The Hearing Officers will then be in a position to listen to arguments for accepting evidence and applying damages rules on unusual issues and, if necessary referring them on a case-by-case basis to the Special Master or his designee for resolution (similar to an interlocutory appeal). Using this approach will provide potential applicants with a common body of well developed law with which to make decisions whether to pursue a claim under the Act or pursue their claims in court, will provide uniformity of decision making across jurisdictions, and will assure full compensation after applying the collateral source rule mandated by the Act. This approach is entirely consistent (indeed any more restrictive rule would be inconsistent) with Sections 402 (5) (ECONOMIC LOSS) and (7) (NONECONOMIC LOSSES) of the act, which provide that: The term "economic loss" means any pecuniary loss resulting from harm (including the loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment, medical expense loss, replacement services loss, loss due to death, burial costs, and loss of business or employment opportunities) to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable state law. The term "noneconomic losses" means losses for physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium (other than loss of domestic service), hedonic damages, injury to reputation, and all other nonpecuniary losses of any kind or nature. It is essential that "noneconomic loss" awards be consistent for all, particularly among survivors of deceased victims. There should be no linkage between the amount of an "economic loss" award and the amount of the "noneconomic loss" award for such applicants for compensation under the Act. There simply is no rational basis for assuming such a correlation and every reason to think that the economically disadvantaged suffer the same emotional pain, etc. as the economically more fortunate. Indeed, the hearing process would be very much streamlined and the risk of anomalous outcomes substantially reduced, if the regulations provide for a minimum award to each presumptive relative of each deceased victim for the emotional consequences of the emptiness left in and trauma to his/her life in a fixed amount (e.g., $2,000,000) to be supplemented based upon unique circumstances presented in the claim or at the hearing. Such an approach would have as its premise the reality that even the emotionally most resilient among them (no matter what their ages or other circumstances) have suffered and will continue to suffer from the loss of their loved ones and the haunting images of the terror faced by those loved ones just before and as their lives were extinguished by explosion and fire, crush of steel and mortar, impacts with earth from leaps to death, etc. For even these most resilient ones (some would say, most emotionally repressed) whose tears flow inward unseen, suffer with the others. Finally, the regulations should require the Special Master and the Hearing Officers to make no distinction among awards customarily given in different locations where a hearing might be held, the injury or death occurred, or a victim or survivors may have lived or are living: rather, they should require that awards be consistent with those made in those locations, nationwide, where the most generous awards are the custom. This is consistent with the broad scope of damages contemplated by the Act and the unprecedented enormity of and national scope of the September 11th attacks, and is essential to meet the criterion of fairness across geographic regions implicit in the Act. Since so much of the language of the Act that reads, "The term 'collateral source' means all collateral sources" begs the question of what is a collateral source, the regulations should include as collateral sources only those which are and are of the same kind as those enumerated as examples: i.e., life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by federal, state, or local governments. It is clear to us that charitable contributions are not of like kind to these, nor are "in kind" and/or material contributions of this type. Furthermore, the regulations should state expressly that the term "collateral source" will be narrowly construed to mean only those sums received by the eligible applicant net of all taxes that exceed the premiums, payments or other contributions made by that applicant and the interest, dividends and capital and other gains attributed to said premiums, payments or contributions, and the scope of the terms "pension funds" and "death benefit programs" should be more clearly defined consistent with this narrow construction. Application of any other rule will place form over substance: The survivor of a victim who invested wisely in the stock market would avoid a collateral source deduction, while the survivor of a victim who invested in whole life insurance, a 401(k) plan or the like would have an award reduced by the investment. If the rule suggested here is adopted, the apparent intent of Congress that applicants for relief under the Act not receive a windfall will be accomplished. For example, the young executive who had paid premiums of $10,000 for a term life insurance policy with a $250,000 death benefit would have his award reduced by $240,000, but the victim who had paid into a retirement plan all contributions to it (no employer participation) would have no set off against recovery. The burden of proving the limited application of the collateral source rule should be on the applicant. We hope that the Special Master will be an active jurist with many years and broad experience handling civil claims, particularly wrongful death claims. Hearing Officers should be jurists (active or retired) and mediators or arbitrators with many (at least 10) years experience handling civil claims, including wrongful death claims. Although the commitment of the Justice Department to providing and training qualified Hearing Officers will be substantial, it will not exceed the burden that will otherwise be placed on the courts, if the regulations do not afford victims and their families an effective forum for relief and an adequate remedy. Requiring that all applications and affidavits be signed under the pains and penalties of perjury with the threat of criminal prosecution and the experience and judgment of well qualified Hearing Officers should suffice to determine whether potential future collateral source payments are ones that an individual is "entitled to receive." Similarly, fraud can best be avoided by requiring affidavits wherever feasible and empowering and requiring the Special Master and Hearing Officers to report suspicion of fraud to the Attorney General for prosecution. CONCLUSION The population of eligible applicants should be sufficiently large to capture all those who have suffered the consequences of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11th. All spouses, as well as all parents, children and siblings of victims (whether survived by a spouse), have been affected by the trauma of the September 11th crashes and must be presumed to be eligible for compensation under the Act. Other "legal" relatives of the victims may well also have suffered. Finally, narrow legal definitions of relationships cannot accomplish the salutary goals of the Act, and experienced Hearing Officers can make well reasoned decisions whether to include (or exclude) "de facto" relatives or those with remote degrees of kinship and, if included, the nature and extent of their losses. The rules of evidence and substantive law must be designed to provide uniformity of application and to fairly determine the full and fair value of claims before any collateral sources are deducted. This can be accomplished by relying upon the enormous body of decisional authority of the state and federal appellate courts. Since the Act itself makes clear that an extremely broad array of both economic and non-economic damages are to be awarded, the most expansive rules of evidence and substantive law recognized by the existing decisional authority should be used for determining both eligibility and damages. Since grief is a part of the suffering of and is impairing the vitality of the vast majority of those who will apply for benefits under the Act, compensation for it should be permitted. Consistency of outcomes in like circumstances is essential to fairness and its perception. Application of the most expansive and generous interpretations by the state and federal courts, applying state law, and requiring that awards reflect the most generous outcomes for all, notwithstanding the location of the hearing, the applicant or the injury or death of the victim, is also required to assure fairness: This country has never experienced a disaster of this magnitude and it deserves treatment commensurate with the scope of its devastation. The term "collateral sources" should be narrowly construed to avoid formalist and anomalous results and to effect the purpose of the Act: i.e., to fairly compensate the victims of the September 11th terrorist-related crashes and avoid windfalls to those whose contributions to the "collateral source" are disproportionate to the benefit they received. Since charitable and "in kind" distributions to applicants are simply not of like kind to the "collateral sources" enumerated in the act, they should not result in a reduction in awards. Finally, it is the intent of these recommendations that the regulations make the process simple, convenient, fair and fast. It is clear that Congress sought this result. The "opt in" and "intervention" recommendations made here should assure that the entire population of intended participants in the Act's recovery process are included promptly after a claim is first filed. The use of experienced decision makers and existing appellate decisional law will provide predictability and uniformity of results. The availability of a hearing convenient to the applicants will provide the opportunity that they need to present their cases and, perhaps just as important, give them the belief that they are being treated as individuals and the merits of their cases are being assessed fairly. This response to inquiry and advance notice of rulemaking is submitted by e-mail to victimcomp.comments@usdoj.gov on behalf of Families of September 11, Inc., by its president, , with a hard copy to be filed by hand delivery. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000542.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, December 24, 2001 1:58 PM True and Fair Relief December 24, 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. All people suffer equally; all people should have equal access to any relief possible. Please don't add to the suffering of people who have already suffered so much. Thank you. Sincerely, Individual Comment Cleveland, OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-24 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 dojN000860.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. 2001-12-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 5:43 AM Important - 9/11 Fund not fair in distribution of funds to Gays! Dear President George W. Bush, As a contributor to the 911 Fund and a voter for yourself, I am deeply upset about the treatment that the partners of gay victims are scheduled to receive. My partner and I have been in a committed relationship for nine years and have taken legal steps to ensure that each of us is taken care of in the event one of us should die. All because the Government continues to recognize the religious institution of marriage. We must end the state sponsorship by endorsement of religious acts. I share John's comments below: On Sunday morning's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg, the head of the September 11 Victim's Compensation Fund (a program of the US Dept. of Justice), is planning on limiting what kind of compensation goes to gay and lesbian victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. And the way the rules read, gays and lesbians will probably get nothing. Forget that , a gay man, was one of the heroes who brought United Flight 93 down in a field in Pennsylvania instead of on top of the US Congress, where it was supposedly headed. And forget that NY Fire Department was gay, as was the of the plane that flew into the Pentagon. No, according to John Ashcroft's Justice Department, apparently some heroes are more equal than others. This story is a must read. And pass it along to your friends. (Also, you'll really want to check out the story online, as there are a lot of hyperlinks in it to other good content about this issue, like John McCain's eulogy of , etc.) I just cannot express the depth of my anger. It's as though Ashcroft and the Fund are suggesting that gay Americans did not suffer as much as everybody else on September 11. I can tell you that for me at least, watching the Pentagon burn outside my living room window is an image I won't soon forget - regardless of what John Ashcroft and the 9/11 fund think of me and my patriotism. Incredibly angrily yours, Individual Comment 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. 2002-03-13 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 dojR000560.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. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 6:08 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing as part of the public comments on how the money for victims of September 11 should be spent. I believe that every family -- including those of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons -- should be served by the Victim Compensation Fund. The life partners, as well as de facto parents or children of victims, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status should be included in the fund. The Republican Governor of New York, George Pataki has set a wonderful example in proclaiming that compensation benefits will be granted to those "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." Our federal government should do no less. Thank you for hearing my views. Sincerely, Individual Comment Minneapolis, Minnesota September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000995.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 9:59 AM Discrimination is UN-American: Outrageous treatment of Gays, Lesbians following 9/11 To Whom It May Concern; It seems that IF my partner and I lived in Manhattan and one of us were a victim in the attack on the World Trade Center or IF we lived in Washington, DC and one of us were a victim in the attack on the Pentagon, that the survivor would be dealt yet another blow after losing their spouse! My partner and I have been together almost 20 years, own our own home, have two "fur-kids", are involved in our community and are hard-working examples of a gay family. I cannot believe in the year 2002 that the treatment of gay and Lesbian surviving partners of victims on 9/11, but also survivors of GAY HEROES are being ignored and made to feel further HATRED by the United States! Are Americans that SPINELESS that the Religious Right can have influence over such pathetic decisions as to allow further discrimination of gays/Lesbians? I think that this time, hatred and discrimination HAS to be put aside for once and for all. It's time to treat those that have suffered (not only what we all have suffered since 9/11) the loss of their spouse to the VERY SAME TREATMENT AS HETEROSEXUALS! Please, I urge you to reverse that decision of the Dark Ages and take that progressive step of fair treatment to ALL, regardless of sexual orientation. Yours Truly, Individual Comment Dayton, Ohio 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 dojR001717.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. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Seattle, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002654.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