773 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 5:03 AM Support Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write 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 Topeka, KS 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 dojA002510.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:59 PM 9/11 Victims Compensation I feel strongly that the charitable contributions received by the families of victims should not be consider a "collateral source" in the distribution of federal aid. I think that I speak for many Americans when I say that the intent of our donations was not just to make the families "whole". Given the senseless loss of their loved ones nothing could ever make them whole, emotionally or financially, but our hope was to make their lives easier by providing some financial security. The combination of charitable aid and federal aid should do more than just cover their expenses and make up for lost wages, etc - it should provide an additional cushion that removes some of the day-to-day worries about finances which are normally borne by both parents. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000062.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 7:12 PM Equal rights December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, As a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide movement committed to promoting human rights and preventing discrimination, I urge you to give all victims equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status. 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 these basic international human rights standards by including all those who lost their life partners, or their de facto parents or children, among relatives eligible for compensation. 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. Their surviving partners have had mixed results in obtaining their fair share of relief funds distributed by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help set an important precedent for other such funds. Real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - affected by the tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Sincerely, Individual Comment Princeton, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000085.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Sunnyvale, CA 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 dojA004782.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. Friday, February 08, 2002 4:23 AM [Fwd: [Fwd: Article on gfn.com]] Read the article "Compromise Reached on Charitable Giving Bill" on gfn.com at: http://www.gfn.com/archives/story.phtml?sid=10939 Message from : Be sure to read the comments also. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-08 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 dojP000466.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-02-08 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 Montrose, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004661.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 1:00 PM OUTRAGED I?m am disgusted by your total lack of human compassion. Surviving spouses/partners of gays and lesbians should have every right that heterosexual and illegal alien spouses of the people who died on 9/11. Your total disregard for ALL people is as horrible as the attacks themselves. Thank you for showing me and all of America that the saying ?All men are created equal? doesn?t mean that all men are treated equally. I hope your uncompassionate acts come back to you three fold! Individual Comment Portland, TN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000894.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, January 20, 2002 1:45 PM 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 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002125.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 15, 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 Valley Village,CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005162.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. 2001-12-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 1:46 PM fairness 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 Sandia Park, NM 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 dojA003336.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 21, 2002 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Fax 301 519 5856 and Kenneth R. Feinberg, Special Master WTC Compensation Fund The Feinberg Group 780 Third Avenue, Suite 2202 New York, NY 10017-7076 Fax 212 527 9611 Re: COMMENTS, from Podhurst, Orseck, Josefsberg, Eaton, Meadow, Olin Perwin, P.A., on the interim Final "VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND Regulations published in the Federal Register, 28 CFR Part 104, December 21, 2001. Dear Director Zwick and Special Master Feinberg: We currently represent family members of several decedents in the World Trade Center disaster. Our clients include decedents in the WTC Towers, including one of the firefighters, and passengers on two of the four aircraft involved in the hijackings and crashes. We write to you on their behalf. We are gravely concerned that the regulations published as an Interim Final Rule to carry out the legislation which created the Victim Compensation Fund are grossly unfair to the majority of family members and violate the terms of the enabling legislation. These comments are respectfully offered in the hope that they will lead to modifications of the announced regulations which will make the regulations fair to the families, will bring the regulations into conformity with the Congressional mandate, and will permit us to recommend to our clients, and others who ask, that they universally file their claims with the Fund. We cannot do this now under these proposed regulations. GENERAL COMMENTS Congress enacted the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act on September 22, 2001 to help the nation and the families of individuals killed and injured in the September 11, 2001 terrorist assaults cope with the economic and emotional consequences of the disaster. Section 408(a) of the statue limited the liability of the air carriers involved. Title IV of the statute created the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001" and also created a federal cause of action for damages arising out of the terrorist related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. The stated purpose of this legislation was "to provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of the deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. A supplementary statute called the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (the Security Act ), dated November 19, 2001, amended the statute to permit suits against the terrorists, but also limited the liability of New York City, the owners and operators of the World Trade Center, the manufacturers of the aircraft and aircraft operators from whose airports the doomed flights originated. These legislative enactments drastically limited in an unprecedented manner the rights of the families to seek full and fair compensation through civil litigation. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the Department of Justice, which was charged by Congress with implementing the Fund s purposes and promulgating regulations to do so in a way that would insure full and fair compensation for every victim and victim s family. The interim final regulations published on December 21, 2001 do not accomplish that objective, and in fact, make the recovery of fair compensation impossible for most claimants. Indeed the interim final regulations and accompanying tables of presumed losses are so harsh as to be confiscatory, and they have been received by the families as such. There is nothing in either the original or the supplementary statute to suggest that Congress intended such a result. Congress promised fair compensation, but the proposed regulations deny it. When the Department of Justice, in consultation with Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg, issued the interim final regulations on December 21, 2001 it described them as procedural to allow the Special Master to commence operation of the program....and to allow the Special Master to begin distributing funds.... 28 CFR Part 104, Summary Although described as procedural the rules are in fact substantive and are contrary to the letter and spirit of the enabling legislation. They make it impossible to fulfill the statutes purpose. These interim final rules and regulations must be modified to cure clear and serious deficiencies and to avoid legal challenges in the courts. OBJECTIONS TO THE INTERIM FINAL REGULATIONS AND THE SUPPORTING TABLES 1. If the December 21, 2001 interim final regulations and the tables of presumed losses are not modified and are applied as the Special Master has proposed, a majority of the people entitled to receive Fund awards will be deprived of fair, predictable, and consistent compensation in violation of the Congressional mandate that the awards shall be to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law Sec 402(5). The proposed regulations and supporting tables thus violate the Congressional mandate. Reiterating the intent of Congress, the Special Master stated that the regulations have two objectives: (1) To provide fair, predictable, and consistent compensation to the victims of September 11 and their families... and (2) to do so in an expedited, efficient manner without unnecessary bureaucracy and needless demands on the victims.... 28 CFR Part 104 Statement by the Special Master. While this statement of purpose is laudable, the regulations as promulgated and the accompanying tables will not produce the desired result. Because the regulations violate the clear letter and intent of the statue which created the Fund they violate the fundamental principle of law articulated by the United States Supreme Court that regulations enacted by an agency of government must conform to the legislation they are supposed to implement. The adverse consequences of the failure of the proposed regulations to conform to this legal standard are compounded by the effect of published comments by the Special Master about claimant eligibility, his "interpretations" of the statute as to how economic loss, non-economic loss and collateral sources will be calculated or valued, and by the "Presumed Economic and Non-Economic Loss Tables" which are supposed to illustrate "average and typical awards." To be clear, unless there are changes in the regulations and the way the Special Master has indicated they will be applied, the proposed regulations create "caps" on recoveries of both economic and non-economic losses. This violates the enabling legislation. While the proposed regulations do not speak in terms of "caps," they apply "caps" in fact and effect. No such caps are authorized by the legislation. 2. The published "interim final" regulations and procedures improperly limit awards for provable economic and non-economic losses and thus violate the clear and unambiguous terms of the Fund Statute. Sec. 402(5) is the only place in the statute where the intended level of recovery is set forth by Congress, and it cannot be interpreted out of existence by the Special Master. The basic structure of the Fund compensation system is that in death cases each award shall fairly reflect the economic losses Sec. 402(5) plus non-economic losses Sec. 402(7) sustained by eligible beneficiaries reduced by certain collateral sources Sec. 402(4). See Sec. 405(b)(1)(B). Congress instructed the Attorney General and Special Master that "economic loss" shall be awarded "to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." Sec. 408(b)(2), which is contained in the same title of the Act as Sec. 402(5), also reinforced the legislative intent of making State law, including the application of state law, controlling, except when specifically preempted, when it provided that the "substantive law for decision" in litigation arising from the September 11 tragedies should be State law. Notwithstanding the unambiguous language of the statute, the Department of Justice promulgated Regulation §104.42 to set forth its own "interpretation" of what the statutory mandate of Sec. 402(5) means 402.5 says that economic loss shall be losses "to the extent recovery is allowed under applicable State law." The text of §104.42 clearly violates Sec. 402 (5) and Sec. 408 (b)(2). If that regulation, 104.42, is allowed to stand it would leave the statute, and claimants, with no legislative guidance whatsoever as to what the level of recoveries should be, and would authorize the Special Master to do whatever he wants to do without statutory guidance Clearly this was not Congress' intent. Regulation 104.42 should be immediately revoked. The statutory language Congress enacted certainly did not permit the Special Master to eliminate objective state law economic loss standards. Indeed the statute is not ambiguous. It is the charge of the Special Master to apply the terms of the statute, not to change them. Neither the Justice Department nor the Special Master has any authority to alter the legislation by establishing arbitrary recovery limits when to do so is contrary to the statutory language. 3. Serious deviations from the statutory mandate appear in Subpart D of the regulations which specify a "needs" test for the "Amount of Compensation for Eligible Claimants" and describe the methodology for the Special Master intends to employ in making the loss calculations. "Need" is different from "compensation." Contrary to the Sec. 402(5) which makes State law the foundation for "economic loss" determinations, §104.41 and related public comments by the Special Master establishes a "needs" test as one of the criteria for the fixing the amount of an award. §104.41 says that the "The individual circumstances of the claimant may include the financial needs or financial resources of the claimant or the victim's dependents and beneficiaries." Imposing a "needs" test as a standard for measuring the amount of the award to which claimants and beneficiaries are entitled perverts the clear language of the statute. Nowhere in the statute is there any authority for a "needs" test. "Compensation," which is the word used by the statute, means compensation for a loss or losses sustained. It is a fundamentally different concept than "need." Interjection of a "needs" test makes the loss determination "subjective" rather than "objective." The legislation did not empower the Special Master to make awards based upon his view of what claimants might "need." No jury in America is instructed to consider the "needs" of a family when charged to make a determination of what a wrongful death award should be. Jurors are, in fact, directed to disregard need or the wealth of a decedent when making compensatory damages awards for wrongful death. State law provides "objective" loss criteria for determining economic loss as well as the methodology to be employed. Again, the regulations, as proposed, directly contravenes the statute and improperly deviates from State law. 4. Elimination of earnings figures in the 99th and 100th percentile is discriminatory and unjust. Many of the victims of this disaster were in these categories, and they have effectively been disenfranchised by this discrimination. All the "data" that is necessary for inclusion of these figures is available. The proposed regulations and the tables of presumed economic losses promulgated by the Justice Department and/or the Special Master limited consideration of earnings to earnings up to and through the 98th percentile of earnings in the United States. Earnings in the national 99th and 100th percentile (which includes many of the victims) where many of the victims actually were, were not even set forth in the tables On the charts circulated for study by the victims' families earnings figures stop at 225,000. References are made only to figures up to 231,000. We are not aware of the methodology or intricacies that gave rise to the determination of presumed economic loss in the Special Master's tables, but we know that they do not accurately reflect the economic loss to those decedents with very high earnings. It could be that calculations for a decedent in his early thirties, with proven annual income of over one million dollars simply eliminated from consideration all earnings over 231,000. In other words the presumed loss figures for a 32 year old decedent with annual income of more than one million dollars, of whom there were quite a few in the World Trade Center, comes out the same as a 32 year old decedent with annual income of 231,000. That is probably why the Special Master is talking about presumed loss figures of three to four million dollars instead of twenty million dollars. Obviously this is unfair, unjust and ignores the mandate of the statute. Whatever the mechanics were for establishing these numbers, they ought to be changed. Indeed the methodology suggests a violation of due process of law. The Fund is supposed to be a compensation fund. Compensation means compensation for losses. How can compensation be properly fixed by the Special Master when he does not fully credit the actual lost earnings of the very people he is evaluating Is it right that the compensation of these people should be determined by the earnings experience of other, lower earning groups with lesser potential for earnings growth No reason can be given for the arbitrary elimination of all earnings figures above the 98th percentile because there is nothing in the statute to support it. The Special Master has suggested that there is insufficient data on earnings beyond the 98 percentile. But what data is necessary for these purposes beyond gross earnings figures, taxes, and a determination of present value The elimination of these figures appears to be a major reason that the "presumed awards" for victims in this category have no basis in fact, but are arbitrarily low. The tables and calculations should be revised to include figures from the 99th and 100th percentile. 5. Flaws in assumptions and calculations have skewed the presumed economic loss figures. Figures with closer relevance should have been used. The methodology for calculating "Loss of earnings and other benefits related to employment" described in §104.43(a) has serious flaws, and is skewed against the best interest of the claimants. discounted "average" income, and unrealistic assumptions and generalizations lie at the core of the "presumed" loss tables and will frustrate fair awards. For example, A. State law requires inclusion of fringe benefits when evaluating future losses, but there is no clear reference in the Regulations to how fringe benefits will be valued nor is it clear that all fringe benefits will be considered. Furthermore, the cost of fringe benefits often is the equivalent of the present value of a future benefit which might offset the deduction for a collateral source. B. According to the statements accompanying "Presumed" loss tables, the projected future income will be reduced by income taxes that would be payable by a decedent §104.43 Presumed Economic Loss tables, II A. Step 1. Income taxes are not deducted under the laws of many states. New York, for example, is one of them. Coleman v. NYCTA, 37 NY2d 137, 371 NYS2d 663 (1975) NY Pattern Jury Instructions 2:280. Thus the consideration of taxes will violate state law for many claimants and thus violate the congressional mandate. New Yorkers, who make up the majority of the claimants, are denied compensation because of the improper methodology of the proposed regulations. Furthermore, the regulations deduct taxes from the gross income based on today's tax rates. Tax rates change on a regular basis and courts and economists are reluctant t predict what tax rate would apply 10 or 20 years from now. No one can dispute that tax on gross income is also reduced by deductions, exemptions, deferred income, losses and other non-taxable income. It is not clear if this is being taken into account when reducing the award for taxes. C. The presumed "discount rate" to be used by the Special Master offers another example of factors that will result in inadequate awards. The Special Master has said the discount rate to be used is 5.1. This rate of interest is not an after-tax rate and prevents the award recipient from ever reproducing the decedent's income stream. Interest rates now are below 2. Expert testimony routinely establishes that a theoretical discount rate as high as 5.1 fails to take into account economic realities that confront victims of disaster. The interest rate also cannot be the same for people of all ages. Therefore, the methodology proposed to be employed to discount future income of a decedent will penalize many families. D. The presumed average worklife expectancies do not account for types of careers or personal choices. The national statistics, which may have been used as a reference, are decades old. E. The tables of economic losses attached to the Regulations are based on national earnings figures, not the figures applicable to individual decedents. F. The "presumed" value of non-economic loss stained by the family of a decedent is unconscionably low, and contrary to the statute. It is so low as to be insulting to families who lost loved ones. That could not possibly have been Congress' intent. Sec. 402(7) of the Fund statute defines "non-economic losses" expansively and thus expressly recognizes the magnitude of the suffering sustained by both the victim before death and of the victim's family on account of his or her death, including their grief. §104.44 of the "interim final" regulations limits recovery for those losses by assigning a "presumed" value of 250,000 plus 50,000 for a decedent's spouse and each dependent. Given the broad definition of non-economic loss, it was clearly Congress' intent to be properly responsive and not to insult the families who have suffered so grievously. The presumed awards for non-economic loss are a fraction of what juries award for those damages itemized in Sec. 402(7). This injustice must be remedied. A more appropriate minimum of 1 million dollars for this category is not only fair and supported by law, but would encourage many families to opt for the Fund rather than litigation. They would know this was the floor and they would get no less than this amount. 6. "Collateral sources" are ambiguously defined in Sec. 402(4) of the statute and the regulations do not cure the problem. We recognize that unless the Fund statute is amended (and we hope it will be) some collateral sources will have to be deducted from the award. However, neither the statute nor the regulations provide adequate guidance as to what constitutes a collateral source for offset-of-award purposes. The statute does not require that collateral sources be offset against the entire award. Sec. 405(b)(6). A collateral source that provides an economic benefit should only offset economic loss. The regulations should also be amended to provide that regardless of the label, payments which are in lieu of deferred compensation are not collateral sources. Any contribution by a victim or on behalf of a victim as part of his compensation package should not be deemed a collateral source when it is returned to the victim's family in the event of his death. Employee contributed pensions and social security are both largely deferred income for a wage earner deducted from the pay check, lowering his/her yearly income. But reduction from the wage earner's income by pension contributions reduces the earnings at the starting point for the regulations' matrix, resulting in a lower presumptive award. It is unclear if the regulations will adequately address the loss of pension benefits as a loss of income or reduce an award by declaring it a collateral source. Workers' Compensation is typically a monthly annuity that is generally terminated or reduced once any third party compensates the injured party for his/her loss. There is also usually a lien on any amounts recovered requiring the recipient to repay all or a portion of the workers' compensation received prior. Here, however, §104.63 of the regulations does not allow such a lien in specifying that awards from the Fund do not constitute a tort award or recovery from a third party. This does not, however, solve the problem that future workers' compensation will be terminated or reduced and thus cannot be a collateral source. There are triggering life events, such as re-marriage or children reaching majority, that can cause future workers' compensation to be terminated. The total amount of future compensation is difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain because it is subject to termination, reductions and reimbursement, and it should not be considered a collateral source payment. 7. The Fund objective of providing "fair, predictable, and consistent compensation" cannot be fulfilled unless these "interim final" regulations and tables are modified. Unless the arbitrariness in the approach to claim valuation is replace by calculations based upon the evidence, awards cannot be "fair." Unless awards are based upon evidence the awards will not be predictable. The only claimants for whom awards will be "predictable" are those who elect to accept the inadequate "presumed" awards as published by the Special Master, unless they are changed. This is grossly unfair because the "filing" of a claim waives the right to bring a civil action. The Special Master has said that "It is our view that, absent extraordinary circumstances, awards in excess of 3 million, tax free, will rarely be appropriate in light of individual needs and resources."28 CFR 104, Statement Fed. Reg. December 21, 2001, p.66274 The point is advanced again at p.66278, "Therefore, a claimant should not assume that he or she will receive an award greater than the presumed award simply because the victim had income that exceeded the income for the 98th percentile." It is, therefore, obvious, that preemptive judgements have been made that must necessarily produce unfair awards because of the anti-claimant bias built into the award calculation process. In light of the Special Master's statements it is clear that claims filed on account of the deaths of the highest wage earners will be among the claims treated most unfairly by the Fund process. It is remarkable that even before evidence is submitted some claimants are informed by the Special Master in his published comments that the evidence is unlikely to affect the outcome. Thus, even before claims are filed we know that awards in a broad class of cases will violate the letter and spirit of the unambiguous Congressional mandate. Congress did not authorized the Attorney General or the Special Maser to penalize success. The Special Master has expressed concern about disparate awards and structured his approach to making award determinations with that in mind. Avoiding disparate awards as a criterion for fixing loss compensation appears nowhere in the statute. What fairness requires is that the principles by which awards are determined must be uniformly applied and not arbitrarily limited. The application of the regulations should not violate the Special Master's admonition that"each claimant should to the greatest extent possible, be treated fairly based on the claimant's own individual circumstances and relation to their claimants." 28 CFR 104, Fed. Reg. Vol. 66, p66278. To use the language in the statute that in making an award "the individual circumstances of the claimant" may be considered Sec. 405(b)(ii) to limit recoveries turns the concept of "fairness" on its head. It is no consolation to anyone to pay lip service to a legitimate principle, but violate it in practice. 8. Sec. 104.3(a) contravenes the Fund statute in the way it defines who may be a "beneficiary" eligible to receive a Fund award. By not defining non-economic loss in terms of "applicable State law" Congress was expressing its intention to allow recovery for such losses by a broader class of beneficiaries than State law might allow. For example, under New York's EPTL sec. 5-4-4(a) wrongful death damages may be recovered by parents only if their child was unmarried or survived by a spouse and no children. Therefore, restricting persons entitled to recover non-economic loss violates the Fund legislation. No one could reasonably challenge a definition of "beneficiary" which includes parents, regardless of the marital status of their children or composition of a victims's household, dependant relatives living in a victim's household, or other dependant person sharing a household with a victim. 9. A person who files an application for a Fund award, but is determined to be ineligible should not be deemed to have waived the right to commence a civil action. Both the Fund statute Sec. 405(c)(3)(B) and regulations §104.61 (a) provide that by filing a claim for Fund compensation an individual waives the right to commence a civil action. But the statute does not require that if a claimant or beneficiary is determined to be ineligible for benefits that the right to commence a civil action has not been waived. This oversight should be remedied. Surely if Fund benefits are not available to a claimant because of a lack of eligibility the right to commence a civil action should not be forfeited. 10. Civil suits against the terrorists are permitted and should be discussed in the Regulations. The original statute was amended by Congress on November 19, 2001, to permit civil suits against terrorists, but no clear mention of that is made in the proposed regulations, resulting in statements that are now incorrect or at least misleading. See, for example, Page 3 and Page 27, both of which state that upon submission of a claim to the Fund the claimant waives the right to file a civil action for damages sustained "except that this limitation does not apply to civil actions to recover collateral source obligations." It is not completely clear what this means, but it is obvious that this does not inform a layperson that even upon filing a claim with the Fund a suit against the terrorists may be maintained. It would be much better if the Regulations simply cited the amended language of Sec. 405(c)(3)(B)(i) of the statute: The preceding sentence which provides that upon the submission of a claim to the fund waives the right to file a civil action does not apply to a civil action to recover collateral source obligations, or to a civil action against any person who is a knowing participant in any conspiracy to hijack any aircraft or commit any terrorist act. 11. Defining "physical harm" for the purpose of establishing eligibility for filing a claim to a "physical injury to the body that was treated within 24 hours of the injury" is absurd 104.2(c)(i). The heroism of people injured and the chaos of the event must be weighed in defining physical harm. The 24 hour rule is totally unrealistic. 12. When will these comments and objections, and others, be heard and considered And when will there be a decision, or decisions on them It is particularly important to note that the statement in the Summary introducing the regulations Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 246, December 21, 2001, p.66274, "In order to allow the Special Master to begin distributing funds, the Department is issuing this rule as an "Interim Final Rule" that will have the force and effect of law immediately upon publication." does not excuse non-compliance with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §553. The APA requires an agency to publish a general notice of proposed rule making in order to give interested parties an opportunity to participate in the rule making before it becomes effective. Merely designating the Victim Compensation Fund regulations as "interim final" does not satisfy this statutory notice and comment obligation. See, Air Transport Association of Canada v. Feral Aviation Administration, 254 F.3d 271 (D.C. Cir. 2001). Sec. 407 of the Fund statute obligates the Department of Justice to "promulgate" regulations within 90 days of the date of its enactment (September 22, 2001), but it does not authorize the Department to dispense with the APA requirements. An APA violation here would be especially troublesome because of our charge that the most important provisions of the regulations as published contravene the enabling legislation. This rule has been declared "final" and effective even before these objections have been filed, let alone read and considered. We would appreciate some information on when they will be considered and resolved. Conclusion We have offered these comments mindful of the extraordinary responsibility placed upon the Department of Justice and Special Master by Congress. We hope that our views and observations will be received in the cooperative spirit with which they are offered and that they will contribute to the Fund's success. Respectfully yours, Comment by: Miami, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-08 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 dojN002645.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. 2002-03-08 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 3:38 PM Fair compentation for all victims of September 11 attack To Whom It May Concern: I am saddened to hear that families of some victims of the September 11 terrorist attack may not receive compensation because the victim was gay. It is not just nor fair to compound the tragedy by denying loved ones of homosexuals the same treatment as those who were straight or not known to be gay. Their deaths are not any less than other deaths, nor is their loss. In this time of great national challenge, it is more important than ever that government and citizens look to the heart. Loss is loss. Please be fair. Sincerely, Individual Comment Healdsburg, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001466.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:01 PM Equal access December 18, 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 Clarksville, TN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002350.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, December 24, 2001 3:52 PM Equal access to benefits for Septemner 11th victims 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. Sincerely, Individual Comment Oakland, CA 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 dojN000867.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. Friday, December 07, 2001 10:02:02 AM Benifits for all Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice I am writing to express my beliefs about how the money collected by American citizens should be dispersed to the families affected by the terror of September 11, 2001. I believe that Govenor Pataki has the correct idea. Grant compensation benefits to all who shared with the victims living expenses day to day activites and the emotional bonds of family. All people affected by the loss of this tragedy should be entitled to some sort of compensation. I realize this is a huge task but I plead with all of those people involved in determing the dipersements to include all families. I am a mother of three with a co-parent and had I been lost my children and partner would need the financial and emotional support. I am hopeful that in the spirit the money was donated also will how it de distributed. Be aware that the funds collected came from all types of families and was not only given by hetrosexual households. Thank you for your attention to the matter and good luck in designing the plan for all Americans. Individual Comment Orange CT, September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-07 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 dojA002007.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. 2001-12-07 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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 11:46 AM public comment re 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick, We are writing to you to you in response to the request of the DOJ asking for public comments regarding the forth-coming regulations for implementing and administering the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund. It is our hope that the DOJ will draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to ALL victims of this terroristic attack. This should include the committed partners and the non- biological children of victims who are gay or lesbian. The grief and financial losses suffered by the families of gay/ lesbian victims are no different that that of other families. Many Americans died on 9-11 and they all left behind their loved ones. Families of gay/lesbian victims should be treated the same as others. We urge you to do the right thing, the American thing. Gays/lesbians have made so many contributions to our country, including military and government service, and have been strong advocates for civil rights for all minorities. Let us promote and legislate "liberty and justice for ALL." Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001154.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. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 9:42 AM Is this true? Is it true that gays and lesbians are being discriminated against and not receiving your funds? How is this possible? There were many gay and lesbian heroes that day. From &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp to the gay and lesbian firefighters who worked on the rescue effort. Please tell me why these victims' loved ones will not receive aid yet an illegal immigrant, who should have never been in this country on September 11, can receive benefits. I want an answer. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000382.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 9:49 PM Compensation for partners of Gays and Lesbians Dear Mr. Feinberg, I find it appalling that the partners and children of gays and lesbians killed in the 9/11 attacks will not receive that same compensation as those of heterosexuals killed that day, unless their state recognizes same-sex unions. You have said that undocumented aliens -- present in the U. S. in violation of federal law -- will be compensated without penalty to themselves or their employers. Surely the partners and children of gays and lesbians are no less worthy of our compassion. Individual Comment Chicago, IL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000530.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 8:21 PM Help all victims of terrorist attack Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001733.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 3:22 PM Comments sought on victim fund The neediest should come first. Orphans, Widows and Widowers with children and low incomes. People who have been put in a desperate position due to Sept. 11th. People who have lost their jobs and cannot support themselves or pay their bills. The ones who need the necessities of life. Then if there is more money, distribute it according to what the fund will allow to try and compensate people. Give them welfare and food stamps to help. Allow the bill collectors to only collect on interest until the people can get on their feet again. And don't let it go against their credit. Help them to find jobs. Proof of neediness is probably essential or there could be corruption. Like what happened in CA. after the 1994 earthquake. Illegal aliens were collecting money and goods while the homeowners were left to struggle in a lot of cases. Many of the people walked away from their properties and it became a ghetto over night. I was one who had to sell at a fraction of the price because my company moved me to another state. Luckily, the lender forgave the loan. However, after six years, it still shows up on my credit. Things like this should be considered. Thanks, Individual Comment Irving, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000124.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06