797 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 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 Portland, OR 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 dojA001805.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Milton, VT 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 dojA003699.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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 8:04 AM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojA001110.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. December 16, 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 Portsmouth, NH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-16 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 dojA005319.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. 2001-12-16 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. Friday, December 21, 2001 1:20 PM What a joke. Are you people out of your mind? Do you know what you are doing? Is the government being run by a bunch of idiots? A Taxpayer 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 dojN000496.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, December 19, 2001 10:16 AM Please support equal benefits for surviving gay and lesbian partners 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 Baltimore, MD 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 dojA002956.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, January 15, 2002 3:44 PM Collateral Offsets It is a shame that the comments area has been "hijacked" by mass email spammers seeking to advance political agendas (however worthy they may be) instead of allowing for open discussion of the merits of the program by those directly affected, namely families of victims like my sister in law, who lost her husband. I trust by now you have heard from practically every outlet that reducing awards by "collateral offset" will be a certain deal-breaker for many families, as it uses the benefits that people had earned in their own right, or paid for out of their own pockets, as an excuse to deny compensatory damages for what I expect any court of law or sensible jury would find to be inexcusable lapses in security, preparation and judgment on the part of the many organizations involved (the airlines, the airports, the security companies, the WTC building management, etc.). I am hoping that the great public outcry against these conditions will be taken into account prior to the finalization of the settlement terms. When many potential settlements are being reduced to almost zero due to these conditions, many families will have no choice but to opt for litigation, as painful and drawn out as it will certainly be for all involved. 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 dojN001764.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:21 PM September 11th Please include among relatives eligible for compensation from the September 11th victims fund to those who lost their life partners as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The U.S. Government should follow the example already set by New York Governor Pataki in 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." Individual Comment Richmond, VA 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 dojA001044.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. FAX To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Civil Division Phone Fax Phone +1(301)519-5956 NOTE: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many gay and lesbian Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Individual Comment Pasadena, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-10 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 dojA000898.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. 2001-12-10 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 10:22 PM Public opinion Why should the government have to pay for any of this? Public donations of $500 million have already been set aside for the September 11 fund. The Red Cross announced that they are no longer soliciting money for this fund because it is now funded adequately. So, why the need for this government fund? The government should help these people if they are stuggling financially because of lost wages, but not pay for any pain and suffering. To do so would be somehow admitting guilt or negligence for the attacks. Example: A father should not receive any payment for the loss of a daughter who he is not financially dependent on, but a daughter should receive payment for the loss of a father who she is financially dependent only. The government should pay for pain and suffering only if the pain prevents someone from being gainfully employed, which essentially falls under the "lost wages" category. Any amounts received from other sources (charities, insurance, etc.) should be deducted from any amount the government might award. 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 dojW000159.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 13, 2001 5:54 PM Sept. 11th Fund Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick: Thank you for inviting public comments on how the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund should be distributed. I believe that justice will only be served when all types of families impacted by the September 11th terrorist attacks are treated with equality. Therefore, I am asking that those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status, be included among relatives eligible for compensation. I strongly urge you to follow the example of New York Governor Pataki in 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." I hope you will seriously consider this matter when participating in the decision making process that will help determine how the money of this fund will be spent. Thank you for your time, as well as your service to the United States of America during this challenging time in our nation. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojA001648.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a diswasher in one of the restaraunts 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 taxpayers 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 famillies are especially vulerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in a traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunaely, 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 Capitola, 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 dojA001866.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 7:26 PM Give Gay Survivors Their Due! Please reconsider your policy of following state rules governing same-sex relationships and compensation for victims of the horrific Sept 11th attack. These are couples that are in every way equally interdependant emotionally, financially and materially as married couples. If they were allowed to marry, the would! IT IS UNJUST to not allow people to get married, and then deprive them of compensation because they are not married! I donated to this fund, but I wouldn't have if I knew that rightful beneficiaries would be denied because of discriminatory policies. A GAY HEART ACHES JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE'S DOES! A GAY PERSON'S BILLS HAVE TO BE PAID ON TIME JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE'S! A GAY DREAM DESTROYED BY TERRORISTS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE'S! There MUST be a way to avoid hurting these survivors twice! PLEASE, use your compassion to guide you! 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 dojR000446.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. Friday, January 18, 2002 2:09 PM New Vote.com votes as of 02:09 PM EST on January 18th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, DOES THE GOVERNMENT'S AID PROGRAM FOR FAMILIES OF SEPT. 11 VICTIMS GO FAR ENOUGH?: YES: 130 votes NO: 8 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 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 dojN002001.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. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 27, 2001 1:00 PM Attachment 1: Comments on September 11 Victims Compensation Program The Comments of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York are attached. Attachment 2: November 26, 2001 VIA FACSIMILE (301-519-5956) Kenneth L. Zwick. Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: September 11 Victim Compensation Program Dear Mr. Zwick: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the City most affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks, welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Request for Public Comment, published on November 5, 2001, relating to the above program established to "provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." We recognize the enormity of your challenge in fashioning rules to implement this complex but vitally necessary procedure. The Request for Public Comment raises a number of important issues. However, given the abbreviated response time, our comments will be limited to (1) claimant eligibility; (2) procedures for determining the amount of compensation to be awarded; and (3) procedures for hearing and presentation of evidence. We will also comment on issues that may arise by virtue of the possible applicability of New York law under the regulations. The comments presented below are informed by the general approach and policy set forth in the Request for Public Comment, which emphasizes that: "[w]ithout having information about how the compensation program works,. . . individuals might not be able to assess whether the compensation program is a viable alternative to continuing their litigation," and consequently, "potential claimants have an interest in knowing as soon as possible how the program is likely to operate in their circumstances." (Comment, p. 8). The regulations promulgated to administer the compensation program should adopt procedures that enable any individual considering participation in the program to determine his/her eligibility and to understand at least the approximate range of his/her potential award before waiving any litigation rights.*1 1. Claimant Eligibility The Act's stated purpose is "to provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." Act, §403. Claimants include individuals (excluding participants in the attacks) who were present "at the time, or in the immediate aftermath, of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes" and who "suffered physical harm or death as a result. . . ." Id. at §405(c)(2)(A). In the case of a decedent, "the personal representative of the decedent" is the person who is eligible to file the claim. Id. at §405(c)(2)(C). The Act further provides that "[n]ot more than one claim may be submitted. . . by an individual or on behalf of a deceased individual." Id. at §405(c)(3)(A). The Act does not contain a definition of the term "personal representative". Consistent with the Act, the executor or administrator of a deceased individual, duly appointed under state or other applicable law, should be the only individual authorized to file claims on behalf of the decedent, absent a showing that obtaining such a court appointment in a timely manner is not feasible. This approach enables potential claimants to determine their eligibility to file claims with certainty before opting into the program (which is of paramount importance due to the statutory waiver of civil litigation rights), and avoids embroiling the Special Master in disputes among competing, self-appointed representatives of the decedent. For the same reasons, and again subject to exception for good cause shown, all awards should be made to this court-appointed representative and thereby subject to the supervision of the appointing court with respect to distributions of the award to the decedent's relatives. Escrow payments can be used, as suggested in the Request for Public Comment, if an executor or administrator is not appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction within the time provided by the Act for the filing of claims. The regulations should provide a method for proceeding under the Act in those situations where it would not otherwise be necessary for a personal representative to be appointed, such as, for example, where all property was held in joint names. In such situations where only adults are involved, they could provide for the decedent's distributees and the personal representative named in the will (if any) to designate one or more persons to act for them, and that person or those persons could be the personal representative for purposes of the Act. In situations where the personal representative and the distributees cannot agree as to whether to execute the waiver required to proceed under the Act (see p. 5, below), the regulations probably have to prevent either side from so proceeding, absent a ruling to the contrary by a state court. 2. Nature and Amount of Compensation The Act requires claimants to state "the amount of compensation sought" on the claim form, and it requires that all claimants must waive their rights to file or participate in civil litigation for damages sustained as a result of the terrorist attacks. Act, §§ 405(a)(1), 405(c)(3)(B). Consequently, individuals considering whether to participate in the statutory compensation program must be able to calculate the amount of potential awards, at least within an approximate range, in order to make reasoned, informed decisions about whether to opt into the program or to pursue litigation. To achieve this objective, the regulations should establish a grid that calculates awards, to the extent feasible, through the use of formulas that give similar amounts to claimants similarly situated. This approach will enable potential claimants properly to evaluate their options before filing a claim. It will also expedite the process, assuring that awards are determined within the designated 120-day statutory period, obviating in most cases any need for extensive hearings and evidentiary submissions. It will also promote both the fact as well as the perception of fairness, minimizing the risk of arbitrary award distinctions between similarly situated claimants. There are practical and statutory limits to the completeness and rigidity of such a grid, however. It is not possible to represent fairly, in advance of any filings or hearings, all possible variations in the "harm to the claimant, the facts of the claim, and" -- especially -- "the individual circumstances of the claimant," which the Act requires be the bases of the "amount of compensation to which the claimant is entitled." Act, § 405(b)(1)(B)(ii). Nor would a rigid prohibition on variations in awards, based on the claimants' respective circumstances, be consistent with the value America places on the unique dignity and worth of each individual. We should not treat the thousands of victims of the terrorists as faceless and fungible, unworthy of particularized decision-making. Thus the grid should provide presumptive parameters for awards, but should not preclude the Special Master from varying awards within those parameters (or even outside the parameters, in extraordinary cases) to reflect "the individual circumstances of the claimant." Similarly, while a well developed grid should minimize the number and length of evidentiary hearings, thus helping achieve the Act's purpose of affording prompt compensation, it cannot preclude the right of a claimant under the Act "to present evidence, including the presentation of witnesses and documents. . . ." Act, § 405(b)(4)(B). The Act provides for awards to individuals who suffered "physical injury" as a result of the September 11 terrorist-related aircraft crashes. Act, § 405(c)(2)(A)(ii). No bright-line test (e.g., "serious injury") should be applied once the threshold of "physical injury" is established, though the degree and permanency of the injury necessarily should be a significant factor in determining the award amount. With respect to latent injuries, should such an injury manifest itself between the time a claim is filed and the award issued, we believe that the claimant should be permitted to amend the claim to assert such injury. The Act provides no express guidance as to the size of awards, and plainly the regulations must address this subject in order to establish an award grid. By pointing to "applicable State law" in defining the types of recoverable "economic loss," Act, § 405(5), Congress has pointed to one logical source for the Special Master's decision-making. Compare Act, § 408(b)(2), providing, in the context of the federal cause of action against air carriers, that the substantive law for decision "shall be derived from the law, including choice of law principles, of the State in which the crash occurred. . . ." However, there is not a direct correlation between the purposes and provisions of the Act and the operation of New York law as it would apply to lawsuits for injuries or deaths in analogous circumstances. Accordingly, while the Special Master may be able to make some use of state case law in formulating awards, the regulations cannot adopt state law whole cloth. In fact, the regulations need to address some issues that otherwise will arise by reason of the application of the New York law governing the estates of decedents and their survivors. We now summarize some of those issues. Section 403 of the Act states that the purpose of the Act is to provide compensation to persons injured and to relatives of those who were killed as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist related aircraft crashes. Compensation may be awarded for both economic loss and noneconomic loss. Section 402(5) of the Act defines economic loss as "any pecuniary loss resulting from harm ... to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law". It is not restricted to loss suffered by a "claimant". However Section 405(b)(1) of the Act requires the Special Master to determine the amount of compensation to which a claimant is entitled based upon the harm "to the claimant." Reading Sections 402(3), 405(a)(1) and 405 (c)(2)(A) of the Act leads to the conclusion that, in the case of decedent victim, the claimant is the decedent. The regulations must therefore determine whether only damages recoverable by the decedent (or the decedent's estate) under New York law are recoverable under the Act or whether it is also possible to recover damages that New York law would allow to the family of the decedent. We urge the latter approach. Under New York law a decedent (or, more properly a decedent's estate) can only recover in a personal injury action under section 11-3.3 of the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (the "EPTL") for damage, such as pain and suffering, medical expenses, etc, suffered by the decedent prior to death. No recovery may be had under that section for post-death damages, other than funeral expenses. Any recovery under that section accrues to the decedent's estate and passes with his other property under his will or, if he has no will, to his intestate distributees. The right to recover for post-death damages, such as loss of future earnings, must be asserted in a wrongful death action under EPTL 5-4.1 - 5-4.6. This is an action brought on behalf of the decedent's distributees by the decedent's personal representative. Any recovery belongs to those of the distributees who suffered damage by reason of the decedent's death, and not to the decedent's estate. The measure of damages is the loss suffered by the distributees, and not the loss suffered by the decedent. If a personal representative fails to bring a wrongful death action, the distributees can have an administrator appointed by the court to bring the action on their behalf. The action belongs to the distributees and the personal representative who brings it on their behalf acts, in effect, as an agent or trustee for them. The regulations should clearly provide that damages recoverable in a wrongful death action in New York will be awarded (even though, technically, they are not compensation for harm to the claimant, i.e. the decedent). This result is faithful to the express purpose of the Act "to provide compensation to . . . relatives of a deceased individual" killed in the attack. Act, § 403. The regulations also should provide for the Special Master to identify the basis for the grant of the various portions of the award so that the local probate court can determine the portions properly allocable to the distributees and to the decedent's estate. (Parenthetically, the portion allocable to the distributees as recoverable in a wrongful death action would not be subject to estate tax.) The regulations also should deal with the problem of the dual rights created by New York law, in the content of the waiver requirement of Section 405(c)(3)(B) of the Act. Since the right to the wrongful death action is vested in the decedent's distributees, while the right to the pain and suffering action is vested in the decedent's estate, it would seem that a waiver by the distributees who would be entitled to bring the wrongful death action as well as by the personal representative should generally be required. Where one or more of the distributees is a minor who does not have a court appointed guardian, the regulations could adopt virtual representation concepts, such as those of section 315 of the Surrogate's Court Procedure Act of the State of New York, or permit waiver on the minor's behalf by a natural guardian, such a parent. Every effort should be made to avoid the need to have a guardian appointed by a court for this purpose. Since any award would be payable to a personal representative (and where minors are involved, a court appointed personal representative should be required), the minor's rights would be safeguarded by the local court which appointed the representative. In a wrongful death action, recovery by the distributees of a firefighter or police officer can be barred by the so-called "fireman's rule", which prohibits recovery when otherwise actionable negligence resulted in a hazard that the firefighter or officer was employed to confront and the death resulted from that hazard. (The same rule prevents a living fire or police officer from recovering for injuries in such a situation.) Application of the fireman's rule is not appropriate under the Act, since the rule is a defense to a negligence action, and under Section 405(b)(2) of the Act negligence is not to be considered. The regulations should provide that the fireman's rule will not bar a recovery under that Act. Contributory negligence also should not be considered. The Act appears to require, by its definition of economic loss, that distinctions in the awards to claimants be drawn in part based on the differing levels of, inter alia, their "earnings and other benefits related to employment. . . ." Some distinctions between claimants may also be appropriate with respect to "non-economic losses," such as for pain and suffering. But we suggest that there should be no distinctions in the pain and suffering component of awards to decedents. The amount of compensation for pain and suffering should not turn on such factors, for example, as whether a decedent was or was not able to reach his family by phone after a crash or hijacking, and was thought on this or some other basis to have suffered or not suffered an instant death or a prolonged anticipation of death. Such distinctions among the deceased victims would neither appeal to our sense of fairness nor respect the dignity of the victims. Here is one situation, then, in which we recommend as a matter of policy that the grid establish a fixed or generous amount, not subject to variation. The Act requires the Special Master to reduce the amount of any award "by the amount of the collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive" as a result of the terrorist attacks. Act, § 405(b)(6). This section does not specify whether charitable contributions received by claimants should be treated as collateral source compensation. We urge that charitable contributions not be treated as collateral source compensation, consistent with New York law. We understand that this point has been fully briefed for you in the joint comments submitted by the Governor and Attorney General of New York State and the Mayor of the City of New York. The regulations also should clarify that collateral source compensation received by persons other than the claimant (i.e., the decedent's estate) will not reduce awards. For example, reductions for life insurance and death benefits should be restricted to insurance and benefits that are payable to the decedent's estate, rather than to a spouse or other survivors. A different reading would treat unfairly between survivors of a decedent who invested in a life insurance policy, the proceeds of which would go to reduce an award, and a decedent who invested in stock, the value of which would not go to reduce an award. If, contrary to our recommendation, the regulations are written to require a reduction of awards for collateral compensation to persons other than the decedent's estate, then the regulations should distinguish between benefits that are payable to those entitled to receive an award and benefits that are payable to others. For example, an award to a surviving spouse under the Act should not be reduced by the proceeds of a life insurance policy that are payable to a sibling who is not one of the decedent's distributees. The regulations should further provide that the claim of a domestic partner of a deceased should have the same weight as that of a spouse, to the extent permitted by applicable law. In addition, a domestic partner should be entitled to serve as a personal representative under the Act. 3. Procedures for Hearing and Presentation of Evidence As stated above, adoption of the aforementioned approach would permit resolution of many claims on written submissions, reducing the need for evidentiary hearings before the Special Master, though preserving the statutory right of a claimant to a hearing and the right to present witnesses, if the claimant so requests. Hearing officers may utilize different means of speeding the hearing process, such as by requiring, in appropriate cases, direct testimony to be submitted in writing and cross-examination to be limited to instances in which credibility has to be determined. Claimants who cannot afford counsel should be referred to attorneys who have registered with local bar associations or trial lawyers associations to represent such claimants on a pro bono basis. The Special Master should provide for claimants to be able to consult with accountants or other experts as necessary to prepare a claim. While pro bono counsel should be available to claimants, claimants should be free to retain counsel of their own choice. Any attorney appearing on behalf of claimants before the Special Master should obtain from their clients, as part of their retention, an acknowledgement that the claimant has been advised that it is not necessary to retain counsel in order to make a claim or appear before the Special Master and that there are bar associations providing free legal counsel, a list of which can be obtained from the Special Master's office. The attorney must also fully disclose, in writing, the amount or means of calculating attorney's fees and disbursements and who is to provide capital outlays anticipated in advance of an award. Finally, the regulations should provide that fees be reasonable as recognized by professional rules of ethics. The information and evidence required to state a claim should be plainly stated in the form to be developed for the program. The form should be available in English, Spanish and other languages needed by more than a nominal number of claimants. The evidence required to support a claim should not exclude potential claimants by reason of citizenship or residency status in the United States. Hearing officers should review each claim form to determine whether it is complete before submitting it to the Special Master. Until the form is determined to be complete and is so submitted, the claim should not be deemed "filed" for the purpose of triggering the Special Master's 120 day decision period (Act, § 403(b)(3)), or waiving the claimant's right to sue in court (Act, § 405(e)(2)(B)(i)). No claim should be denied with prejudice on the basis of an incomplete form. In addition, should the Special Master determine at any phase of the proceeding that a claimant is not eligible for purposes of § 405(c) of the Act, the claimant should have the right to opt out of the procedure, thereby permitting the claimant to pursue litigation. Claimants should be permitted to designate venue, and there should be hearing tribunals established in, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston and Los Angeles. * * * The Request for Public Comment notes that the regulations to be issued by December 21 could be promulgated as "internal final" rules, making possible an additional round of public comment concerning whether such regulations should be amended. The Association strongly supports this procedure, and looks forward to submitting further comments in response to these regulations once issued. In addition, committees of this bar association would be happy to provide further assistance as you develop and implement these rules. Very truly yours, ____________________ *1 In response to an inquiry in the Request, we are advised that to date four claims have been filed in the Southern District of New York seeking damages arising out of the September 11 terrorist attack. Comments of: Association of the Bar of the City of New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-27 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 dojA000020.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. 2001-11-27 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 10:58 AM money to ALL the victims Replace Kenneth Feinberg with someone who understands that a hero should not be discriminated and penalized for his sexual orientation. Release the benefit money to same sex partners and take politics out of a national tragedy. Individual Comment Denver, CO 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 dojR000156.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, March 21, 2002 2:55 AM Discrimination is Un-American I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that the partners of gay and lesbian heroes of September 11 will not necessarily receive the same benefits as the spouses of heterosexual victims of the tragedy. Even fetuses and illegal aliens are covered by the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. How can this be justified, in light of the gay and lesbian heroes of the day - who helped bring down the flight in Pennsylvania, who died in the line of duty when the first tower fell, and who was of the plane that crashed into the (there are many more)? Their loved ones are simply told that the law is the law and no exceptions can be made. If September 11 has taught us anything, it's that our patriotism and love of country transcend our differences and unite us all. We were told that September 11 was the day that "hyphenated-Americans" were no more, and rather than being Italian-Americans, African-Americans or gay-Americans, we were now simply Americans, all of us together as one American family. However, the hyphens seem not to matter when our government wants to use our heroism to inspire others, but when it comes time to actually aid the families of those heroes, the hyphens come back with a vengeance, and it seems that some American heroes are now more equal than others. Please see that all Americans and their families are treated equally under the law. Prove that you really are the Department of Justice, not the Department of INJUSTICE. Thank you. Individual Comment Long Beach, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002464.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 9:26 PM exclusion of gay partners I am saddened by the fact that gay and lesbian partners of those who died Sept ll will not receive funds. I am also angry that illegal aliens will. This is ridiculous. Family is who you choose and these people are every bit as deserving as heterosexual partners. I hope the government very seriously reconsiders. Thank you. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001248.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:38 AM equal benefits 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 Minneapolis, MN 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 dojA002579.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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 6:29 AM Comments from the UK As a well published gay and mainstream poet, I get many e-mails from American readers who feel bitter about continuing gay discrimination and persecution in many parts of the U.S. It also happens in the U.K. still. In 2002, one would hope that Human Rights would be better respected. Gays are no better or worse than any one else. A gay person's sexual preferences do NOT make him/her less of a human being or less able to make a positive contribution to Society. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001338.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