801 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. Kenneth L. Zwick Director, Office of Management Programs Civil Division, US Dept of Justice Main Building 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 3/14/02 Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing to voice my concern over the exclusion of same-sex partners from the 9/11 Victims' Compensation Fund. This horrible tragedy was unprecedented and affected people from all walks of American society. All the affected deserve our help. Your administration has recognized that a compassionate and effective response will entail making certain exceptions to general U.S. policy on eligibility for public benefits, such as making compensation available to undocumented aliens (and protecting their employers from prosecution should such individuals come forward). Please make sure that ALL affected families and households receive the assistance they need to cope with this terrorist attack, whether the household was counting on the income of a brother or sister, an opposite-sex but unmarried partner, a same-sex partner, or a friend. Fair rules can be devised for assisting all families and households who were directly affected by this terrorist attack. Please don't use this as an opportunity to cut out or further marginalize people whose loss and grief is no less real because they are not heterosexual. was one of the heroes of 9/11. He helped bring down the plane that was probably headed for the U.S. Capitol. Senator McCain said of : "He supported me, and his support now ranks among the greatest honors of my life. I wish I had known before September 11 just how great an honor his trust in me was. I wish I could have thanked him for it more profusely than time and circumstances allowed. But I know it now." (Senator McCain, Eulogy for , September 22, 20001). was gay. Is our country going to welcome gays as heroes, but not support them as ordinary people? Sincerely yours, Individual Comment Sacramento, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002914.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 4:30 PM Unity & Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. I hope and pray that the regulations you draft will be inclusive. To exclude families of gay and lesbian victims would needlessly and cruelly add to their suffering. Both patriotism and Christian compassion call for inclusion not exclusion in this time of national distress. I will keep you and your important task in my thoughts and prayers. My God bless you, your colleagues and your families. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 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 dojA000361.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. 2001-12-04 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 11:51 AM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington. DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have?Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Elon, NC 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 dojA002132.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. 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 Colorado Springs, CO 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 dojA004979.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 2:57 PM families of 9/11 - help! 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 Philadelphia, PA 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 dojA003428.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. 9 January 2002 To our Elected Officials: In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon our nation, Congress enacted the Victims' Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L. 107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As you know, this Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which bailed out the airlines industry and imposed restrictions on the rights of the victims' relatives to sue the airlines in court. We implore upon you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's self-imposed rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which was enacted. Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following changes to the interim rules: 1. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they held, and where they worked-the World Trade Center, the Financial Capital of the world, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American Business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly, commensurate with the support they provided their families before their death. 2. Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is unacceptable. In the words of Rep. Peter King, "...every death is tragic, A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the world - in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come-is a horror these families will never escape form... The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to restrict the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families for the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones. As Mayor Giuliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did die... Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families...There should be no compromise account that ever..."We request that the interim rules be amended and redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic loss and that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bronx, N.Y. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002462.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. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:11 AM Crisis Relief Benefits Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, As a member of Amnesty International, I am writing to you today to ask that the benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund be distributed fairly and evenly to all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. Please apply the general principle of equality when distributing these funds, 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 stated in their policy that they support 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." Obviously, many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, some lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had difficulty obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. Please see that all the victims' families (traditional or not) are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. Sincerely, Individual Comment Denver, CO 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 dojA003073.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 4:43 PM Concerning the Victim's Fund Illegal aliens are promised that they can stay in the country, due to the deaths that many suffered from the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Unborn children are promised aid. The official stand was that a few laws could be broken in order to help all who suffered the attack. That's a hypocritical statement. Just because gays and lesbians aren't UNDER THE LAW FOR CONTRACTUALLY UNIONS, they don't get ANYTHING? Yet, illegal aliens who should have been deported DO? Hypocritical. UnAmerican. And stupid. If you're going to make a thing about not giving money to the partners of gays and lesbians, then the little, innocous statement about how 'it's okay to break a couple of laws for the OTHERS, just not the HOMOSEXUALS.' Sincerly, 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 dojR001487.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:27 PM Crisis relief for glbt people 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 Mishawaka, IN 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 dojA003534.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. Thursday, December 27, 2001 10:46 AM comments on interim rule and request for a meeting The enclosed comments are submitted with respect to the interim rule. My wife was one of those who was on the American Airlines plane that crashed into the Pentagon. I recognize that many difficult issues have to be handled by a limited number of people, but I request some indication of when whether or not I may receive some response to the items raised...even if your response must initially be incomplete. In addition, I am responding to the Special Master's statement that meetings would be available with individuals. Most of my comments are with respect to others and do not pertain to me. However, I do need some guidance on how to proceed with the life insurance claim noted in the comments. Separately from an individual meeting, the Special Master also indicated that he would come back to the Sheraton and other places to answer questions. I request that you let me know when such meetings will take place and that you post such information on the WEB site (even an indication that it will be posted would be helpful). Finally, my e-mail carrier is going down and will change my home e-mail, so please "respond to all" so that I receive your response both here at home and at work. Thank you for your consideration. Attachment 1: COMMENTS ON INTERIM RULE I have several comments about the interim final rule. Almost all of these comments relate to lack of information and an interpretation that in my view tends to penalize moderate-income people who save - in particular, the military - vis-à-vis higher income people who do not save. Except where specifically noted, none have application to my own circumstances as husband of one of the victims, and, in any case, my family has pledged to make any money of this type available to charity anyway. I. Incorrect Reporting of 98th Percentile of the Wage Distribution and a Possible Effect on the Distribution of Funds One complication is caused by statements that lead the reader to believe that some money is being applied to families with less income by cutting off the maximum award at the 98th percentile of the wage distribution. But the numbers cited for the 98th percentile of the wage distribution are well above that figure. It appears that the Special Masters office is using a measure of adjusted gross income for families rather than wage income for individuals in setting this figure. There is no perfect measure of this number but an appropriate figure can be found by contacting the Social Security Administration for wage distributions. An example of a wage distribution table is attached, implying that the 98th percentile was a little less than $125,000 in 2000, a bit above that if adjusted for income growth to 2001. The Special Masters office can also contact the Office of Tax Analysis at the Treasury to help it approximate the number it needs. However, by overstating substantially the 98th percentile in the wage distribution, the office may have inadvertently increased compensation to higher-income individuals relative to minimums it could have set for lower income individuals. II. Treatment of Savings in Pensions The interim rule is extraordinarily barren in detail on how to treat pensions and life insurance. Clarification is clearly needed. My comments here are not meant to reflect problems with the laws requirement to count pensions - there may be objections here, too, but that problem can be amended only through legislation -- but rather with the failure of the interim rule to give much more detail on how collateral source deductions will be calculated. RELEVANT CITES FROM THE STATUTE: COLLATERAL SOURCE. The term `collateral source' means all collateral sources, including life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by Federal, State, or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001 [emphasis added]. COLLATERAL COMPENSATION. The Special Master shall reduce the amount of compensation determined under paragraph (1)(B)(ii) by the amount of the collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001 [emphasis added]. As I read the law, the pension offsets should apply to funds that resulted form the terrorist-related aircraft crashes. While the rule does not provide guidance, the Special Master did state at a Sheraton meeting that Thrift Savings Plans pension savings would not be treated as collateral source compensation. The Thrift Savings plan is a defined contribution type of pension or "profit sharing" plan where individuals deposit money over time. The money is theirs regardless of any incident like death. Following this logic, it appears that the rule should state: (1) If individuals already have deposits (defined contribution plans such as Thrift Savings Plan, IRAs, Keoghs, TIAA-CREF, money purchase, profit sharing, 401(k)), this money clearly does not result from the terrorist-related aircraft crashes since the money is available independently. Therefore, it would not be treated as a collateral source offset any more than would other saving. (2) In the case of defined benefit pension plans (DBs), the issue is much more complex. Many individuals have accrued benefits that are independent of the airplane crash. For example, a military person might be entitled to a pension because she has served 20 years anyway, so the only pension that might be considered as collateral source would be that pension that was over and above benefits already accrued (zero in some cases). In other cases there are clear paths for determining accrued benefits to date. In effect, to determine the collateral source pension, a simple method - but one with some problems as noted below -- might be to take the present value of benefits to be received and subtract the present value of benefits accrued to date. The latter clearly involves money not really resulting from the terrorist-related airline terrorist-related aircraft crashes. (3) Unfortunately the issue gets more complex still. Many DBs have a very strange structure of accruals, depending upon length of service. In some cases, there is cliff vesting. Anyone not having served enough years to reach that cliff, however, could still be treated as having accrued a benefit roughly equal to what the actuaries would calculate had to be put aside to cover that persons service. These actuarial calculations take into account the probability that a person will stay on long enough. For example, if a person has an 80 percent chance of lasting from year 4 to 5 in a pension plan with 5-year vesting, then actuaries will determine that enough money needs to be put aside long before year 5 (e.g., in this case roughly 80 percent times the accrual that would be present after 4 years if there were not such cliff vesting). (4) But the latter calculation is still not sufficient either. It runs into the problem that someone who would stay with the firm extra years would sometimes accrue at a very fast rate. An extreme example is someone who is with a firm 4 years and 11 months and technically has no accrued benefits, but at 5 years receives a big spike in benefits reflecting all the past 5 years. Another example is a military person who has served 15 years, who has no accrued benefits, but would get a big spike at 20 years. In a private plan, the accrual rate from age 45 to 55 or 60 can also be very steep - so much so that the actuaries again try to create a level funding method to avoid low funding (at earlier ages) followed by very high funding rates (at later ages). The complication is caused by the fact that an additional year on the job in typical DB plans not only adds another year of benefits, but multiplies up the value of all previous years benefits (hence creating an exponential growth effect). One really needs to look at individuals circumstances and make appropriate adjustments. If a military or other person clearly is going to stay on to get vested benefits, then past accruals do not really determine well the value of the pension benefit to that person. Once again, it is incumbent on the office of the Special Master to provide information on how these matters will be handled. III. Social Security Many claimants were eligible for Social Security benefits, which they will now not receive. These benefits represent an economic loss. They represent a loss of a benefit to the family that is not discussed in the document. IV. Life Insurance (1) If life insurance includes a saving component, then like DC pension plans, that saving component is clearly not increased as result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes. (2) In some cases, the life insurance amount may be in dispute. For instance, I am in the midst of a claim with an underwriter for American Airlines who provided travel insurance for purchase of a ticket for my wife. This underwriter now has a tremendous incentive to continue to dispute or otherwise avoid my claim, and the interim rule has put me into a bind since this claim may be greater than the value of any money from the victim compensation fund - thus throwing me back into the regular court system which, it was my understanding, the fund was trying to avoid. Relevant Cite: [CIVIL ACTIONS PERMISSIBLE]. Upon the submission of a claim under this title, the claimant waives the right to file a civil action (or to be a party to an action) in any Federal or State court for damages sustained as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. The preceding sentence does not apply to a civil action to recover collateral source obligations. (3) Point (3) also raises the issue of whether collateral source income is net or gross of legal fees. The interim rule is unclear (i.e., is the rule compensation award less collateral insurance less legal fees?). Clarification is required. V. Adult Children of Claimant: The Special Master claimed in a session that he is not Solomon and cannot distinguish between the claim of someone who is aged 10 and someone who is aged 20. Yet the interim rule arbitrarily cuts off entirely someone who is 21 years plus 366 days versus someone who is 21 years and 365 days, or someone who moved out of dependency status on September 10 versus someone who did not move out until September 12. (The distinction apparently applies with respect to noneconomic loss.) The law does not require this type of distinction, and one wonders about its propriety. Attachment 2: 100% Tabulation of All Workers with All Wage Compensation Greater Than Zero in Calendar Year 2000 (Source:SSA's Master Earnings File, as of 10/13/01) Cumulative Cumulative Cumulative % Cumulative Cumulative Wage intervals workers Cumulative % compensation of taxable wages % of taxable (millions) of workers ($ millions) compensation ($ millions) wages _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ < 5,000 27.395 18.50 56,233 1.27 70,623 1.54 < 10,000 43.426 29.32 174,409 3.94 193,204 4.22 < 15,000 57.734 38.98 351,878 7.94 374,633 8.18 < 20,000 71.516 48.28 590,433 13.33 616,884 13.47 < 25,000 84.368 56.96 874,947 19.75 906,855 19.80 < 30,000 95.784 64.67 1,182,041 26.68 1,221,054 26.66 < 35,000 105.547 71.26 1,490,724 33.65 1,537,694 33.57 < 40,000 113.614 76.71 ,783,549 40.26 1,837,694 40.12 < 45,000 120.173 81.14 2,051,917 46.32 2,112,399 46.11 < 50,000 125.343 84.63 2,287,237 51.63 2,353,368 51.37 < 55,000 129.472 87.41 2,494,213 56.30 2,565,313 56.00 < 60,000 132.694 89.59 2,670,346 60.28 2,745,641 59.94 < 65,000 135.249 91.31 2,821,831 63.70 2,901,084 63.33 < 70,000 137.268 92.68 2,950,840 66.61 3,034,026 66.23 < 75,000 138.879 93.77 3,061,252 69.10 3,148,233 68.73 < 80,000 140.197 94.65 3,157,742 71.28 3,248,381 70.91 < 85,000 141.251 95.37 3,239,869 73.13 3,333,806 72.78 < 90,000 142.096 95.94 3,309,764 74.71 3,406,581 74.37 < 95,000 142.799 96.41 3,371,224 76.10 3,470,772 75.77 < 100,000 143.380 96.80 3,424,841 77.31 3,526,879 76.99 < 105,000 143.877 97.14 3,473,095 78.40 3,577,497 78.10 < 110,000 144.287 97.42 3,514,826 79.34 3,621,215 79.05 < 115,000 144.638 97.65 3,552,277 80.18 3,660,516 79.91 < 120,000 144.935 97.85 3,585,488 80.93 3,695,404 80.67 < 125,000 145.205 98.04 3,616,977 81.64 3,728,435 81.39 < 130,000 145.432 98.19 3,644,607 82.27 3,757,439 82.03 < 135,000 145.631 98.32 3,669,710 82.83 3,783,770 82.60 < 140,000 145.804 98.44 3,692,376 83.35 3,807,543 83.12 < 145,000 145.959 98.54 3,713,470 83.82 3,829,711 83.60 < 150,000 146.096 98.64 3,732,884 84.26 3,850,151 84.05 < 155,000 146.226 98.73 3,751,922 84.69 3,870,155 84.49 < 160,000 146.340 98.80 3,769,130 85.08 3,888,202 84.88 < 165,000 146.446 98.87 3,785,729 85.45 3,905,635 85.26 < 170,000 146.540 98.94 3,800,737 85.79 3,921,372 85.60 < 175,000 146.634 99.00 3,816,467 86.15 3,937,898 85.96 < 180,000 146.713 99.05 3,829,979 86.45 3,952,043 86.27 < 185,000 146.787 99.10 3,842,945 86.74 3,965,622 86.57 < 190,000 146.852 99.15 3,854,661 87.01 3,977,884 86.84 < 195,000 146.912 99.19 3,865,871 87.26 3,989,593 87.09 < 200,000 146.969 99.23 3,876,731 87.51 4,000,998 87.34 < 250,000 147.360 99.49 3,961,089 89.41 4,089,153 89.27 < 300,000 147.573 99.63 4,017,766 90.69 4,148,177 90.56 < 350,000 147.703 99.72 4,058,810 91.62 4,190,961 91.49 < 400,000 147.788 99.78 4,090,122 92.32 4,223,411 92.20 < 450,000 147.848 99.82 4,115,213 92.89 4,249,475 92.77 < 500,000 147.892 99.85 4,135,527 93.35 4,270,546 93.23 < 1,000,000 148.042 99.95 4,235,030 95.60 4,373,905 95.48 < 1,500,000 148.074 99.97 4,273,769 96.47 4,414,415 96.37 < 2,000,000 148.087 99.98 4,296,308 96.98 4,437,940 96.88 < 2,500,000 148.095 99.99 4,312,512 97.34 4,455,232 97.26 < 3,000,000 148.099 99.99 4,324,261 97.61 4,467,579 97.53 < 3,500,000 148.102 99.99 4,333,906 97.83 4,477,997 97.76 < 4,000,000 148.104 99.99 4,341,650 98.00 4,486,193 97.93 < 4,500,000 148.106 99.99 4,348,752 98.16 4,493,704 98.10 < 5,000,000 148.107 100.00 4,354,508 98.29 4,499,807 98.23 < 10,000,000 148.112 100.00 4,388,457 99.06 4,537,276 99.05 < 20,000,000 148.113 100.00 4,406,003 99.45 4,556,783 99.48 < 50,000,000 148.114 100.00 4,420,018 99.77 4,571,809 99.80 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Total 148.114 100.00 4,430,172 100.00 4,580,819 100.00 Notes: All wage compensation equals total wage compensation plus deferred comp less distributions from deferred comp. Taxable wages include all wages subject to OASDI or Medicare tax. 100% Count on 10/13/01 Table 3. Distribution of wage earners by all compensation, for persons with all compensation greater than zero in 2000 Amount of all Number of persons Deferred compensation Total compensation Amount of taxable compensation contributions less distributions earnings ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ $0.01 to $4,999.99 27,394,588 $90,038,527.34 $56,233,481,594.23 $70,622,890,534.49 5,000.00 to 9,999.99 16,031,223 $375,659,188.81 $118,175,378,261.84 $122,581,486,261.72 10,000.00 to 14,999.99 14,308,143 $987,167,243.46 $177,468,670,785.60 $181,429,044,709.59 15,000.00 to 19,999.99 13,782,493 $2,248,800,729.25 $238,555,406,042.25 $242,250,599,061.78 20,000.00 to 24,999.99 12,851,720 $4,119,726,883.59 $284,514,535,855.17 $289,970,841,731.91 25,000.00 to 29,999.99 11,416,289 $6,047,699,485.72 $307,093,633,128.41 $314,199,600,779.09 30,000.00 to 34,999.99 9,762,890 $7,713,851,735.92 $308,683,325,912.94 $316,639,659,276.50 35,000.00 to 39,999.99 8,066,599 $8,978,715,053.63 $292,824,312,892.76 $299,999,593,146.94 40,000.00 to 44,999.99 6,559,310 $9,713,852,600.98 $268,368,354,953.84 $274,705,044,377.37 45,000.00 to 49,999.99 5,169,446 $9,694,633,714.24 $235,319,577,871.75 $240,968,862,359.49 50,000.00 to 54,999.99 4,129,657 $9,381,922,096.20 $206,976,164,018.04 $211,945,240,339.73 55,000.00 to 59,999.99 3,221,160 $8,737,049,427.85 $176,133,425,489.04 $180,328,297,066.94 60,000.00 to 64,999.99 2,555,108 $7,895,731,075.73 $151,484,739,938.75 $155,442,679,059.55 65,000.00 to 69,999.99 2,019,298 $7,074,189,636.98 $129,008,527,500.51 $132,942,590,560.91 70,000.00 to 74,999.99 1,611,481 $6,254,592,341.28 $110,412,853,363.15 $114,206,264,906.64 75,000.00 to 79,999.99 1,317,583 $5,490,428,836.59 $96,490,033,496.93 $100,147,845,419.66 80,000.00 to 84,999.99 1,053,813 $4,712,781,567.97 $82,126,920,050.26 $85,425,802,489.55 85,000.00 to 89,999.99 845,629 $4,017,506,471.65 $69,894,527,051.67 $72,775,011,408.61 90,000.00 to 94,999.99 702,818 $3,478,747,696.12 $61,460,253,168.10 $64,191,026,253.02 95,000.00 to 99,999.99 581,163 $2,998,798,567.86 $53,617,202,376.87 $56,106,183,695.90 100,000.00 to 104,999.99 496,833 $2,615,876,853.32 $48,254,162,752.27 $50,618,194,696.00 105,000.00 to 109,999.99 409,497 $2,262,733,194.95 $41,730,083,186.08 $43,718,124,425.76 110,000.00 to 114,999.99 350,850 $1,988,264,036.71 $37,451,438,731.08 $39,301,575,102.45 115,000.00 to 119,999.99 297,483 $1,724,206,764.99 $33,210,534,570.22 $34,887,905,064.72 120,000.00 to 124,999.99 269,917 $1,531,472,731.64 $31,489,062,023.85 $33,030,247,328.96 125,000.00 to 129,999.99 227,488 $1,355,837,678.04 $27,630,101,025.92 $29,004,795,295.07 130,000.00 to 134,999.99 198,642 $1,193,360,778.63 $25,103,450,457.25 $26,330,119,165.96 135,000.00 to 139,999.99 172,698 $1,064,961,340.46 $22,665,946,881.65 $23,773,239,162.29 140,000.00 to 144,999.99 154,806 $953,126,441.87 $21,094,328,462.53 $22,168,350,263.43 145,000.00 to 149,999.99 137,494 $862,030,824.31 $19,414,006,850.74 $20,439,425,559.54 150,000.00 to 154,999.99 130,185 $791,525,616.57 $19,037,971,138.74 $20,004,303,321.87 155,000.00 to 159,999.99 113,830 $712,417,800.89 $17,207,995,758.73 $18,047,410,170.90 160,000.00 to 164,999.99 106,253 $649,172,417.13 $16,598,871,988.03 $17,432,668,188.86 165,000.00 to 169,999.99 93,149 $590,511,817.69 $15,007,587,515.88 $15,737,110,305.12 170,000.00 to 174,999.99 94,578 $561,893,611.20 $15,729,791,806.42 $16,525,883,405.01 175,000.00 to 179,999.99 79,002 $501,304,766.84 $13,512,652,089.92 $14,145,230,412.79 180,000.00 to 184,999.99 73,641 $462,746,543.36 $12,965,838,014.05 $13,579,211,344.38 185,000.00 to 189,999.99 64,747 $419,803,670.17 $11,715,705,881.16 $12,261,889,834.26 190,000.00 to 194,999.99 60,277 $389,645,549.40 $11,210,314,739.92 $11,708,786,345.10 195,000.00 to 199,999.99 56,859 $369,160,507.69 $10,859,506,833.42 $11,404,515,593.14 200,000.00 to 249,999.99 391,377 $2,532,583,828.55 $84,358,197,276.63 $88,155,394,591.60 250,000.00 to 299,999.99 213,087 $1,385,387,493.47 $56,676,770,094.65 $59,024,556,472.25 300,000.00 to 349,999.99 129,769 $839,027,399.55 $41,044,396,402.66 $42,783,613,804.47 350,000.00 to 399,999.99 85,385 $552,121,486.80 $31,311,526,509.03 $32,449,768,336.07 400,000.00 to 449,999.99 60,196 $388,937,253.64 $25,090,986,749.92 $26,064,304,316.67 450,000.00 to 499,999.99 43,486 $282,893,115.19 $20,314,513,979.87 $21,070,992,649.16 500,000.00 to 999,999.99 149,837 $1,008,585,665.49 $99,502,739,292.78 $103,359,254,880.95 1,000,000.00 to 1,499,999.99 32,341 $237,163,796.03 $38,739,653,733.18 $40,509,861,436.57 1,500,000.00 to 1,999,999.99 13,174 $100,359,859.95 $22,538,815,495.45 $23,524,636,081.75 2,000,000.00 to 2,499,999.99 7,309 $56,734,891.80 $16,203,366,376.38 $17,292,314,756.19 2,500,000.00 to 2,999,999.99 4,316 $37,470,699.05 $11,749,439,259.31 $12,346,642,003.55 3,000,000.00 to 3,499,999.99 2,992 $25,112,320.90 $9,644,505,272.69 $10,418,345,916.04 3,500,000.00 to 3,999,999.99 2,075 $15,398,727.15 $7,743,995,157.39 $8,196,118,263.55 4,000,000.00 to 4,499,999.99 1,679 $12,771,538.12 $7,102,348,842.66 $7,510,459,206.00 4,500,000.00 to 4,999,999.99 1,217 $9,946,653.57 $5,755,650,600.33 $6,103,186,379.65 5,000,000.00 to 9,999,999.99 5,009 $43,217,853.39 $33,949,195,047.85 $37,469,197,734.62 10,000,000.00 to 19,999,999.99 1,313 $13,937,947.32 $17,545,818,469.90 $19,506,567,979.12 20,000,000.00 to 49,999,999.99 475 $4,541,174.85 $14,015,176,745.91 $15,025,906,169.50 50,000,000.00 or more 91 $628,605.42 $10,154,606,931.87 $9,010,350,187.69 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Total 148,113,768 $138,558,766,137.27 $4,430,172,376,698.43 $4,580,819,019,590.40 Individual Comment Alexandria, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-27 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 dojN001176.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. 2001-12-27 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. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 12:58 PM Families of 9/11 victims fund Dear Mr. Zwick, Please include those who lost their life partners, parents, and children, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status among relatives eligible for compensation. Everyone who lost loved ones in the attacks of September 11 is suffering, and it is extremely cruel to deny some family members recognition of their losses and compensation because their partner was of the same gender, they did not have legally recognized connections to the children that they had parented and lost, or because they lost a parent who did not have legal parenthood because same-gender partners are not jointly legally recognized as parents. Out of compassion and fairness, please provide compensation to everyone who lost family members in the attacks. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000072.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 21, 2002 8:27 PM Include natural parents in the pain and sufferring compensation formula The pain and suffering component of the VCF should be increased by $50, 000 for each surviving natural parent. The current definition of family is unduly restrictive and will cause un-necessary heartaches in many families. My bother &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp was killed in the terrorist attack on the WTC on Sept 11. At the time of his death, he was living alone in &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp with our mother, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp who is 92 years old, although he had married in January 2001. My mother depended on &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp for physical support, emotional support and financial support. Their finances were very interterwined holding some credit cards and bank accounts jointly. &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp death has left my mother with bills she can hardly cope with. The proposed regulations for the Victims' Compensation Fund does not address this situation at all. My brother was about $150 000 in debt and as most debts are not being kept current by my sister-in-law, my mother receives dunning statements when the debts are reassigned to her as the guarantor. This increases the her hardship and bitterness. It looks like between the NY State intestate laws and the VCF, my mother or any other members of the family will receive no compensation for &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp death unless the VCF formula is changed to specifically include natural parents. The pain and suffering component of the VCF should be increased by $50, 000 for each surviving parent. Can I discuss this with anyone? Individual Comment Newtonville MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002194.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 2:34 PM discrimination in fund March 18, 2002 To Whom It May Concern: I am horrified to hear that the 9/11 fund will not extend the same benefits to gay and lesbian partners that it will to heterosexual partners. The attack on September 11th was an attack against America, no one was spared because of race, color, creed, or sexual orientation. Among the martyrs and heroes of that day are many gay and lesbian Americans. Among those who worked long and hard to rescue people were gay and lesbian Americans. Shame on you for now discriminating against gay and lesbian Americans. As a member of the clergy, I am shocked that after so much talk of coming together as a country, we are so soon creating groups of people to treat as unequal. Have you already lost the lessons of September 11th? Respectfully, Individual Comment Richmond, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001957.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, December 24, 2001 12:39 PM justice 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. The federal government should not make the lives of the victims' families any more difficult than they already are. 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 Bozeman, MT 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 dojN000855.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 6:31 PM Subject: Let's have liberty and justice for all December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Nampa, ID 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 dojN000075.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. Tuesday, December 25, 2001 4:11 PM Equality December 25, 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 Washington , DC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000898.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. 2001-12-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 8:22 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 New York, NY 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 dojN001779.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. 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 Greenfield, MA 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 dojA005312.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 2:15 PM Victim Compensation Fund To Whom it May Concern - I am outraged at the fact that domestic partners of gays and lesbians who have died in the 9/11 terrorist attack may not be compensated in the same ways that currently heterosexual partners, illegal aliens and even fetuses that have perished in this horrible incident. I urge you to reconsider this policy. At a time when this nation needs to understand that we are ALL united against terrorism and it's prejudices and mis-understandings that take away from the fact that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Not one heterosexual nation, nor one religion under god. We are all one. Please do what is right. And that is to treat gay and lesbian partners are the equivalent to our heterosexual counterparts. Millions of people will be watching and waiting your response. sincerely, Individual Comment Los Angeles, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001950.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 13, 2001 7:13 PM Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Mr. Feinberg: Today 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 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 dojA001630.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