802 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:31 AM All Families December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Santa Fe, NM September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002868.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. Saturday, December 15, 2001 4:27 PM Sept 11 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 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 dojA002029.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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 3:05 PM 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 Lewisburg, PA 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 dojA001192.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:30 PM JUSTICE FOR ALL!!! 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 San Francisco, CA 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 dojA003210.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. Friday, March 15, 2002 3:27 PM 9-11 I cannot believe discrimination against lesbians and gays will be part of the 911 Fund Plan. I am a (straight) mother of 4 grown children and thank God no one in my family was hurt that day- but for every family that was, INCLUDING the families of gays and lesbians MUST be included in compensation. Partners must be considered family members. Some have been together longer than straight couples. Discrimination is Un-American. PLEASE! Change this policy now. Thank you, Individual Comment Columbia, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-15 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 dojR000861.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. 2002-03-15 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, March 20, 2002 1:32 PM Gay and Lesbian Partners of 9/11 Victims and Heroes I was shocked to learn that partners of gay and lesbian victims of the 9/11 attacks will not be compensated for their losses, unlike the families of heterosexual victims. Do you understand that many of the people who died were gay and lesbian, and that many of them died valiantly while trying to stop the attackers, or giving aid to other victims? It is entirely unfair that people who were in committed, long-term relationships and have already suffered great loss, should be subjected to further suffering by being denied equitable compensation because their relationships are not recognized by the federal government. If we are in fact a government "of the people, by the people and for the people", you must rescind this policy. As the constitution states, we in the United States have come together ". . . to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity . . . " By excluding a select group of your fellow Americans, you exclude us all. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 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 dojR002362.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. 2002-03-20 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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 9:50 PM Compensation for victims' survivors Excluding the gay and lesbian partners of people who died on 911 from being eligible to receive compensation is an insult to the spirits of those who perished! Why are illegal aliens eligible for recognition while gay and lesbian American citizens not recognized? How dare you flaunt your bigotry--it is equivalent to a hate crime that you can calmly exclude gays and lesbians while hiding behind each state's eligibility rules. I wonder what would think about the way you bureaucrats are treating people who have suffered the greivous loss of a partner. The public will not swallow your lame excuses. Feinberg and Ashcroft--Shame on 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 dojR001634.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 11:00 AM request It is absolutley imperative that you comensate the gay and lesbian relatives, domestic partners, spouses, (etc) of victims of 9/11. To do otherwise is to contravene American law and tradition, and is a rejection of our basic understanding of human rights. I am not gay, but we must treat all human persons as dignified and unique and worthy of our compassion and understanding. We are all children of the One God; His convenant with us requires equality in all relationships, whether or not we agree with one another. The reliance upon state law as a precedent for the compensation, or lack of compensation, of these American citizens demonstrates the vacuousness of those making decisions regarding compensation. Now is the time for us as a country to progress toward the ideals we espouse. It is not a time to cower behind the facade of antecedent discriminatory practice. Please make this nation as proud as it ought to be. Tell Kenneth Feinberg and Attorny General Ashcroft that their proposed policy of compensation for gays and lesbians is wrong. As the heroes of 9/11 have demonstrated, doing what is right, for its own sake, is the greatest individual reward and social benefit to which we can aspire. Emulate them, and rewward the memory of ALL who have sacrifieced and been victims of the tragedy. Thank you in advance. Individual Comment Brookline, MA 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 dojR000158.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 28, 2001 7:42 PM Being Fair... December 28, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Burbank, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001141.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 14, 2002 8:36 PM Justice help all terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment Santa Cruz, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001681.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 28, 2002 11:29 AM Comments regarding Victim Compensation Fund To whom it may concern: I am an American who did not lose any loved ones from the September 11 tragedies. I am also a taxpayer. After having read several dozen of the comments regarding the compensation fund, I clearly feel a strong sense of sorrow and pity for the families who did lose someone they loved. However, I feel the clamoring of these families for more money from the government is misguided and the argument regarding compensation should not be shrouded in a rhetoric of patriotism and duty. We need to return to reality. We should recognize that tragedy is part of life. By December 11th, 3 months after the tragedy, more people had died on America's roads than died in the terrorist attacks. These deaths were almost entirely accidental, and they were no less tragic than those lost on September 11th. Granted, the deaths of these many thousands of people in their cars were not the result of an attack on our country, but these people are no less dead, and they will be no less missed than those we lost on the 11th. These people were, like many of those who died on the 11th, on the job or on their way to work. These victims loved their country no less than those who died on the 11th; they are different only with regard to the size of the tragedy that claimed their lives. Countless other Americans have died from other causes since September 11th as well... many of these people taken during the prime of their lives, with families to support and and with children and parents who loved them. But my tax dollars are not going directly to support the thousands who have died in accidents since the 11th, and I don't think they should. This juxtaposition leads me to my point: as members of an advanced society, as parents of children and spouses of husbands and wives, every person who has someone dependant on them has a responsibility to have life insurance. People have a duty to prepare for tragedy, and it should not be the governments burden to bear the responsibility of people who have neglected to prepare for something as commonplace as death. There are no excuses for not having life insurance when you have a family to support. Term life insurance is not expensive for most people, averaging just a few dollars a month for sizable coverage. Before people buy cable television, or splurge on a cup of Starbucks everyday, they should purchase life insurance for their families, or if possible, whole life insurance. People should prepare for tragedy by having insurance for the unlikely, but very possible, chance that they will die from an accident. This responsibility is no less applicable to those who died in the September 11th attacks than to those who died in accidents since that day. I know someone who lost a loved one might read this comment and think me insensitive and cruel, but I simply ask them to look to all those other Americans who have died from other causes and realize that in those cases, the government is not stepping in with a $1.6 million tax-free payment paid for with the generosity of the taxpayers. I know that many recipients will have their benefits decreased by insurance payments, but this should not be seen as unfair, but rather as the decedent's fulfillment of his or her responsibility to his or her dependents. To those who respond that fund recipients must waive their right to sue, whereas those who lose their loved ones in more common accidents do not, please realize that the average wrongful-death suit in this country is less that $1.6 million. Your benefits under this compensation fund are probably more than you would receive if your loved one died in a car accident, even if the other driver was a terrorist. I personally have donated a sizable portion of my income to September 11th charities because I felt the pain of those who died, so please do not confuse my comments with disdain. I only ask that you do not belittle the generosity of the American taxpayer by clamoring that $1.6 million is insufficient compensation considering everyone's responsibility to prepare for accidental death and the reality that most wrongful-death victims receive far less than what the taxpayers are giving you now. Individual Comment Washington, D.C. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-28 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 dojP000229.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. 2002-01-28 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 6:49 AM We Support Equal Access to Benefits for Gay Partners December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, We write as a members 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, we 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. We 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. We are parents of a lesbian daughter who has lived in partnership for 7 or 8 years. They have a son and another child on the way. In every way they are "married". Gays in committed relationships should be treated as married couples, receiving benefits as well. Sincerely, Individual Comment Atlanta, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002533.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 20, 2001 6:02 PM Subject: Please Help 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 Brooklyn, NY 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 dojN000068.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. Friday, December 14, 2001 9:39 AM Fair Compensation 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 Woolwich, ME September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001736.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 2:09 PM WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?!!! "I just cannot believe what I am reading about the ruthless and inhuman bigotry and homophobia being reported about the September 11th Fund, and our own government!! This is an outrage! It is completely un-American, and represents savage and greedy NON-thinking along the self-same lines of the very "axis of evil" that America and the rest of the world are currently at war with and trying to destroy! It is completely inhuman, grossly degrading, and extremely hypocritical, you morons! Are we or are we not all equal?! You know? One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?!! What ever happened to that? Do you really expect all of us to believe that another American is worth less than even a bloody FETUS or an illegal alien, even after having been murder in the line of duty to their country, simply because of what they did/do with their genitalia?!?!?! Are you all insane?!!! What kind of a God do you people worship that would justify this kind of inhumanity towards one's fellow man? It MUST be an extremely hateful, petty, violent, arrogant and selfish god! But make NO mistake -- it is NO god of LOVE!!! What I REALLY think that this all boils down to is just another vicious form of good old-fashion GREED!!! I think that this irresponsible and selfish move is just another way of GETTING MORE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES! I mean, you do the math. Less money given out, means, ultimately, MORE MONIES LEFT AVAILABLE FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH INTERESTS AND DIVERSIONS FOR THE COMPANY, AS WELL AS THE GOVERNMENT, ITSELF!!! It's all such a no-brainer, isn't it?! Instead of trying to drum up support for our efforts in the war on terrorism, what we truly ought to be doing is trying to get ride of these disgusting, hateful, inhuman and arrogant hatemongers currently infesting our OWN great nation, irregardless of where, whom or what institutions, companies, or government that they stand for. Apparently, these fools don't even wish to look at the fact that some of our country's greatest leaders were, themselves, gay or bisexual! Try Abraham Lincoln and George Washington for starters! How wise Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was when he gave that: "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere!!! In my opinion, such as it is, what is most dangerous about any and all extremist groups such as the far right and the September 11th Fund, is not that they take themselves seriously. Most of us do. But rather that they consistently condemn any and all other sexual, spiritual, and moral choices, such as the Buddhist, the Muslim, the Jew, the gay, lesbian, pro-choicers, etc., and many others who consider themselves to be upright and good Christians. And rather than LOGICALLY and COMPASSIONATELY discussing such issues as gay rights, gay adoption(as if the United States or the world needed anymore homeless children in it! And a GOOD parent is a GOOD parent, you morons!!!), or abortion, they disown as vile, hideous and evil all those who favor choice and tolerance. They are consistently disowning their own dark side, while simultaneously magnifying everyone else's, until at the extreme, doctors are murdered in the name of protecting life, all Middle Easterner's are seen as murderers and zealots, and gays and lesbians are STILL being hunted, dehumanized, murdered, denied their equal rights, and demonized! And all in the so-called "Land of the free, and the home of the brave?!" What a joke!!! You'll kindly forgive those of us who are not laughing! In closing I'll only say that hate is hate! Irregardless it's vision, mechanics, machinations or religious, political or self-righteous institutions and convictions! HATE IS HATE IS HATE!!! Even as self-righteousness, ultimately, is simply what it means to be RIGHTEOUS BY YOURSELF!!! Individual Comment Atlanta, Ga. 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 dojR000955.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 6:04 PM Final Ruling To Whom it May Concern, I am writing to you in regards to the exclusion of gay and lesbian partners in the final ruling of the victims compensation fund for the attacks on 9/11. I am completely shocked and outraged by this total disregard for gay and lesbian Americans. The heroics of gay men such as &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp have been well documented. Their memory alone deserves more respect than this final ruling would allow. Mr. John Ashcroft has specifically singled out gay and lesbian Americans for discrimination by this ruling. In an attempt to sidestep his responsibility he has decided to rely upon state law for the determination of the personal representative. Please remind Mr. Ashcroft that these men and women died as Americans not as New Yorkers, Floridians, or Californians. Perhaps Mr. Ashcroft has missed the target of the attack. It was America and it's people, Americans. Respectfully, Individual Comment Cortlandt Manor, NY 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 dojR000213.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. 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 Winnetka, IL 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 dojA005283.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. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 3:25 PM Interim Final Rule - Public Law 107-42 To Whom It May Concern: Hang in there! While not everything I'd hoped for when I submitted my initial comments, you've done as good a job as you could under the circumstances. People who have received insurance money or other funds as a result of their tragic losses on September 11 should not be additionally compensated from federal (taxpayer) funds. These folks have to recognize that help is just that - help, not compensation for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is a difference between needy and greedy and money from the government should not be used to keep rich people rich. Others who have lost loved ones under other circumstances can't run to the government for solace - but they hurt just as much. Every one of us who has insurance is now paying for the increased risk through higher premiums. Though it may sound cruel to say some people won't get anything, that doesn't sound half as bad as people complaining that they might actually have to go to work now to make ends meet. If, after applying the rules, the final number is zero - then so be it. Thank you for the opportunity to comment - sorry I'm so late. Individual Comment Knoxville, Tennessee September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002290.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, January 04, 2002 4:43 PM 911 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: Please open the attached word document file for the comments. Thank you very much for your consideration. -- A victim family Individual Comment Attachment 1: Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: I am from one of the victims' families. The more I am reading the loss calculation tables, the more I am puzzled. In order to reach the objectives of the program, i.e. to be fair, predictable and consistent. Please publish all the assumptions that are used, i.e. average expected work life, consumption factors and etc. so that the victim families have a true understanding of the compensation program and will be able to predict their presumed compensation. Please also explain the logic of the marginal cost of raising a child in your published chart because it is significantly lower than other government survey such as USDA's annual report. * The following two tables are from your published chart, the first one is for married with one dependent who is a 9 year-old and the second one is for married with two dependents who are infant and a 9 year-old. The difference between the two tables is calculated to be the marginal cost of raising an infant to 18 years old. married/1 dependent (age 9) 10,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 100,000 25 673,952 1,226,922 1,520,993 1,833,922 2,103,229 2,360,231 2,654,498 3,132,957 30 626,986 1,098,782 1,348,696 1,614,124 1,843,414 2,062,187 2,311,696 2,718,052 35 546,113 878,128 1,052,005 1,235,638 1,396,020 1,548,962 1,721,399 2,003,595 40 514,642 792,264 936,552 1,088,356 1,221,924 1,349,249 1,491,694 1,725,576 45 500,000 708,033 823,294 943,874 1,051,138 1,153,333 1,266,357 1,452,843 50 500,000 627,165 714,560 805,163 887,173 965,242 1,050,020 1,191,002 55 500,000 544,302 604,111 665,447 722,124 776,023 833,295 929,439 60 500,000 500,000 522,277 563,860 602,284 638,825 677,653 742,834 65 500,000 500,000 500,000 502,101 529,429 555,418 583,033 629,391 married/2 dependent (age 9 and infant) 10,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 100,000 25 741,554 1,314,621 1,610,618 1,920,345 2,194,988 2,456,664 2,746,651 3,224,818 30 694,588 1,186,481 1,438,321 1,700,548 1,935,173 2,158,621 2,403,849 2,809,912 35 613,714 965,827 1,141,629 1,322,061 1,487,780 1,645,396 1,813,552 2,095,456 40 582,244 879,963 1,026,177 1,174,779 1,313,683 1,445,683 1,583,848 1,817,436 45 547,827 788,109 905,063 1,023,196 1,134,755 1,240,714 1,350,342 1,536,662 50 513,199 696,510 785,269 874,486 959,327 1,039,876 1,122,505 1,263,500 55 500,000 604,733 665,541 726,311 784,578 839,871 896,019 992,284 60 500,000 538,800 580,025 621,224 660,727 698,214 736,279 801,543 65 500,000 500,000 528,037 557,339 585,434 612,095 639,168 685,585 Difference 10,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 100,000 25 67,602 87,699 89,625 86,423 91,759 96,433 92,153 91,861 30 67,602 87,699 89,625 86,424 91,759 96,434 92,153 91,860 35 67,601 87,699 89,624 86,423 91,760 96,434 92,153 91,861 40 67,602 87,699 89,625 86,423 91,759 96,434 92,154 91,860 45 47,827 80,076 81,769 79,322 83,617 87,381 83,985 83,819 50 13,199 69,345 70,709 69,323 72,154 74,634 72,485 72,498 55 - 60,431 61,430 60,864 62,454 63,848 62,724 62,845 60 - 38,800 57,748 57,364 58,443 59,389 58,626 58,709 65 - - 28,037 55,238 56,005 56,677 56,135 56,194 * US Department of Agriculture publishes a report on Expenditures on Children by Families. In the 2000 annual report published May 2001, the total expenditure for children of the urban Northeast area (consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont) is estimated as follows: September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-04 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 dojN001438.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. 2002-01-04 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. Monday, November 26, 2001 4:14 PM Crowell & Moring Comments on Proposed September 11 Victims Compensation Regulations To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director, Office of Management Programs Dear Mr. Zwick: Attached are the comments of Crowell & Moring LLP on the September 11, 2001 Victims Compensation Fund Regulations. I will also fax you a copy of the attached document. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Crowell & Moring LLP Washington, D.C. Attachment 1: Comments of Crowell & Moring LLP on the September 11, 2001 Victims Compensation Fund Regulations I. Introduction Crowell & Moring LLP ("Crowell & Moring") is a law firm based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Southern California, London, and Brussels. It has developed a unique expertise in representing victims of terrorism, particularly in cases where the acts of terrorism at issue were sponsored by a foreign state. The Firm's representations have included seeking and obtaining compensation for its clients through the judicial, legislative, and administrative processes of the United States. Among the Firm's clients are , , and , each of whom were held hostage for several years in Lebanon by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hizbollah. Crowell & Moring thanks the United States Department of Justice for the opportunity to share its insights on the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund regulations via these comments. Based on our expertise and experience in the matters discussed above and in other cases, Crowell & Moring believes that it possesses unique insight into some of the issues the Department needs to address. More information about the Firm's expertise in this area can be obtained at our website, We have set forth below the Firm's comments on three particular issues. Should the Department seek additional information and input, or have questions, it can contact directly one of the three partners at Crowell & Moring who have participated in drafting and preparing these comments: The Firm's address is: Crowell & Moring LLP Washington, D.C. II. Discussion I. Who Should Be Compensated By the Fund? Crowell & Moring submits that the regulations under consideration generally should look and adhere to principles of law and precedent that have developed over the past few years in the cases decided against state sponsored terrorism. These cases have been decided almost exclusively by judges on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and have been decided within the framework of 28 U.S.C. §1605(a)(7), a 1996 amendment to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. They are particularly relevant to the regulations the Department is drafting because each of the cases involved acts of terrorism that variously caused death, personal injury, and other compensable torts. Because the judges that have considered these cases have carefully analyzed and considered the many legal issues presented in such cases and because many of these opinions are published, they should provide a logical source for the Department of Justice, and later the Special Master, in determining both the appropriate coverage of the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund as well as the appropriate judgment amounts to be awarded. In essence, a federal common law has evolved with respect to coverage and judgments in cases of state sponsored terrorism. The Department should first determine the class of persons covered by the September 11 Victims legislation. The legislation speaks only to compensation sought by the victim or his or her personal representative. This language, however, does not take specific account for how, if at all, immediate family members are to be treated or compensated in the recovery process. One disincentive to a victim family choosing the Special Master process versus a Court proceeding will exist if recoveries under the September 11 Fund fail to account for the loss to each immediate family member. This is because in a court proceeding each immediate family member generally can sue for the loss of the family member. If the September 11 Fund fails to consider the loss of each immediate family member, we believe it likely that the prospect of a larger recovery in Court will drive many cases to that forum, thus defeating the purpose of having the speedier, no-fault Special Master process. The state sponsored terrorism cases have specifically dealt with the issue of which family members are eligible for judgment under 28 U.S.C. §1605(a)(7). Recently, the Court in Jenco v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 154 F. Supp. 2d 27, 36 (D.D.C. 2001), specifically defined the "immediate family" entitled to judgment for state sponsored acts of terrorism as comprising (1) spouses; (2) children; (3) parents; and (4) siblings. Other cases had implicitly adopted that formulation in earlier decisions and made awards not only to the victim or his estate, but also to family members in one or more of the above four categories. See e.g. Flatow v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 999 F. Supp. 1 (D.D.C. 1998)(award to victim's estate, her parents and siblings; Anderson v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 90 F. Supp. 2d 107 (D.D.C. 2000) (award to victim, spouse and child); Sutherland v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 151 F. Supp. 2d 27 (D.D.C. 2001) (award to victim, spouse and children); Elahi v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 124 F. Supp. 2d 97 (D.D.C. 2000)(award to victim's estate and his brothers); Daliberti v. Republic of Iraq, 146 F. Supp. 2d 19 (D.D.C. 2000)(award to victims and spouses). Congress arguably has endorsed this definition of "immediate family" in those cases. In 2000, Congress enacted legislation that funded thirteen cases where anti-terrorism judgments had been obtained or were in the process of being obtained against Iran by drawing against a pool of frozen Iranian assets. See section 2002 of Public Law 106-386 (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000). At the time of that enactment Congress specifically authorized the payment of judgments to victims and immediate family members knowing full-well that then existing judgments against Iran covered by that legislation included payments to family members in one or more of the four categories discussed above. As one Court recently held, the fact that Congress enacted a compensation mechanism with court precedents already extant evinces tacit approval on the part of Congress to validate the methods and scope of those judgments. See Sutherland v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 151 F. Supp. 2d 27, 51 (D.D.C. 2001); Jenco v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 154 F. Supp. 2d 27, 37 (D.D.C. 2001). We recommend, therefore, in light of the state sponsored terrorism cases, that compensation awards include amounts for immediate family members who have suffered a loss and that "immediate family" be defined as the Jenco and other cases have defined that term. The language in the September 11 Victims statute supports this result since it reposes in the Special Master the duty to base award decisions on "the harm to the claimant, the facts of the claim, and the individual circumstances of the claimant." Likewise, the fact that Congress effectively endorsed the "immediate family" concept of compensation in the 2000 legislation demonstrates that Congress had the same concepts in mind in seeking to compensate September 11 victims. In fairness and in fidelity to precedent, this broad language should be construed to cover compensation for victims and their immediate family members. II. Define What Constitutes Filing. One issue that appears to us to be of the utmost importance for the program to function fairly and efficiently is that the Department of Justice take care to define with particularity each and every step necessary to constitute the complete "filing" of a claim. This definition should specifically set forth details such as the forms and all supporting documentation necessary to constitute a proper filing. For example, is an official court document naming a person as the personal representative of a deceased victim a necessary perquisite for that representative to file a claim? If the Department contemplates that requirement it should take into consideration widespread reports about the significant delays being experienced by victim families in obtaining death certificates for the victims. In that regard, especially considering the Department's request for comments on how it should address the "personal representative" issue, we believe that whatever approach the Department takes, it should be an approach that is as flexible as possible for the victim families. In any event, the regulations should also set forth in detail where the claim is to be filed, how the claim can be filed, the requisite number of copies, and all other items that will provide both the Special Master and the applicants with sufficient certainty as to what will constitute a proper filing. III. What Amounts Should Be Awarded? Following on our discussion in section I above, we submit that the Department should look to existing terrorism judgments in fashioning appropriate award amounts. Although the judgments vary in some instances given particularized case facts, such as whether the conduct of the terrorism was particularly inhumane, the judgments are generally consistent from case to case and have evolved into something of a grid. We believe that the Special Master should, in practice or otherwise, develop compensation awards that generally follow that grid. Variations of awards likely will hinge on individual circumstances and individualized lost income determinations. Otherwise, a grid system seems to be the only fair and consistent system to apply in compensating an event that generally affected so many victims in roughly the same way. As an aid to the Department, we include below charts of the state sponsored terrorism judgments categorized by five classes: (1) victim or estate; (2) spouses; (3) children; (4) parents; and (5) siblings. Case citations from which these judgments were obtained are also listed. These Charts seek to illustrate the awards in state sponsored terrorism cases by status. They only address compensatory damage awards. The information is derived from: (1) Cicippio v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 F. Supp. 2d 62 (D.D.C. 1998)(Cicippio, Reed and Jacobsen families); (2) Anderson v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 90 F. Supp. 2d 107 (D.D.C. 2000); (3) Higgins v. Islamic Republic of Iran, C.A. No. 99-377-CKK (D.D.C. Sept. 21, 2000); (4) Flatow v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 999 F. Supp. 1 (D.D.C. 1998); (5) Eisenfeld v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9545 (D.D.C. July 11, 2000)(Eisenfeld and Duker families); (6) Elahi v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 124 F. Supp. 2d 97 (D.D.C. 2000); (7) Alejandre v. Republic of Cuba, 996 F. Supp. 1239 (S.D. Fla. 1997)(Alejandre, Costa and De la Pena families); (8) Daliberti v. Republic of Iraq, 146 F. Supp. 2d 19 (D.D.C. 2001) (Daliberti, Hall, Beaty and Barloon families); (9) Sutherland v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 151 F. Supp. 2d 27 (D.D.C. 2001); (10) Jenco v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 154 F. Supp. 2d 27 (D.D.C. 2001); (11) Polhill v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15322 (D.D.C. August 23, 2001); (12) Mousa v. Islamic Republic of Iran, Civil Action No. 00-2096-WBB (September 19, 2001); and (13) Wagner v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18424 (D.D.C. November 6, 2001). CASE STATUS AWARD Cicippio (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Self $20 million (1,908 days held hostage) Reed (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Self $16 million (1,330 days held hostage) Jacobsen (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Self $9 million (532 days held hostage) Anderson (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Self $24.54 million (2,454 days held hostage) Higgins (Hostage held, tortured & murdered in Lebanon by Iran group) Estate $31.43 million ($30 M pain/suffering; $1.43 M future income) Flatow (US student killed in Israel by Iran funded suicide bomber) Estate $2.51 million ($1 M pain/ suffering; $1.51 M loss of accretion/funeral expense) Eisenfeld (US student killed in Israel by Iran funded suicide bomber) Estate $2.42 million ($1 M pain/ suffering; $1.42 M loss of accretion/funeral expense) Duker (US student killed in Israel by Iran funded suicide bomber) Estate $2.25 million ($1 M pain/ suffering; $1.25 M loss of accretion/funeral expense) Elahi (US citizen Iranian dissident killed in Paris by Iran assassins) Estate $1.74 million ($1 M pain/ suffering; $740,000 loss of accretion/funeral expense) Alejandre (Plane shot down by Cuba while rescuing escapees) Estate $1.53 million (loss of future income & household services) Costa (Plane shot down by Cuba while rescuing escapees) Estate $5.13 million (loss of future income) De la Pena (Plane shot down by Cuba while rescuing escapees) Estate $5.26 million (loss of future income) Daliberti (Kidnapped by and held hostage in Iraq) Self $3.85 million ($2.59 M loss of income; $1.26 M for 126 days held hostage) Hall (Kidnapped by and held hostage in Iraq) Self $1.8 million ($1.75 M loss of income; $50,000 for 5 days held hostage) Beaty (Kidnapped by and held hostage in Iraq) Self $4.23 million ($2.18 M loss of income; $2.05 M for 205 days held hostage) Barloon (Kidnapped by and held hostage in Iraq) Self $2.94 million ($1.68 M loss of income; $1.26 M for 126 days held hostage) Sutherland (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Self $23.54 million (2,354 days held hostage) Jenco (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Estate $5.64 million (564 days held hostage) Polhill (Hostage held in Lebanon by Iran group) Estate $15 million (1,185 days held hostage) Mousa (Serious injuries from 1996 bus bombing) Self $15 million (1,185 days held hostage) Wagner (1984 Embassy Annex bombing in Beirut) Estate $3.28 million (wrongful death/future income) Similarly, as the charts below reflect, plaintiffs related to the victim of state-sponsored terrorism have received awards based in large measure on the status or relationship of that person to the primary victim. Generally speaking, spouses received the largest awards, followed in decreasing amounts by children of the primary victim, then parents, and then siblings. The four "Daliberti spouses" (Daliberti, Hall, Beaty and Barloon) received awards of a degree different (and less) from the other hostage spouses cases due to the significantly shorter period their husbands were held hostage (between 5 and 205 days versus several years). No monetary compensation was awarded to family members beyond the relationships set forth below. CASE STATUS AWARD Higgins Spouse $12 million Alejandre Spouse $8 million Cicippio Spouse $10 million Reed Spouse $10 million Anderson Spouse $10 million Daliberti Spouse $1.5 million Hall Spouse $1.5 million Beaty Spouse $1.5 million Barloon Spouse $1.5 million Sutherland Spouse $10 million Polhill Spouse $10 million CASE STATUS AWARD Higgins Daughter $12 million Alejandre Daughter $8 million Anderson Daughter $6.7 million Sutherland Daughters $6.5 million to each of 3 Polhill Sons $3.25 million to each of 2 CASE STATUS AWARD Flatow Father/Mother $5 million to each Eisenfeld Father/Mother $5 million to each Duker Mother $5 million Costa (Alejandre) Father/Mother $5.5 million to each De la Pena (Alejandre) Father/Mother $5.5 million to each Wagner Father $5 million Wagner Mother $3 million to estate CASE STATUS AWARD Flatow Siblings $2.5 million to each of 4 Eisenfeld Sister $2.5 million Duker Sisters $2.5 million to each of 2 Elahi Brothers $5 million to each of 2 Jenco Siblings $1.5 million to each of 6 Wagner Siblings $2.5 million to each of 2 Conclusion We hope these comments have been useful in assisting the Department in its establishment of the victims compensation program pursuant to the Special Master procedures established by Congress. If we can be of further assistance please feel free to contact one of the attorneys previously listed. November 26, 2001 Comments by Crowell & Moring LLP Washington, DC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 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 dojW000646.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. 2001-11-26