847 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. Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 5:29 PM Before the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Washington, D.C. 20350 September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 ) Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking ) 66 Fed. Reg. 55901 (November 5, 2001) ) December 5, 2001 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp pappreciates the opportunity to comment on the Department of Justice's Inquiry and Rulemaking regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Fund") on behalf of the immediate family of a victim of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The Fund must focus on the long-term needs of victims and their families. These needs, largely unaddressed by other sources, can best be met by a uniquely designed compensation scheme like the Fund. To encourage eligible individuals to participate in the Fund and thereby forego litigation, the rules should ensure that the categories and amounts of compensation awarded through the Fund for both economic and noneconomic losses reasonably approximate what would otherwise be available to similarly-situated claimants in state courts. Economic Losses Each family directly affected by the terrorist attacks will likely face massive long-term consequences from the permanent loss of the household's primary wage earner. The Fund should be used to alleviate the burden that these families face in the absence of those contributing household members. Though it is impossible to make the victims' families whole again, accounting for future lost income and benefits can help provide families the financial means to continue their lives. The premature loss of a primary wage earner can be particularly devastating for a young family that has not yet had the opportunity to realize its plans or potential for long-term financial security. The Fund must include mechanisms for estimating growth in income and other economic resources over time, in order for surviving family members to have meaningful opportunities for financial independence commensurate with what they had prior to September 11th. Long-term losses associated with the death of the primary wage earner have not been addressed by private relief funds or other charitable organizations. These resources, while valuable, are focused on providing emergency relief in the form of immediate living expenses. Even if private relief organizations decide to help meet the long-term needs of victims, they are poorly equipped to do so. Private relief and other charitable organizations are designed to aid in emergencies or through broad discretionary grant programs. Neither means of financial assistance is appropriate for addressing the long-term financial losses of thousands of families. The Fund is in the unique position of being able to effectively aid victims' families by using its specialized resources to focus on a need that is not otherwise being met. The Fund is designed to "provide a no-fault alternative to tort litigation" for victims who are willing to waive their right to pursue civil action. 66 Fed. Reg. 55901. In order to be a true alternative to a wrongful death or negligence action, the Fund should compensate victims for long-term losses. Wrongful death suits regularly involve damage awards that include lost future income and benefit streams. If the Fund is to be a successful alternative to litigation, the benefits awarded must be comparable to those reasonably predictable through litigation. There must be an incentive for claimants to waive their rights to pursue civil actions. If the recovery is limited to shorter-term compensation, or the process is too cumbersome or speculative, victims' families will refuse to participate in the process, negating a principal purpose of the Fund. In this same vein, however, claimants should not all receive the same types or amount of compensation. Civil damages arise out of an attempt to quantify actual loss to the injured party. The Fund must attempt to make the claimants whole by acknowledging the disparate financial contributions that the victims were making before the attacks. A straightforward calculation can be used to determine a baseline for compensation amounts. The Maryland accounting firm of Regardie, Brooks & Lewis suggests the following process. The calculation should start with lost wages only. Apply an annual growth rate based upon the consumer price index and factoring in a conservative estimate representing merit raises and other salary increases to the base salary being earned in 2001. Apply this growth rate to the 2001 salary for a number of years equal to the difference between age at death and the projected retirement age for the victim's generation. Discount this cash flow stream back to the present value using an appropriate interest rate, such as the applicable federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity. Apply a similar growth rate to the amount of fringe benefits, such as employer retirement plan contribution, medical insurance, etc. and again discount back to present value. Add these two numbers to determine a minimum one-time compensation amount. Finally, factor in federal and state taxes, depending on the taxability of the award. Noneconomic Losses Avoiding litigation is a noble goal in that it seeks to avoid costs, time delays, and risk for victims already profoundly burdened by the aftermath of the events of September 11th. Survivors of attack victims should be able to avoid such problems by waiving their right to a day in court. To protect and provide comfort to survivors who decide to forgo litigation by seeking compensation through the Fund, amounts awarded under the Fund must incorporate all categories of noneconomic loss currently available through traditional litigation. While some reasonable adjustment for reduced risk and delay may be appropriate, ensuring comparability of awards granted under the Fund and in the courtroom will help eliminate uncertainty and encourage reliance on the Fund. The rules regarding the Fund should reflect this commitment to consistency with prevailing judicial practices. The regulations must also expressly provide that similarly situated claimants will receive similar treatment by the administrators of the Fund. Noneconomic loss determinations are, by their nature, subjective. To further reduce uncertainty and promote participation in the Fund, we urge the Department to ensure that the rules require that the methods and criteria for determining compensation for noneconomic losses be applied to all claimants in a consistent manner. Of course, as with all types of compensation available through the Fund, hearing officers or the Special Master should be able to adjust the outcome for each claimant, so long as such outcome is rationally related to the claimant's individual circumstances. Respectfully submitted, Individual Comment Washington, D.C. This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000986.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:18 AM Equal Treatment of Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Wayne, 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 dojA002729.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 12:38 AM Compensation Fund I am shocked and disgusted that partners of gay people who died in the September 11th terrorist attack will not receive the same benefits as married people. Who has decided that gay people are second class citizens? Who has decided that the loss their partner's endured is not worth compensation? This is an outrage! Sincerely, Individual Comment Daly City, 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 dojR001589.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. Friday, March 15, 2002 6:34 PM Victim Compensation For Gays and Lesbians I am a U. S. citizen and taxpayer, and I STRONGLY demand that the fund include gays and lesbians in its compensation. Gays and lesbians are human beings too. It is OUTRAGEOUS that the fund would compensate non-Americans but exclude our gay and lesbian citizens! Individual Comment Fort Lauderdale, Florida 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 dojR000874.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. Tuesday, December 25, 2001 3:18 PM for Kenneth L. Zwick Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick, I am a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring that the basic human rights of people are respected without discrimination. International human rights standards including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibit arbitrary discrimination and the US government is obligated to respect these rights. We therefore request that the Justice Department, consistent with such international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, include 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. We ask the Justice Department to follow the positive example of New York state in granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." We remind Justice Department officials that real justice is only served when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. We thank you very much for the attention. Regards, Individual Comment 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 dojN000894.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. Wednesday, November 07, 2001 9:02 PM Fundraising Efforts Dear Sirs, Re: Amounts collected for WTC victims and buildings The government has advised me that you are the appropriate agency to direct queiries to regarding the disposition of funds collected on behalf of the above. It occurs to me that the amounts collected far surpass the cost of rebuilding the WTC and of compensating each and every one of the victims appropriately. I wonder if I might inquire after a detailed itemization of the disposition of these funds with regards to whom received them. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000325.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. 2001-11-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 17, 2002 9:20 AM September 11 Fund How dare you exclude the partners and families of Gay Americans who lost their lives on September 11. When you will cover Illegal Aliens but not AMERICANS you have truly joined the ranks of those on there way to HATE!!!!! Individual Comment Sacramento, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001360.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 10:15 AM rules for administering the relief fund 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 Malden, MA 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 dojA002951.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, November 29, 2001 8:31 AM Attn. Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick Dear Mr. Zwick: Regarding Sept. 11, we strongly believe that the USDOJ should include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. What's right is right! Let's be compassionate! Sincerely, Individual Comment Milton, DE September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-29 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 dojA000178.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. 2001-11-29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 12:37 PM Compensation for gays and lesbians Dear Mr. Zwick: We are 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." We 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. We urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bulverde, Texas *** September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000928.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. November 16, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: In response to the Justice Department request for comment on Rulemaking regarding the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, I urge you promulgate regulations which would address the needs of victims' surviving minor children from more than one marriage. I represent , parent and legal guardian of the estates of her minor children, and , all of New Canaan, Connecticut. and father, was killed in the World Trade Center attack. was an employee of the Company. After his divorce from , remarried and had two more children issue of the second marriage. In his Will, designated his second wife and his brother as co-executors of his estate. Under these circumstances the statutory concept of an eligible claimant should include, at least, the legal guardian of all minor children of the victim. Otherwise, decisions regarding the financial interests of minor children of a different marriage, indeed the fundamental decision of whether to forego litigation in favor of a Victim Compensation Fund claim, could be left to a "personal representative" having no legal or familial relation at all to the victim's minor children from the earlier marriage. To avoid the potential of disparate treatment among a victim's minor children inherent in having only the personal representative of a decedent eligible to file claims, the legal guardian of all the victim's minor children should be designated as eligible claimants. This will assure that the individual who has been designated by State law as responsible for the children's welfare and finances will have the authority to act on their behalf in Victims Compensation Fund claims and will protect against the children being bound by decisions made by an individual who has no authority to act for them. I have read estimates indicating that as many as fifteen thousand children were orphaned by the September 11th attacks. Given the prevalence of divorce, it is probable that several thousand surviving children could be affected by the definition of eligible claimant under the Act. Favorable consideration should be given to including the legal guardian of all victims' minor children within that definition. Thank you for your consideration of these comments. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-16 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 dojW000471.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. 2001-11-16 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. Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 November 26, 2001 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 writing in response to the U.S. Department of Justice's invitation for interested parties to submit comments regarding implementation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (AG Order 2531-2001). I greatly appreciate the Justice Department's willingness to consider input from the public on this matter of critical importance to those who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of September 11th. 28 individuals hailing from or with close connections to Massachusett's Fifth Congressional District - which I am privileged to represent - died in those attacks. A strong spirit of compassion for the families of those individuals and other victims of the September 11th attacks must guide implementation of the Fund. Indeed, the ultimate measure of the Fund's success will be the extent to which those who lost loved ones on the September 11th consider it to be fair and respectful to the memories of those who died on that terrible day. While there are many important matters raised in the notice of inquiry and advance notice of rulemaking (Federal Register, November 5, 2001), this letter touches solely on the issue of whether charitable contributions by non-profit organizations should be deducted from Fund awards. With respect to other matters discussed in the notice, I am aware that House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers weighed in on these issues on October 25, 2001 with proposed Fund implementation regulations for you to consider. I concur with their recommendations and urge you to give those recommendations all appropriate consideration. Section 405(b)(6) of Public Law 107-42 states that the Special Master appointed by the Justice Department to administer the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund shall reduce compensation paid to Fund claimants "by the amount of collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." Section 402(4) of P.L. 107-42 defines "collateral source" as "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 crashes of September 11, 2001." In its notice, the Department indicates that it "appreciates the strong policy reasons for excluding charitable contributions from the definition of "collateral sources". [emphasis added] The notice proceeded to invite comment on whether the new law "indeed permits the Department to exclude such contributions from the definition." I am extremely pleased that the Department recognizes the "strong policy reasons" for not deducting the amount of charitable contributions received by families of the victims of the September 11th attacks from any award they might receive from the Fund. I wholeheartedly agree with this position. A policy of deducting such contributions from the award could encourage potential claimants to engage in litigation rather than applying to the Fund, impose onerous record-keeping burdens on Fund claimants that are rightly grappling with more serious issues, greatly complicate the decisions of private charities to provide expeditious support and assistance to victims' families, and - depending on the response of those charities - potentially violate the intent of donors who made contributions specifically to help respond to September 11th - related losses. I strongly believe that P.L. 107-42 permits the Department to act consistently with its policy instincts and exclude charitable contributions by non-profit organizations from serving as collateral source offsets for Fund awards. Indeed, a cautious and common-sense interpretation of the law supports that approach. The law does not define the term "collateral source" but instead lists the following examples: life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and government payments related to the September 11th aircraft crashes. It is accordingly instructive to review the use of this term in the most analogous context - state statutes establishing crime victim compensation programs. Under these programs, states provide compensation to crime victims and their relatives for a wide variety of expenses and losses related to criminal injury and homicide. A number of the state statutes establishing these programs use the term "collateral source" in describing entities other than the state whose payments to a crime victim may be deducted from or considered to reduce any state award to such victim. I asked the Congressional Research Service to provide me copies of state crime victim compensation statutes expressly using the term "collateral source" in this manner. Notably, in the strong majority of such state crime victim compensation statutes provided to me, the term "collateral source" does not cover charitable contributions by non-profit organizations.[1] Furthermore, the language of P.L. 107-42 contemplates - at most - an offset of only payments from third parties pursuant to statutory or contractual rights. Congress could have included charitable contributions by non-profit organizations in the list of examples describing "collateral sources," yet it chose not to do so. Instead, it listed as examples of collateral sources only benefits and payments pursuant to either statutory mandates or contractual obligations. Indeed, Section 405(b)(6) of P.L. 107-42 - the actual collateral source offset requirement - reinforces this notion that statutory or contractual obligation is required for a third - party payor to constitute a "collateral source". In describing the types of payments not yet received by the claimant for which the offset would apply, it mentions "collateral source compensation the claimant...is entitled to receive as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001." [emphasis added] Of course, no claimant is "entitled" to receive a charitable contribution by a non-profit organization. Congress would have used the term "likely to receive" as opposed to "entitled to receive" had it desired to cover charitable contributions pursuant to recently or previously established donation policies of non-profit organizations. Accordingly, public policy and proper statutory interpretation support the conclusion that charitable contributions by non-profit organizations should be excluded from the definition of collateral sources and not considered to offset any Fund award. I expect that most crime victims' advocacy groups will reach this conclusion and earnestly hope that the Department will do likewise. Please feel free to contact me or or my staff with any questions or comments. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Individual Comment by Martin T. Meehan Fifth District, Massachusetts __________________________________________ [1] As provided to me by the Congressional Research service, the following state crime victim compensation fund statutes using the term "collateral source" do not consider such term toinclude charitable contributions. Alabama (ALA. CODE Section 15-23-3 [2001]; Kansas (KAN. STAT. ANN. Section 74-7301 [2001]; South Dakota (S.D. CODIFIED LAWS ANN. Section 23A-28B-22[2001]; Utah (UTAH CODE ANN. Section 63-25a-413 [2001]; Arkansas (ARK CODE ANN. Section 16-90-703[2001]; District of Columbia (D.C. CODE ANN. Section 3-421 [2001]; Louisiana (LA. REV STAT. ANN. Section 46:1802 [2001]; Maine (ME. REV STAT. ANN. tit. 17, section 1322 [2000]; not that this statute appears to deal with restitution payments made directly by an offender; Mississippi (MISS. CODE ANN. Section 99-41-5[2001]; North Carolina (N.C. GEN STAT. Section 15B-2[2000]; Texas(TEX. CRIM. PROC. CODE Section 56.32[2000]; and Oklahoma (OKLA STAT. tit. 21, Section 142.3[2000]). States crime victim compensation fund statutes using the term "collateral source" that do appear to consider such term to include charitable contributions include Minnesota (MINN STAT. Section 611A.52 [2000]; Montana (MONT. CODE ANN. Section 53-9-103 [2001]; and North Dakota (N.D. CENT. CODE Section 54-23.4-01 [2001]; New Mexico (N.M. STAT. ANN. Section 31-22-3); Indiana's crime victim compensation statute lists specific sources which do not likely cover charitable contributions. However, it also appears to consider there to be "other collateral sources". IND. CODE Section 5-2-6.1-32(2001). Wyoming's crime victim compensation statute does not further define the term "collateral source". WYO STAT. Section 1-40-110. 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 dojW000760.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 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 2:43 PM Fair disbursement of 9-11 funds Dear Kenneth Feinberg, 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. The Bush 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. Sincerely, Individual Comment Alexandria, Virginia September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000659.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Eugene, OR 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 dojA004572.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. Wednesday, December 12, 2001 2:58 PM Fairness in Funds Distribution Please ensure that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is distributed in the fairest way possible. To that end, I have two major concerns. Gay and Lesbian families should be treated the same as married couples in that domestic partners and children of those unions should receive compensation for the lost of their loved one. Also while I understand that funds will be distributed based on lost earnings, care must be taken so that all families receive at least a minimum level. The family of a corporate CEO and the family of a janitor will both be struggling with unforeseen expenses and this fund should make sure that they are able to buffer themselves from unpredictable crisis. Thank you for considering my comments. Individual Comment San Francisco, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001512.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. 2001-12-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, January 04, 2002 11:37 AM Compensation Package I am very disappointed with the Special Master's plan to distribute funds to the victims' families of the September 11th attack. This fund was established to compensate families as close to what they would have received if they were to go to a court to sue. I feel that the amount for pain and suffering is extremely low. In recent years a person sued McDonald's because they spilled a cup of tea on themselves and they were awarded over two million dollars. My husband was killed because he was not protected by the government, the airport security, the WTC building, and the Windows of the World restaurant. Also, because my husband made a very good salary, he is being discriminated against since they put a cap on earnings. They decide that he would have stopped work at a certain age when his father is 92 and still doing the same job my husband was. Why shouldn't we receive the salary he would have received? He was murdered and no one wants to take responsibility. On top of everything, they want to deduct what other benefits we receive. So because when I had three small children my husband bought life insurance so that if something happened to him I could still take care of my children at home, that amount now will be deducted. The government did not pay the premiums, my husband did. Even the one year of Social Security benefits my son will receive will be deducted, even though my husband will never receive any SS benefits even though he contributed to SS. Any benefits we received were because my husband worked and contributed to these agencies. But because we are collecting the benefits, we are penalized. My husband made a good salary and he is no longer here. I will not have my husband as a companion and I am middle aged with my children basically on their own. I want to provide my children with what their father would have given them. Based on this plan I have no alternative but to sue everyone. Individual Comment 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 dojN001340.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. Saturday, December 22, 2001 6:34 PM Single victim with 24 yr old sole survivor We have listened to the explanations regading the computation oif economic loss and offset but there has been no mention of the relationship/pain and suffering for a surviving daughter who lost her mother and best friend. The computation for surviviing spouse is much more clear but where are the calculations for a mother and daughter who is 24 and lost the only family member left. Please advise on what to do. Based on preliminary calculations, the daughter would receive little in the way of non-economic loss and the offset would negate any significant award as far as ecomomic loss is concerned. There is plenty of evidence to demonstrate the realationship as it existed prior to the tragedy and one could imagine a lawyer in a civil suit doing just that. Every card, call and conversation depitcs a world of two women as close as two could be.....how is this being considered. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-22 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 dojN000393.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. 2001-12-22 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 12:00 AM Equal Crisis Benefits December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Concord, CA 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 dojA004038.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 2:40 PM 911 compensation To whom it may concern: As a gay man who has been in a 24 year committed relationship I was appalled to learn that there will NOT be compensation paid to the surviving partners of 911 victims. How can it be that gay men died and were called heroes ( and ) yet their surviving partners will not be compensated the same as heterosexual parnters/wifes/husbands. I would hope that the tragedy of September 11 would unite us a country and not cause more separation. Surely this matter needs to be rethought! Sincerely, 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 dojR000999.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, December 23, 2001 12:19 PM Equal access to benefits December 23, 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 Great Neck, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-23 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 dojN000813.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. 2001-12-23