906 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. Thursday, December 27, 2001 3:53 PM Brief Comment on Victims Compensation Fund I lost my husband who worked in One WTC. I applaud Mr. Feinberg's efforts to get this program up and running prior to the statutory deadline of December 21, 2001. I feel that most provisions are fair, clear, and reasonable under the circumstances, and would like to participate in the program as soon as possible. However, I cannot submit my claim until one critical issue is resolved with absolute certainty. That is the issue of subrogation rights under the New York State Workers' Compensation Law, which is clearly outlined in the comment letter from the President of the Injured Workers' Bar Association dated November 27, 2001. In that letter, he suggested that one way a claimant can protect his/her rights to receive workers' compensation payments is to grant a lien to the insurance company in a settlement agreement. I personally would not be comfortable with such an uncertain arrangement. The only assuring way is to amend the interim regulation to clearly provide that a waiver of the right to sue in order to receive the federal payment is not the equivalent of settling a third party action under any state law. It should not require an action of Congress to do this. No matter how you choose to clarify this issue, I would appreciate it if you could begin discussions with the workers' insurance companies in order to resolve this apparent conflict in the right of subrogation as soon as possible. I do not believe that anyone in the right mind would participate in the program unless he/she is assured that the workers' compensation payments are going to continue subsequent to the participation. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter. My contact information, which I request to be treated confidentially along with my name, is Stamford, CT. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001018.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, February 04, 2002 8:58 PM Comments On Compenstion On 2/4/02 while listening to the new coverage regarding the town meeting held for the 9/11 victims compensation fund, I was appalled to hear that "Undocumented Aliens" may be privy to compensation. I strongly disagree with this. Would we as Americans be availed the same rights in another country, especially if we were there illegally. I know alot of work is being done to make this situation fair, but this has gone to far. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-04 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 dojP000392.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-02-04 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. Wednesday, November 21, 2001 6:16 PM Comments on September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Safe Horizon's comments are attached. Please let me know if there are any problems with the transmission. Thank you. Attachment 1: November 21, 2001 Via electronic mail, facsimile and U.S. mail Kenneth L. Zwick Director, Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvlania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking, September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: Safe Horizon submits these comments in response to the Department of Justices Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking, concerning implementation of the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001," (the "Fund"), Title IV of Public Law 107-22, 115 Stat. 230. As the countrys leading victim services organization, and as one of the principal institutions providing services and assistance to victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Safe Horizon urges the Department to adopt regulations that effectively and fairly serve the victims the Fund was created to assist. Safe Horizons mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and communities. We assist over 250,000 clients each year through over 75 programs located throughout New York City. Founded in 1978 as Victim Services Inc., we give victims a stronger voice and a meaningful role in the criminal and civil justice systems and assist in addressing their immediate needs. We have pioneered victim assistance programs throughout New York City and beyond. Since September 11, we have drawn on our long history of working with victims of crime and abuse and have developed programs to assist victims of the attacks and their families. On September 14 we began to distribute immediate cash assistance through New York State Crime Victims Board programs. Soon thereafter, we began to distribute monies from the September 11th Fund established by the United Way/ New York Community Trust at operations we established at the Family Assistance Center at Pier 94, the Disaster Assistance Service Center at 141 Worth Street, and centers in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. To date, we have distributed over $20 million, through approximately 21,000 checks, to victims of the disaster, to assist with medical, housing and funeral expenses, as well as with compensation for lost wages and property. We provide non-financial services to victims as well. Through Crisis Support Group Interventions we have assisted businesses and organizations whose employees experienced trauma-related symptoms as a result of the attack. We established a 24-hour crisis support hotline, which provides specialized information and referrals to victims of the disaster. Our Counseling Center, a licensed mental health facility in downtown Brooklyn specializing in trauma counseling, offers weekly group crisis support sessions and group bereavement sessions that are free of charge and can be attended on a "drop-in" basis. In partnership with the United Way and Seedco, Safe Horizon developed a Resource Referral Guide, a comprehensive directory providing the most current and accurate information available citywide for victims of the disaster, which is available on the Internet, and is updated on an ongoing basis. In light of Safe Horizons longstanding experience in serving victims of crime, and our specific experience serving victims of the September 11 terrorist attack, we submit the following comments, focusing on issues that will enhance victims access to the Fund. In addition to these comments, we have also reviewed, and endorse, the comments submitted by the National Center for Victims of Crime, which we are not resubmitting here in order to avoid duplication. I. Claims form format and design, and filing procedures a. The application should assist victims in providing as much initial documentation as possible. The application should contain simple and concise instructions that inform clients about necessary documentation. Claims should be deemed filed upon submission of an application that reflects a good faith effort to include basic documentation. It is inevitable that in some circumstances victims may be required to supplement initial applications despite their best efforts to file a complete application. They should not be penalized as a result. The Special Master should implement procedures that ensure that the applicant is informed as quickly as possible about any additional documentation that is required, in order that the claim can be processed within the 120-day statutory period. Claimants should not be penalized for failing to submit subsequent documentation unless they have failed to respond to requests by a hearing officer for that information. In particular, applicants who file toward the end of the two-year limitations period should not be deemed ineligible because additional documentation is required. Additionally, a telephone number should be included in the instructions for applicants to call if they need off-site assistance in completing applications and do not have access to a victim advocate. b. The form should be available in multiple languages. In order to ensure that the forms are readable and readily available to victims, the forms, and any accompanying instructional handouts, should be available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Haitian/ Creole, Russian, Bengali, Arabic, and others, as needed, to reflect the language facility of victims of the September 11 attacks. II. Procedures to assist an individual in filing and pursuing claims. a. The Fund should provide victim advocates to assist claimants. Through its extensive experience serving victims of crime negotiating criminal and civil proceedings, Safe Horizon has seen first hand the many ways that victim advocates enhance the process for system administration as well as for victims. Victim advocates can help claimants understand the benefits to which they are entitled, prepare claims forms, and submit an application that is as complete as possible. They can refer claimants to other social service resources. Advocates would provide invaluable assistance to applicants who do not read or write English. Perhaps most important, they offer emotional support to victims, who may find the process of submitting a claim difficult, if not traumatic. The Special Master should make victim advocates available to those seeking to file claims under the Fund, and should draw these advocates from the social service and advocacy organizations assisting victims of the September 11 attacks. Many of these organizations, including Safe Horizon, are beginning to offer case managers to assist families in evaluating and applying for the myriad of funds and services for which they may be eligible. It will be crucial that families consider filing an application with the Fund as they assess all available sources of assistance and redress. Case managers serve the critical function of helping to reduce the number of times a family would be required to repeat their story and disclose personal and sensitive information. They also help to ensure that families receive coordinated services. The Fund should incorporate these case managers into its administration as victim advocates, to help victims get the help they need as efficiently as possible. We also recommend that the Special Master require regular meetings between the victim advocates and hearing officers. These meetings would provide a forum for advocates and hearing officers to discuss and address recurring issues, promote understanding of the circumstances facing victims, and improve procedures for claim filing and adjudication. b. A mechanism for appeal must be made available to claimants. To guarantee claimants due process rights, the administrative scheme must provide a mechanism for review of hearing officers decisions. This could be accomplished by creating a panel of hearing officers to whom an individual hearing officers decision could be appealed before the final determination by the Special Master. It is critical that the panel be independent from the hearing officer making the determination. Similarly, a mechanism for ensuring consistency among the decisions of various hearing officers must be incorporated. The Special Master could appoint a reviewing body, comprised of independent and non-partisan hearing officers, to ensure that claims presenting similar circumstances are assessed consistently regardless of which hearing officer made the initial determination. III. Claimant eligibility a. The statutory terms should be interpreted to cover those who lived or worked in the area of the crashes, and those responders who suffered injury as a result of the crashes. In order to provide an incentive for victims to access the Fund rather than commence a private lawsuit, the statutory terms governing eligibility must be construed broadly enough to encompass all victims who would have standing to bring a private lawsuit. Accordingly, victims should be deemed "present at" one of the crash sites if they can establish that they were injured because they lived or worked at one of the buildings that was subject to the attack, or in one of the buildings that was destroyed or damaged as a result. Alternatively, they should be eligible if they can prove that they were injured while serving as one of the responders who came to the scene to provide assistance. The Fund should also be available to those who were injured because they were in the area of the crash on September 11. Applicants can establish this, for example, with a letter from an employer stating that they were at a conference or meeting at the World Trade Center or its immediate vicinity, through appointment book records, emergency room slips or ambulance slips attesting to injury and treatment as a result of the crash, or affidavits. The term "physical harm" should be construed to cover psychological as well as discernable physical harm. For example, someone who worked in the World Trade Center and escaped without physical injury may nevertheless have experienced psychological distress that may have rendered him or her unable to work for some period of time. Individuals who lived in the area may have been similarly affected. The fact that these victims were lucky enough to have escaped without observable physical harm should not render them ineligible to recover the non-economic damages made available under the Fund. b. The Special Master should ensure that all relatives and dependents, including same-sex partners and de facto parents and children, are eligible to recover from the Fund. In order to fulfill the statutory purpose of providing compensation to relatives of those who died as a result of the attacks, it is crucial that the Fund permit recovery for all those who had a family relationship of mutual dependence with the victim, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. This should include the life partners of lesbian and gay victims, and the de facto parents of children who died in the attacks. These individuals should be eligible to recover in proportion to their actual losses, and should not be penalized because they may lack a particular legal relationship to the deceased. c. Claimants should be eligible regardless of their immigration status As the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has recognized, families of the September 11 terrorist attacks whose immigrant or non-immigrant status was dependent on the victims status should not be penalized as a result of their status. The INS has stated that families in those circumstances should be treated with compassion and their cases treated with discretion. Similarly, immigrants should be eligible to recover from the Fund regardless of their immigration status in order that all those harmed as a result of the attack can recover for their losses. IV. Nature and Amount of compensation a. Economic losses should include compensation for all expenses reasonably necessary to allow victims to recover. Hearing officers should adopt a realistic and flexible approach to assessing the expenses that a victim, surviving family member or other dependent may need to recover their economic losses. Some expenses may not be immediately apparent but should nonetheless be considered. For example, survivors who were economically dependent on the decedent but who did not work outside the home before September 11 may now have to find employment outside of the home. Some may incur new childcare costs. These costs, at least for some period of time, should be recoverable in order to facilitate the survivors ability to become economically independent. The calculation of economic losses also should recognize a broad range of approaches to responding to physical and psychological injury. For example, some survivors may seek medical treatment from non-allopathic doctors. The costs of treatment from homeopaths, chiropractors and other health care providers should be recoverable as allowable out-of-pocket expenses. b. "Collateral sources" should not include charitable contributions. Private charitable contributions should not reduce the amount a victim can receive from the Fund. Private charitable contributions are made with the expectation that they will be independent of government compensation programs. They certainly are not made with the intention that they would substitute for any amounts an individual would recover through a private lawsuit against a purported tortfeasor, or from a government program. For these reasons, charitable contributions should not be considered to be a "collateral source" that would reduce any amounts recoverable under the Fund. V. The regulations should make clear that the statute does not preclude claims against perpetrators. In establishing the Fund, Congress intended to create an alternative to private lawsuits against entities whose negligence may be deemed to contribute to victims injuries as a result of the September 11 attack. This purpose -- substitution for a negligence lawsuit -- is wholly of a different nature than lawsuits against perpetrators of the attack. Holding perpetrators accountable, through both civil and criminal justice proceedings, serves an entirely different public purpose than addressing any resulting tort claims, and should be treated separately by the Fund. Safe Horizon would be pleased to respond to any additional questions the Department has in connection with establishing the Fund, or to provide more detail about the responses outlined above. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Respectfully submitted Comments by: Safe Horizon September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000564.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. 2001-11-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 2:42 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 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 dojA000293.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 17, 2002 3:16 PM ridiculous slip on 9-11 policy To whom this may concern: As you can see from the below, this homophobic policy of the S11VCF is abhorrent to many, including myself. Consider this a public comment. Such a policy is inhumane and reactionary. End it at once. ===== 9/11 FUND UNFAIR TO GAYS Take Action Now!!! Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001461.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. Monday, January 28, 2002 7:51 PM Victim's compensation I find it disgusting and outrageous that familes and victims of the 9/11 tragedies feel it is their duty and right to receive handouts from the government, charitable agencies and the Red Cross in excess of $1 million -- and complain that it is not enough no less. If my husband were to die today I would receive no help from the government nor would I expect to. At some point, people need to understand the fact that tragedies happen. Expecting the government to take care of them when they do is unrealistic. Individual Comment 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 dojP000253.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. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Topanga,CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004724.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 7:46 PM Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of victims equally in accordance with our law and constitution. Sincerely, Individual Comment Long Grove, IL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000520.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 2:27 PM Denial of 9/11 funds to domestic partners I am ashamed that my country would condone discrimination in the distribution of funds that have been donated by people all over the world for victims of September 11. I donated money to various victim funds with the intention that it would be distributed to all the families of anyone killed or injured by the horrendous terrorist attacks. I did not anticipate that my donations would be denied to domestic partners, whether same sex or opposite sex, of victims simply because they are not legally married. Many would be married if they could be. There are many reasons why two people in love do not marry but the lack of a legally married status does not render them any less in love, any less dependent upon each other, any less of a citizen, or any less deserving of my money. Most egregious are laws that forbid the marriage of same-sex couples. How can my country give these donated benefits to the families (mostly illegal alien themselves) of illegal aliens who have flouted the law to reap the advantages of living in this country and yet deny them to law-abiding citizens who have contributed to this country but who simply have not legalized their partnerships, especially those who are forbidden to legalize their partnerships? How can my country ignore the domestic partner of a gay man (and possibly of other men and women, straight or gay, we do not know about) who quite likely saved the lives of the very people who are now denying him this money that I and other far more fortunate people (more fortunate because we survived) donated to help all the families now bereft of their loved ones? I demand that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund headed by Kenneth Feinberg return my donations if this heinous injustice is allowed to continue. The terrorists did not single out only certain people to be killed; they targeted everyone and anyone, gay and straight, legal citizens and illegal aliens, men and women, good people and bad, young and old. Mr. Feinberg, you are misappropriating my money. Your intended actions will misappropriate this money by perpetuating moral judgments against victims of events that defied morality. Individual Comment Dayton, Ohio September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000468.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, February 18, 2002 1:09 PM New Vote.com votes as of 01:08 PM EST on February 18th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 4 votes NO: 39 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-18 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 dojP000529.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-02-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 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 Maryville, TN 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 dojA004402.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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 12:41 AM (no subject) To Whom it May Concern, The planned exclusion of Gays and Lesbians from the benefit of funds available to surviving victims, and their families of the 9/11 tragedy is unfair, un-American, and discriminatory. Please re consider your position! Sincerely. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001306.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 3:25 PM Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits 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 Cincinnati, OH 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 dojN000007.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. Sunday, January 06, 2002 6:55 PM Sept 11 Funds I don't think its fair that tax dollars are used to compensate for the victims' families. What about future terrorist acts? Is our country plan to compensate everyone for every terrorist acts? How will we determine terrorist acts? The killings on Long Island train or massacre at various high schools some years ago, weren't they terrorist acts? or were they classified as "insane acts"? What difference does it make? result is all the same! Deaths and grave tradegy! Furthermore, to have the compensation based on victim's earning potential is just obsurd! I have a lot of compassion for helping people in needs but I certainly don't see the need to use our tax dollar to help maintain the life style of victim's families! (compensation based on earnings is doing just that!). I have been a hard worker all my life and paying taxes all along! Our countries need the money to fight the war on terrorism! People die of various causes all the time! These other people were not "compensated" by our country for their death, however wrongful! I understand that this is a part of the airline bail out package to avoid victims' law suits. I wonder if our great country will be bankrupted by all the law suites! Our culture has become a culture that abuse their rights to sue! Frivolous law suits are everywhere. From the McDonald's coffee being too hot to a thief breaking a leg while robbing a house.. All these idiotic law suite should have been thrown out before they get to the court! And to know the outcome being even more absurd than the lawsuits themselves. one can understand why living costs have climb so much and so fast! I am absolutely behind law suits as a result of real wrongful death and believe in "punitive damage" as in the case of the PG&E's dumping of toxic waste. But what "wrong" had the World Trade Buildings owner or leaser done on Sept 11th? No Wrong! It's not the fault of our government, not the fault of the WTC, not the fault of the employers who had chosen offices inside the WTC! I think compensation by the outpouring of private donations is enough! Goverment should bar lawsuites against the WTC owner and leaser, lawsuites against airlines. In the case of Sept 11, the airport security wasn't breeched! The knifes the terrorist carried were allowed on and before that date. What failed was our own perception about hijacking! Had we adopted the policies of Israeli Airline of 'no entry to cockpit' then the terrorist couldn't have taken control of the plane. Now we have all learned a great lesson! Painfully yes. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-06 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 dojN001365.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. 2002-01-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 25, 2001 8:16 PM equal rights December 25, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Springfield, MO 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 dojN000584.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. Thursday, December 13, 2001 8:54 PM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington. DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have?Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Seattle, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001651.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, December 02, 2001 2:18 PM 9/11 Victim's Fund To Whom It May Concern, I am writing this brief email to you to urge you to please not turn your backs on the families of GLBT 9/11 victims. I feel very frustrated that this is even a possibility. In our country, unfortunate even in this supposedly enlightened age, we still continue to turn our backs on those in need. The plight of GLBT families is incredible. Our laws prevent us from legally bonding ourselves together in a way that reflects the way we live, and then when tragedies like 9/11 happen, we are left with no recourse other than begging for what should be rightfully ours. We suffer in these tragedies, just like everyone else, and yet our relationships are treated like worthless junk or denied completely. Please check out one poor woman's story in the link listed below, and she is definitely not the only one: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/po/20011130/co/virginia_denies_lesbian_survivor_benefits_1.html Please do not turn your backs upon so much obvious need. Regardless of your personal feelings regarding homosexuality, it is a fact that gay people exist... we are EVERYWHERE and probably even in your own family somewhere. We have value, we are of worth. We love our partners dearly and we grow to depend on each other just like straight couples. Many GBLT families have been profoundly affected, both emotionally and financially, from the loss of loved ones. This is a fact. Please do not pretend to be blind to these things. We are at your mercy. Sincerely, Individual Comment Draper, Utah September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-02 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 dojA000259.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. 2001-12-02 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, January 06, 2002 11:44 PM Its all about money After reading what some of the families of the victims are asking for - I am saddened and sickened for the actually person that died. Every day we walk out into this world and place ourselves, our children and our families in potential danger as we do not know the safety in our own country. As sad and hurt I feel and most americans I think feel about September 11th and the many losses and pain of so many people - this should not be remembered by remaining family members of victims "making money off of their loved ones death"............ As an American I feel I would be willing to help Victims family to some extent, but not to the tune of $250,000 to 1.6 Million per family..........Come on.........most familys would never see that kind of money in one lump sum, when their loved one was alive. This was a tragedy that happened, NO ONE in America was at fault - and I am not sure why WE are to pay for this........... I have lost family members as well, to tragedy, example my daughter in a car accident (in which no money was given to me) she was under 1 year old.......and lost other members due to other things, it is sad, but I have realized the hurt will last forever, but it is LIFE and if I choose to WALK OUT THE DOOR, IN THE MORNING, I am taking a chance on LIFE I cant ask American to PAY for What I choose to Do with my Freedom........... The people are dead and the living left behind do not deserve an opportunity to become Millionaires because of the dead............Some Reasonable money given to the families children in a fund till they are 18 is fine, but the spouse needs to do what all people have to do if one spouse dies - collect Life Insurance if there was some, collect their social security and get a job themselves and go on in life...........we all have had to do this and the death of our LOVED ONES WHERE just as SPECIAL, to us. This is life and I dont feel I need to pay - instead I will "Pray" as I do every day for these families I dont know.... Individual Comment Brea, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-06 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 dojN001378.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. 2002-01-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 11:00 PM my comment The victims compensation plan to give them HOPE PASSES for National Forests is a JOKE. The whole idea of forest passes is unconstitutional. It is double taxation. It is descriminatory against the poor, and now for the victims and there relatives. I paid my taxes for use of MY public lands. I should not have to pay again. If I cannot afford the second tax, I should not be descriminated from access to those lands. Most relatives of victims and the surviving victims are residents of New York and will certainly not spend up to $1000 to fly out to the Northwest to use that free pass. It's a cheap and worthless attempt by Bush to look good. Plus its allowing others to be exempt from this double tax. Unconstitutional! Individual Comment Bend, OR September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000161.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 5:50 PM SOMETHING YOU DO TO HELP Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick, I am writing as a member of the Gay Community. Our pain is no less. Our loss is no less. And our access to justice and equality in the aftermath of the September 11 crisis must be no less. I am writing today to ask you to invest a few minutes in the cause of justice and equality. In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Justice Department established the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." The purpose of this fund is to provide assistance to persons who were injured as a result of the attacks and to compensate the relatives of those who were killed. I want to remind you, the U.S. Justice Department that justice is only served when all families -- and ALL TYPES OF FAMILIES -- impacted by September 11 are treated with equality. From the brave young gay man who lost his life on the plane attempting to save the lives of innocent people... to the gay priest who lost his life while ministering at Ground Zero... to the many lesbian and gay and transgendered employees working in the World Trade Center... it is vitally important that we demand that our government treat all of our families with dignity and respect and equality. We ask the Justice Department to 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 U.S. Government to follow the example already set by New York Governor Pataki in granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day-to-day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Thank you for your time, efforts and compassion! Sincerely Individual Comment 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 dojA000991.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