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 3:08 PM Gays and lesbians aren't heroes??? I am writing to register my dismay with the Victim's Compensation Fund. After hearing statements by Kenneth Feinberg this weekend on Meet the Press, I can't believe that gay and lesbian partners of victims will not be equally compensated. Why is it that illegal aliens will be provided financial compensation over US citizens who deserve this support just as much----even if they are lesbian or gay? Feinberg uses the excuse that the DOJ does not want to go against state laws. How can this be if the DOJ is turning a blind eye to illegal aliens thus affected! One of the heroes of this whole catastrophe was an openly gay man who prevented one jet from crashing into federal buildings in Washington. Instead it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, perhaps saving hundreds of lives. The decision to not treat lesbian and gay people equally in this compensation plan is a mockery of the American people. The US has demonstrated how we can come together. Now, the DOJ seems to believe that gay and lesbian victims are second-class citizens even to illegal aliens who do not pay taxes or support our infrastructure. Do the right thing DOJ!!! Treat the gay and lesbian partners of victims just the same as you are all partners and spouses. Yesterday, 6 months after I witnessed the Towers burn and crash, I finally went to Ground Zero with my visiting 17 year-old niece from Kansas. As a New Yorker, I had no desire to go there. I had watched thousands of my neighbors and city-dwellers stream past my home in Manhattan that day, crying, bewildered, covered in dust or blood. I did not need the reminder of this heinous act. But now, after hearing Meet the Press and seeing Ground Zero, I feel terrorized all over again. Now this terror comes from within my own beloved country's government. The designated relief agency is choosing to treat gay and lesbian people differently than other citizens or even illegal aliens who have suffered in this tragedy. Once again, I feel the fear and the pain that this government will choose not to protect equally a portion of our society--gay and lesbian people. We wage a war on terror outside of this country. Your agency perpetuates terror from within. Thousands and thousands of gay and lesbian people have suffered violence, discrimination and injustice. The actions of the DOJ perpetuate such injustice. SHAME SHAME SHAME As leaders you should treat all the victims equally. Equality is the premise on which our country is based. How can I support a war action that mocks justice right here in my homeland!!! Individual Comment New York, NY 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 dojR000415.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