Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 1:08 PM Comments on Interim Final Rule (P.L.107-42) 1. Seeing a television story recently about the continuing financial and emotional hardships of the families of the Americans who lost their lives in the terrorist bombing in Kenya at the U.S. Embassy, it seems to me that fairness dictates that the law be amended to provide that these families, those of other terrorist assaults (other embassies, USS Cole, Oklahoma City, and others) be afforded comparable relief as the families of those who perished on Sept. 11. I might add that this same sentiment should govern compensating innocent victims of crime (Federal, State, and local). If some in America (and the world) hadn't realized it before September 11, we are all one family in this world, and at least as a nation, we have the responsiblity to take care of each of our own in a fair and equitable manner. The Biblical phrase "God is no respecter of persons" can, I believe, be nearly universally accepted in most religions around the world -- certainly in the USA. U.S. policies should incorporate that concept in its compensation policies so that all innocent victims of terrorism and other innocent victims of crimes to American citizens are treated evenly and fairly. Further, groups such as the Red Cross should consider embracing the same philosophy and be open to assist devasted families of innocent victims of other comparable crimes, as long as the plea for donations clearly indicates the various classifications of victims in their appeals. We know that often the best advocates of funding for research into diseases are Senators and U.S. Representatives who themselves or their families have suffered with a particular disease. Senators and U.S. Representatives don't hestitate to provide funding for police and courts to try criminals, but rarely balance that with victim compensation funding for the same crime (or require the criminal to pay some of the costs). Celebrities, such as Michael J. Fox and Mary Tyler Moore are strong advocates for funding of the diseases with which they struggle. However, those with less strong voices need to be heard and represented equally in Federal policymaking. 2. Much has been said in the media already about the unfairness of deducting insurance and other benefits from the calculation of compensation for each individual victim. At the outset, I admit that I have not read the entire act of the guidelines. I would hope that at least the families would be reimbursed for all the premiums that were paid by the victims and their families (and employers) for such insurance and other benefits. However, there should be some recognition that people with the foresight and personal responsibility to take out insurance were thinking about their futures and that they should be rewarded in some way for that planning. 3. I believe new hearings should be held to review the comments to this regulation, and that even if some compensation is paid from this fund, that it not be final until everyone is heard and there is an opportunity for revisions that are acceptable to those most affected. Individual Comment Burke, VA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002255.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-22