Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:57 PM On the subject of our fellow Americans To Whom it May Concern I am a at on Staten Island, NY. While I am grateful that I did not personally know anyone that died in the tragic events of September 11th, I not only saw my father reduced to tears at the loss of many of his close friends, but watched the tragedy unfold from my window. The realization that the view from my college was better than most footage being played on the television behind me forever altered my perceptions of human life. On the one hand, I was torn apart by the thought that any human, terrorist or no, could be capable of such a devastating blow to our world. On the other, I was angry that I was so insignificant, and that there was literally nothing I could have done at the time to prevent the day's events. Even now, more than six months after the tragedy, my friends and I have sat down and cried about our personal experiences in dealing with the aftermath; the loss of loved ones, our inability to cry, and our feelings of anger and futility at the thought that giving blood and supplies to the Red Cross was the limit of our power. One thought that we all agreed on, however, was that the tragedy united our nation on a level we never thought possible. I feel that unity every time I walk down the street and make eye contact with my fellow New Yorkers. What a shame that this eye contact, or these kind words and deeds between strangers must all come as a result of such a blow to human life. One would think that, as a result, we would want to embrace that unity, hold to it as a reminder that we must grow strong as a nation and put our differences aside. Yet now I hear that this strength is once again being threatened, not by the simplicity of a physical evil, but by the complexity of oppression. By using the "law" selectively, we have given illegal aliens compensation for their loses. We have even surpassed the age old argument of where life begins by compensating families for pregnant mothers and unborn children. Why then, do we dare to split the unity by alienating the gay community? Are not gays, lesbians, and bisexuals people too? Do they not breathe the same air as blacks, whites, men, women, legal and illegal immigrants alike? Or are they something else, something inferior, because they choose to live their lives differently? I am nauseated by the mere thought that this could be true, and I consider the deliberate denial of funds to the loved ones of homosexuals as great an evil as the act of 9/11 itself. By hiding behind the double standards we call laws, we are showing that we are not stronger as a result of September's devastation, we are weaker. The word unity is not fit for a nation that can join together in mourning only to tear itself apart again. Therefore, I beseech you: think not with your mind, but with your hearts. It was not human calculation that brought us together in the aftermath, but human compassion, and it is our duty to keep that compassion alive. The loved ones of gay and lesbian heroes of September 11th deserve our support as much as any, and denying them this is as great an act of terrorism as any. I thank you for your time and trust that, if given the chance, compassion will thrive once more. Morally Yours, Individual Comment Staten Island, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002450.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-20