145 20 12614 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 11, 2002 7:02 PM sept 11th fund Concerning your offices stance on compensation to gay and lesbian partners and loved one's left in survivorship. I suggest you rethink your current agenda. This will only serve to further polarize American society. Gay men and lesbian women served and died on September 11th 2001. They continue to serve, any administrations attempts to disenfranchise any member of the American society will have the opposite affect as intended. This is 2002 not 1962, time to let entrenched homophobia and the base need to allot a subservient class to any group go the way of racism and ignorance. This government has to include all of it's people in it's representation. A Government that does not represent all of the people represents none of it's people. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-11 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 dojR000290.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. 2002-03-11 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 Madison, WI 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 dojA002277.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. January 18, 2002 Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennyslvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick The Justice Department has requested comments with respect to the Interim Final Rules ("IFR's") which were put in place on December 21, 2001 regarding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act of 2001. ("the Fund"). Unless otherwise noted, the comments that follow have not been adopted as the policy of the American Bar Association (ABA) or any of its entities and should be considered as observations which the Attorney General of the Untited States, the Department of Justice and the Special Master may wish to consider as part of their review of the IFR's that have been drafted. There is much to be praised in the initial regulatory efforts of the Justice Deparment and the Special Master. It is unquestionable that significant time, effort and energy were expended in drafting these IFR's and that volumes of information were thoroughly examined and considered by the Special Master and the Justice Department; good intentions shine through. The clear intent of Congress and the President in passing the Fund Program was to assure that the vicitms and families of the outrages of September 11, 2001 promptly receive full economic and non-economic compensation of their losses. The IFR's fulfill that obligation in many respects. For example, not one penny of the more than $1.4 billion charitable contributions dontated by millions of Americans will be deducted for vicitm's compensation. However, it appears that parts of the IFR's, as presented, conflict with the intentions of Congress in enacting and passing the Fund program. Additionally, various aspects of the regulations are ambiguous or present other difficulties. These matters are addressed in detail below. Limitations on Damages are Inconsistent with the Congressional Mandate First and foremost, the IFR's suggest certain caps or presumptive limits on compensation. In Section 402 of the Fund, Congress defined both the "economic" and the "noneconomic" losses to be compensated by the Fund. Nowhere in the Act was there any mention of caps or limitations on compensation. Instead, it appeared that in passing the Fund program, Congress intended to provide the vicitms of the September 11, 2001 outrages with compensation consistent with that which might have been awarded in tort proceedings. The Act was a means of allowing the vicitms to avoid the delays that would have resulted from litigation while at the same time, removing the uncertainty and risk attendant to litigation. In exchange for proceeding under the Act, the vicitms were required to give up their right to sue in court, abandon any claim for punitive damages and accept a variety of other procedural restrictions. Congress never made any mention of limitations on economic and/or noneconomic damages. Several comments made by the Special Master, in his Statement of December 20, 2001, raise concerns about the fixing and/or limitation of damages. For example, in his comments, the Special Master stated: We have concluded that the purpose of the Act is not simply to examine economic and noneconomic harm, but also to provide compensation that is just and appropriate in light of claimants' individual circumstances. We have concluded that any methodology that does nothing more than attempt to replicate a theoretically possible future income stream would lead to awards that would be insufficient relative to the needs of some vicitms' families, and excessive relative to the needs of others. The statute specifies that individual circumstances beyond economic and noneconomic harm should be taken into account. It is our view that, absent extraordinary circumstances, award in excess of $3 million, tax-free, will rarely be appropriate in light of individual needs and resources. This imposition of an apparent cap on economic damages is an unauthorized exercise of power in the part of the Special Master. The Statement creates an arbitrary, pre-determined notion of what the outer limits of an award should be. Unquestionably, that was not the intent of the Congress in creating the Fund program. Rather the Fund was intended to establish a process that entitles each claimant to a hearing where he/she can present evidence and witnesses if he/she desires to do so. The fundamental premise behind having a hearing is to allow each claim be analyzed on an individual, case-by-case basis. Only through individual review can "just" and "appropriate" compensation be accomplished. As the ABA previously stated, a pre-determined grid or matrix of awards will defeat the function and purpose of the Act. Similarly, arbitrary limitations on economic damages will have the same effect and will erode the confidence of the public in the Fund program's ability to provide full and fair compensation and due process protection. Additionally, while refernce is made in the IFR's to the possibility of exceeding the presumed limitation of $3 million, when "extraordianry circumstances" are presented, the term "extraordianry circumstances" is not defined. Therefore, there is no predictability, and potential claimants cannot make an informed decision on wheter to waive their fundamental right to file a lawsuit and proceed under the Fund program. On the issue of noneconomic damages, the IFR's are even more restrictive than the SPecial Master's remarks regading economic damages. More specifically, with respect to noneconomic damages, the Special Master states: ...the Special Master and the Deparment have concluded that the most rational and just way to approach the imponderable task of placing a dollar amount upon the pain, emotional suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental anguish suffered by the thousands of victims of the September 11 attacks is to assess the noneconomic losses fo rcategories of claimants. The most obvious distinction is between those who died and those who suffered physical injury but survived. The regulations therefore set a presumed award for noneconomic losses sustained. For those vicitms who died as a result of the September 11 aircraft crashes, the presumed noneconomic losses will be $250,000, plus an additional $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent of the deceased victim. These pre-determined limitations on both economic and noneconomic damages cast doubt on the individualized decision-making goals of the Fund program and abandon any effort to adhere to the individualized, claim-by-claim system envionsed and intended by Congress. It appears that the Special Master has substituted his views about what is a "just" award, and "appropriate" compensation before any evidence has been put before him from a single Claimant. Moreover, this presumptive award does not take into account variables such as the ages of the spouse and/or dependent(s) of an individual who died in the September 11, 2001 events. Further doubt is cast on whether the individualized decision making goals of the Fund program will be met under the IFR's because of the following comment: Claimants should not expect awards grossly in excess of the highest awards listed on the Special Master's presumed award chart, as the individual circumstances of the wealthiest and highest-income claimants will often indicate that multi-million dollar awards out of the public coffers are not necessary to provide them with a strong economic foundation from which to rebuild their lives. Moreover, the employment of the range of limitations set out in the IFR;s defeats the Special Master's own first objective which is to create a process that is "efficient, straight foward and understandable to the claimants." There can be no understanding where there are no standards (unless the presumptive limits are not presumptive and binding.) There can be nothing straight foward if presumptions are on-again, off-again tools. Additionally, the caps on damages and presumed awards don not conform with the intent of Congress. Instead of allowing a real evidentiary hearing at which evidence can be aired, without prejudgement, and damages can be fixed by hearing officers well versed in such matters, as was suggested in the ABA's earlier comments, the IFR's are filled with presumptions and caps on damages which were never envisioned by Congress in enacting the Fund program. This cuts across the grain of fair and just compensation. Although the ABA appreciates the fact that the IFR's do not impose an absolute cap, but instead a presumptive cap on pain and suffering awards, we are disappointed that there is a presumptive cap. By use of this presumptive cap and by subtracting collateral sources from the awards, seriously injured persons who are in most need of pain and suffering awards will recieve less than full compensation for the harm caused them to while less seriously injured persons may receive full compensation for their injuries. We believe that the nation recognizes that the injuries caused by pain and suffering as a result of the September 11 tragedy should be fully compensated and especially so for those most seiously impacted. In addtion to the above comments with respect to economic and noneconmic damges, the IFR's present a number of other issues which warrant further review and consideration. Rescue Workers Receive no Benefits Under Current IFR's The IFR's suggest that "rescue workers" (an undefined term) should receive special benefits. Almost everyone would applaud providing special and generous benefits to the heroic rescue workers at the World Trade Center and Pentagon; however, a careful review of the IFR's as they exist, leaves the rescue workers with nothing but an empty promise. Due to existing compensation programs and the Special Master's interpretation of the collateral source deduction requirement, virtually no uniformed safety or rescue workers will qualify for any benefits whether the window of qualifications under the IFR's is held open for 96 hours or 20 years. By making collateral source deductions apply against all losses, both economic and noneconomic, the Special Master had excluded virtually all rescue workers (at least those in government employ) from benefits because their collateral payment will generally exceed any award the Special Master might otherwise make. Only if, as the ABA has urged, noneconomic damages are excluded from collateral source deduction will the heroic uniformed rescue workers have any reasonable prospect of recovering significant amounts from the Fund. It is a grave error that such individuals have, in reality, been excluded from the Fund. They will certainly recover their economic losses without the intervention of the Fund. If policemen, firemen, EMS workers, etc. are to be compensated for noneconomic loss, the present approach to the collateral source deductions must be changed. Noneconomic Loss of Those Physically Injured The Special Master has suggested in his "Statement" that it ["may be] appropriate to give some percentage of the noneconomic loss award given for victims who died" to those who were physically injured. Those who have suffered truly serious injury and survived will have far more long-lasting pain and suffering, disfigurement, etc. than those who died. To suggest that these living victims should receive smaller awards does not seem logical whether you look at it from a common sense perspective, on the basis of well-established tort principles, or in light of the apparent intentions of Congress (as set forth in its expansive definition of noneconomic loss). This issue must be further reviewed in order to assure that fair and reasonable compensation is provided to living victms consistent with the evidence unique to each claimant. Collateral Sources Deductions from Pain and Suffering Awards The ABA is pleased that the Special Master chose not to deduct charitable sources as a collateral source, for all of the reasons we set forth in our earlier comments. The ABA also believes, however, that it is equally inappropriate to deduct from pain and suffering awards collateral sources from such things as life insurance, etc. Pain and suffering awards are entirely different than awards for economic losses. They are meant to be a salve for those who suffer and are scarred physically or emotionally. They are not meant to substitute for economic losses. It is therefore inconsistent with the purpose of providing pain and suffering awards to deduct collateral sources from these awards. If we could find another way to try to make up for the pain and suffering that occurred, we would, but know of no other way to begin to try and make up for it except through the use of money to compensate for these losses. The pain and suffering award tells the victim that we understand something of what he or she went through and want to make up it as best we can. If we deduct collateral sources from the awards, we are undercutting that purpose and adding salt to the wounds. Waiver of Claims to Receive Immediate Advance Appears Coercive Requiring waiver of claims in order to receive the immediate advance payment of $25,000 or $50,000 is unduly harsh on the most needy and vulnerable victims of September 11. At a minimum, claimants in need of such immediate relief should have the opportunity to complete an "undertaking" to repay the funds and rescind their waiver within the period in which the Victim Compensation Fund is active. We recognize that some poor claimants may not be able to make this repayment, but believe that is a small cost to absorb in order to relieve the potentically coercive nature of this provision of the IFR's. The rationale for this is discussed in detail below. In his Statement introducing the Interim Final Rule, the Special Master recognizes the importance of claimants being empowered "to enter the program - or choose not to enter the program - with an understanding of how their claims will be treated. This is especially important because the Act provides that, upon submission of a claim, a claimant waives the right to file a civil action for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 attacks." The structure of the IFR's waiver provision is problematic. The IfR's as currently drafted, create the possibility of cliamants waiving their legal right to file a civil action without receiving any benefit. At the very least, the IFR's should establish that claimants who are found ineligible by the Special Master have not waived any of their legal rights to file a civil action for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 attacks. It must be clarified what the impact of the IFR's office of an immediate advance payment of $50,000 in cases involving death, or $25,000 in certain cases involving serious physical injury will be. While it is appreciated that this provision is intended to help those most desperately in need of financial assistance, there is concern about the potentially coercive consequences of such a provision. In order to receive this immediate financial assistance, claimants have to permanently waive their right to file a lawsuit for damages sustained as a result of the September 11 outrages. While claimants who are financially secure may have the luxury of declining this offer of assistance, in exchange for having more time to weigh their options, financially desperate individuals may feel that they have no choice but to apply for this advance payment, regardless of whether or not that decision will best serve their long-term interests. As a result, this provision appears coercive to the most vulnerable segment of the population, the very segment it was designed to assist. Hearing Offices Cannot Become Adversaries of Cliamants at Hearings The fraud detection and interrogation functions should be distinct and separate from the work of Hearing Officers. The present IFR's are exceedingly vague on this point and appear to suggest that the Special master may use any and all of his designees, including Hearing Officers, to cross-examine claimants and to probe for fraud. Abuse must be eliminated, but this must not be part of the Hearing Officer's job. Instead, any such probing should be part of the assignment and duties of other specifically designated officials. Any other approach will inevitably leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Claimants and will undermine the legitimacy of the function of Hearing Officers and the process, itself. This would erode public confidence and trust in the program's ability to offer full and fair compensation and due process protection. Inevitably, the Fund program will be scrutinized by numerous bodies, including various governmental agencies, public interest groups and the media. One can only imagine the backlash that will result if the Hearing Officers are perceived as the adversaries of the Cliamants at the hearing stage. In order to maintain the integrity of the system, fraud detection and interrogation functions must be distinct and separate from the work of Hearing Officers. Adversarial friction is likely to be fostered because of the previously discussed limitations on economic and/or noneconomic damages. Having an arbitrary limitation on economic and/or noneconomic damages will result in the perception that the Hearing Officer is an adversary to the claimant as opposed to an unbiased, neutral decision-maker, who is working to award fair and reasonable compensation based on the evidence presented. This perception will obviate the trust and faith in the integrity of the system. Attorney's Fees The ABA continues to support the propossition that all Claimants should be instructed to seek legal counsel if they so desire and should be referred to pro bono services that may be available. In the event that a claimant chooses to retain counsel instead of utilizing the available pro bono services, it is incumbent on the Special Master to make sure that fee arrangements are written in plain language that clearly identifies the basis on which a fee is to be calculated so that the victims and their families have an understanding of what the fee arrangements are. Schedules or Statistical Methodologies The ABA maintains, as urged in the ABA Task Force on Terrorism's pervious submission, that schedules and statistical methodologies should not be developed and used. The intent of Congress in establishing the Fund program was to create a process that entitles each claimant to a hearing at which he/she can present evidence and withnesses if he/she desires to do so. This requires that each claim be analyzed on and individual case-by-case basis. The pre-determined schedules and charts that have been created defeat the purpose and function of the Act; moreover, having schedules and charts in place is likely to erode public confidence in the program's ability to offer full and fair compensation and due process protection for the same reasons discussed above relating to the limitations and caps on damages. The proposed pre-determined chart do not promote the goal of fairness and individualized claims receiving reasonable awards consistent with the evidence that is unique to each claimant. Instead, they give the perception that the Fund program is a take it or leave it proposition. This was certainly not the intent of the Congress in passing this legislation. As previously stated, there is no doubt that the Justice Department and the Special Master put forth extensive effort in creating these IFR'S. However, the IFR's must be consistent with the Congressional mandate, and the letter and spirit of the law must be honored. Respectfully submitted, Comment by: The American Bar Association September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 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 dojN002444.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. 2002-01-18 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. Thursday, March 21, 2002 10:13 AM 9/11 Fund Discrimination I think it is absolutely horrible and appalling that fetuses and illegal immigrants are getting more priority from the 9/11 Fund than partners of gays and lesbians affected by 9/11. There were many gay and lesbian heroes who died for our country that day: , one of the three men who rushed the hijackers on flight 93; , who lost his life while giving last rites to a fireman. Yet you are telling these people that they are NOT equal in this country by denying them what they are entitled to from this fund. That makes you no better than the Taliban themselves. I thought this country was going to change after 9/11, that it was going to try to be a better, open place. Thank you for proving that discrimination and hatred is still alive and well within our own borders... Individual Comment Lakewood, OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 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 dojR002492.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. 2002-03-21 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. Monday, January 14, 2002 9:38 AM comments 1. You need to allow separate claims for divorced families separate from the victims new spouse. The current spouse is recipient of much and the previous family very little. It will interfere with the payout of the children from first marriage if the new spouse is on the claim. Under these circumstances you need to allow a second claim for the first family which in most cases had the longer relationship to the victim anyway. 2. You need to be cognizant of the new spouse receiving millions and the children of first marriage with little compensation. You need to do deductions for equality. Individual Comment White Plains, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 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 dojN001579.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. 2002-01-14 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. Monday, March 18, 2002 1:20 PM 9/11 $ Attachment 1: ALL CITIZENS, STRAIGHT, GAY, DISABLED OR WHAT HAVE YOU, SHOULD AND MUST RECEIVE BENEFITS FROM THE 911 FUND. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE FOR DISCRIMINATION IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF OURS. IT SHOULD NOT AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. GAY AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE THE SAME BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS AS ALL OTHER AMERICANS. OUR FAMILIES ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANYH STRAIGHT FAMILY, IF NOT MORE SO. GAY HOLY UNIONS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED ALSO, THEN THE DISCRIMIATION THAT IS GOING ON WITH THE 911 FUND WOULD NOT BE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. THIS IS 2002, AND IT IS TIME ALL AMERICANS HAD THE SAME RIGHTS. IT IS AN INNJUSTICE WHEN YOU GIVE ILLEGAL ALIENS RIGHTS OVER OUR OWN BORN AND BREED AMERICAN CITIZENS! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. WAKE UP Individual Comment 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 dojR001927.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. 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 Minneapolis,MN 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 dojA004696.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 9:37 PM Gay Victims Please don't discriminate against Gay's, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders who lost a significant other in the Sept 11th tragedy. Thank you 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 dojA000591.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. 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 Denver, CO 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 dojA001940.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:42 PM Partners 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 Anaheim, 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 dojA004510.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. 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 Toms River, NJ 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 dojA002270.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, January 22, 2002 11:44 PM compensation Mr. Zwick, After reading all of the materials regarding the compensation to families of the victims of the WTC attack, including the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, I find the Dept. of Justice?s interim final regulations highly inadequate, and showing practically nothing of the intent that Congress had laid out. I feel that the method of consideration does not adequately propose compensation that is just for the horrible way in which those who lost their lives. My brother, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , was a victim of the attack and losing him has left a hole in this family that really can?t be replaced. And although he didn?t leave any economic dependents, because he was single with no children, the emotional and mental anguish left us, his siblings and father, was devastating. And with these interim regulations others, especially those widows with children, are left high and dry by the DOJ because of their under valuation of economic and non economic rewards. Others in comparable cases have received so much more. If this government can find 15 billion dollars to bail out the airlines, surely they can find enough to justly compensate the families of that horrific day. Please, we implore the DOJ to do what is right and fair concerning this. Don?t let this drag out into long and arduous court battles that would put these families through so much more anguish. Let the intent of Congress come to fruition for the families of the victims, who are all American heroes. Individual Comment 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 dojN002378.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 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 Manchester, NH 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 dojA004471.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. 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 Wilmington, DE 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 dojA003662.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. Friday, December 14, 2001 3:19 AM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice 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. 2001-12-14 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 dojA001700.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. Monday, December 17, 2001 11:22 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 , 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 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 Coarsegold, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 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 dojA002152.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. 2001-12-17 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. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:30 PM Victim Compensation I favor a cap of, perhaps, $100,000 on charitable contributions that will not be considered collateral sources. Clearly, reasonable charitable contributions were never intended by the donors to offset government expenditures. To rule them so would create a severe disincentive to charitable giving. That would not be in the public interest. Individual Comment Santa Barbara, CA 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 dojW000076.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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 12:15 PM Fair compensation for victim's families 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 yours, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-06 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 dojA001161.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. 2001-12-06 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. Sunday, February 10, 2002 8:36 PM Sept 11 Victim Compensation Fund - respect gay rights Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. Kenneth 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. Mr. Zwick, 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 Syracuse, New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-10 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 dojP000483.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. 2002-02-10 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 7:54 PM gay-amercians to whom it may concern... i just wanted to voice my opion about the matter of our gay-amercians. they deserve the same repect as others. we as amercians are made up of all people. sept. 11 was a very sad day for us all. but when people came to help someone did not stand there with a check list of who is gay and who isnt. it doesnt matter what one may belive in, thats why our nation is know as being free. we as people choose our way of live but when it comes to choose weither or not to save a live there isnt a question, you are a hero. those people who help save people on that day or who lost their life that day in the process are heros. they deserve the same treatment as any other. thanks- 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 dojR001540.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