155 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. Tuesday, January 29, 2002 9:57 AM Re: $250,000 cap for non-econmic loss. As Mr. Feinberg said on NY 1 last night, firefighters and soldiers killed in the line of duty would receive this amount. I t seems it me that they do a job which comes with the risk of injury or death in the course of normal work duties. People ,who work in office buildings, do not think that they face the possibiltiy of being incinerated by terrorists. I also resent references to the generosity of the government in establishing the victims compensation fund. I think part of the motivation was self-serving. This is wrongful death and a liability issue to me. It is an attempt to protect the airlines,who are at fault for their lack of security. These terrorist were not carrying plastic explosives which could not be detected but metal weapons. The government, itself, is at fault. The F.B.I. and the C.I.A. were asleep on the job and President Clinton was too busy chasing women around the Oval Office while terrorists lived among us. Today, in a lawsuit against Starbucks, a jury awarded 3.5 million dollars to a person who received a serious burn to the hand and the families of the WTC disaster must deduct life insurance payments from their compensation. Is that justice? Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-29 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 dojP000263.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. 2002-01-29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:55 AM Crisis Relief Benefits December 19, 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 Lone Tree, IA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 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 dojA002908.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. 2001-12-19 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 21, 2001 6:27 AM Justice help all terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment Floral Park, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 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 dojN001411.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. 2001-12-21 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. 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 Providence, RI 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 dojA001941.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. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:47 PM compensate 9-11 equally Dear President Bush and Friends at Department of Justice, Every segment of our society was affected by the horrible events of September 11th. So many loved ones were torn from their families and partners. Some of the committed couples that were torn apart were not married. These include heterosexual and homosexual couples who were making a life together. It is not the place of the September 11th Fund to judge the victims of September 11th, nor to play favorites. You have shown great moral courage in offering compensation to illegal immigrants, the least you can do is show the same grace towards citizens who also lost their life partners, but happened not to be married to them. Your purpose should be to help those most in need. People whose life partners were killed on September 11th have been greatly traumatized and lost family income they depended on. Because of prejudicial laws they may even lose their homes or other assets and be even more financially devastated by the loss of their life partner than those who were married. Tell me, when Americans responded to September 11th with a flood of donations, did all those checks come in the charities with notes saying "restrict these funds to heterosexual and married victims"? No, because donors wanted to help those who needed help, regardless of their personal characteristics. Did the passengers on flight refuse his heroic efforts because he was homosexual? No, people should be judged on their actions, not on their life partners. Do we restrict the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship to heterosexual married people only? No, our nation is strong due to a rich, diverse society of contributers who are both single and married, heterosexual and homosexual. Please honor the spirit of generosity which you originally sought to facilitate in response to this devastating event. Sincerely, Individual Comment Fairfax, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 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 dojR000640.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. 2002-03-13 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 15, 2002 8:24 PM Help same sex partners of terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment Tampa, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 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 dojN001865.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. 2002-01-15 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 of September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage worker and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning million of dollars per year might receive thousand 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 Boulder, 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 dojA005517.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 28, 2001 9:27 AM All patners deserve crisis relief benefits December 28, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I am writing 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 New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001064.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. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 8:39 AM Subject: Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Feinberg, What if it was your child on the 104th floor of Tower One on September 11th? Respectfully submitted, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-23 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 dojP000013.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. 2002-01-23 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 13, 2002 10:17 PM Equal for all Greetings, I am reading about the possibility that partners of the gay and lesbian victims of September 11 will NOT be equally (if at all) compensated in the way that heterosexual family members of 9/11 victims will be. I hope to God this is not the case, because to rate some people as more deserving or more American than others for reasons of sexual orientation is completely unfair, and domestic terrorism at its worst. You know darn well the laws are far behind the realities, and do not recognize gay couples as married and therefore you can't cop out by saying Well if the state doesn't recognize you as a couple then neither can we... September 11 changed a lot of perspectives and broke into new territory and took risks, this damn well better be one of those times. You can do a little bit of homework -- and chances are their partners would do it for you -- proving a committed relationship, proving a life together, whether it is the same residence, changed / shared last names, children, beneficiary listings, healthcare proxies, wills, and many many many other ways that clearly indicate who the life partner of the 9/11 hero was. These people left behind have been through unspeakable tragedy already, but to then be ignored as if that relationship was less central than any other widow or widower's is completely heartless. Do you not see that? If you need volunteers to help you organize how to distribute funding fairly to ALL the partners of the 9/11 tragedy, I'm sure you need only to ask. President George W. Bush said if you do not side with Freedom, then you are siding with Terrorism. Well, whose side ARE you on??? Sincerely, Individual Comment Massachusetts September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 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 dojR000703.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. 2002-03-13 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. November 26, 2001 VIA EMAIL AND OVERNIGHT MAIL DELIVERY September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Note of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 3140 Washington, DC 20530 Re: Comments to the Notice of Inquiry and advance notice of rulemaking for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dated November 5, 2001 To the Office of Management Programs: Please accept our comments to the advance notice of rulemaking for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 offered for public review on November 5, 2001. We provide these comments as a leading global financial services firm headquartered in New York with over $42 billion in stockholder equity and over $799 billion in assets. Our perspective on the Fund, and specifically its system for processing and compensating the victims of the September 11 attacks, comes from our extensive knowledge and operational experience in the administration of large and complex trusts and what is entailed in carrying out a massive compensation project. It is based on our 200 years of experience in providing trust and payment services to clients. Trust and fiduciary services are a core competency of the Firm and JPMorgan currently manages over $2.2 trillion in trust and custodial assets. We are administering the $5 billion National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust, which makes annual payments to nearly one half million tobacco growers and quota holders. We regularly assist in numerous settlement payment requirements arising from complex litigation. As an institution, JPMorgan is deeply committed to providing whatever assistance or resources we have toward the effort of serving victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. We believe this is an effort that must succeed for the sake of our community and the nation. Our experience in these matters indicates that design of the system is the absolutely critical component to the successful administration of a large and public trust settlement. The key is simplicity in design of the system. To be successful, the system implemented here must rely on data management and data aggregation capacity, smart and professional victim assistance counselors, multi-faceted outreach, and the ability to transfer funds quickly and accurately. Congress created the compensation fund as an alternative to litigation for victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. As the November 5th notice states: "Litigation to obtain damages, particularly in a massive tort context, can be a lengthy, uncertain, process, filled with substantial risk and expense. The purpose of this compensation program is to offer all potential claimants a more expeditious, predictable, and less complex alternative to that process." We limit our comments to the fundamental operational decisions and practices that will enable the Fund to meet the intent of the legislation -- delivery of compensation payments to victims in an accurate, predictable and expedited manner. The law requires a very rapid turnaround from the filing of claims to the payment of compensation to victims who have suffered deeply from the extraordinary events of September 11th. The legal deadlines can be met, but only if the guiding philosophy in the administration of the Fund remains that it be a less complex alternative to litigation. To the degree that decisions are made that move away from more standardized practices, the Fund will approach litigation in complexity. Operationally, the number of claim disputes will increase, limiting the Fund's ability to rapidly distribute payments. At JP Morgan we appreciate the opportunity to contribute our experience in trust management to this process of determining how to rapidly distribute assistance to those who were harmed, to minimize the incidents of disputes, and to ensure that the Special Master is able to discharge his responsibilities in time prescribed in the law and in a manner which will provide maximum benefit to the victims while minimizing the administrative costs. Topics # 1 and 2: The Forms To Be Used in Submitting Claims Under This Program and the Information To Be Included on the Claims Form Claims forms should be designed to elicit the necessary information without being complex and confusing. They need to support a transparent system based on careful cataloging and assimilation of documents , thereby allowing the Fund to make quick and accurate payments to eligible victims. Fundamental to the design of these forms must be compatibility with existing data management systems. Accurate determinations to the key questions of whether the claimant was physically present and whether the claimant suffered physical harm will require supporting third party documents. To meet the twin goals of speed and accuracy these documents must respond to precise questions designed to provide the essential data supporting the claim so as to require a minimum amount of document interpretation. The unique and terrible nature of this tragedy means that many claims should be easily determined. This requires a form designed to expedite processing and permit speedy awards. Our recommendation is that forms be designed so the complexity of various claims can be easily differentiated, thereby allowing awards to be made more quickly in the simpler cases. It is essential the system be viewed as fairly and openly administered and that the basis for awards can be easily understood. CLAIM FILING PROCEDURE For efficiency and to address the question of when the 120-day determination clock begins, the Special Master should not be part of the claim filing process. Rather, claim filing should be considered a two step process. The first step would be a review of claim forms for completeness and accuracy by a third party. The second step would be the forwarding of the claim forms by the third party, after they are deemed ready, to the Special Master. Only when received by the Special Master would they be considered officially filed and trigger the 120-day determination period. DESIGN FORMS The form's design and the information to be included should adhere to the following principles: Good data It is absolutely essential that the forms capture the needed data. This will require experience in system design and management based on the knowledge of what information is critical and the capability to confirm the accuracy of the information. Form design should avoid open-ended questions. Instead the forms' design must produce very specific and exact data. Secondly, each data field should request only one type of data to prevent multiple inputs of the same information within the form, thereby avoiding the potential of discrepancies. Standardization The form design should be simple to complete and standardized to ensure that the key data is captured for all claims. Instructions should be written in plain language, not legalese. the design should also make data entry simple. Additionally, the form should be divided into clear sections to again facilitate data entry and information research. This will help accelerate classification and preparation of claim report. Lastly there should be one common process with a common set of forms, so that every claim includes the same information and claimants are not confused by which form to file. Machine readability With such a tight timeframe and the need to keep consistent and accurate records, it is extremely desirable to create a system with forms that can be scanned into a computer system. Transparency A system design that focuses on simplicity and is easy to understand will stand up to public scrutiny, eliminate confusion, and minimize disputes. Predictability An application system based on transparency, simplicity, and uniformity of supplementary documentation will lend itself to fairness and predictability of outcome. The claims certification process should be so predictable that any person looking at an application would make the same judgment as to validity of the application or the need for additional information Designed to expedite awards/Pre-awards The application should incorporate a design that would gather the fundamental information up front so that you can provide qualifying victims a pre-award. In other words, it is possible to design a system where especially needy victims who have already suffered economic harm can receive interim relief. Supplementary data can then be assembled to complete the application and determine a final award. Multi-lingual The application design and information requirements should take into consideration the needs of non-English speaking claimants. Topic # 3 Procedures for Hearing and the Presentation of Evidence With the large number of potential claimants and only 120 days to make determinations, the system will need to have a reliable record system supported by documents requiring a minimal amount of interpretation and so that the system avoids becoming subjective. A properly designed application and certification process will minimize the number of claims disputed as to qualification or amount of claim. Nevertheless, some number of cases will simply be disputed. A quick and informed process of claim presentation is necessary. The decisions should be quick and the relevant principles immediately recorded as consistent with the standards and precedents defined at the outset of the program. As an example of how a standardized, operationally sound program can expedite claim payment and limit challenges, JPMorgan consulted with the Commonwealth of Kennedy on a claim certification and dispute resolution program for tobacco farmer claims. There were more than 140,000 valid claimants, and disputes were heard in fewer that 150 cases, with funds being paid out for all claimants 90 days after the applications were received. A timetable, like what is envisioned for the September 11th Victims Funds is complex, but doable. Simplicity The fewer the variables, the faster and more accurately the payments can be made to claimants. Speed Direct and immediate payments will make clear that the September 11th Fund has only one goal, rapidly providing assistance to victims. the process for submitting evidence should be designed to expedite claim management, reduce the need for third party assistance, and reduce the potential for fraud. Access to Records The compressed schedule will also put a premium on the need for accurate records which are both readily accessible and easy to interpret. Responsive and Accurate The records system must have the capability to track and respond to pre and post payment administrative issues. The Special Master needs to have confidence that the right funds get to the right person. Topic #4: Procedures to assist an Individual in Filing and Pursuing Claims Under this Title Outreach to the victims who are eligible for compensation must be professional, comprehensive, and personal. Information about how to apply for compensation should be shared with victims using all forms of the media. Claim applications need to be straightforward. The staff who speak directly with the victims must be knowledgeable, professional, and sensitive. A well designed outreach and victim's assistance program should: Keep forms simple and available Forms should be easily obtained, understandable, and easy to complete. Provide access to non-English speaking The application process should be accessible to non-English speaking claimants. Utilize a Website A website should be designed and put up immediately to serve as an information source for victims and to enable electronic filing of applications. Public outreach meetings Highly trained individuals should hold a series of informational meetings in the metropolitan area to bring applications to victims and help them understand the process. Frequently Asked Questions A list of frequently asked questions should be prepared as quickly as possible and made widely available. Media The outreach campaign should make aggressive use of the media when the program is launched to convey information and to encourage immediate responses. Disaster Relief Organizations The Special Master should meet with the Disaster Relief Organizations who are already responding to the tragedy both for victim outreach but also as part of the design process for determining assistance from collateral sources. Expertly staffed 800 number Not everyone has internet access and an expertly staffed 800 number with professionals who are capable of leading a victim through the application process will be for many their primary interaction with the September 11th Victim Fund. Computer tracking/Contact log All interactions should be tracked and logged to keep clear and accurate files on victims. Topic #5: Claimant Eligibility The Special master needs to establish clear rules for determining claimant eligibility and have in place definitions of "personal representatives" and a process for how to identity is determined. This is especially important with a rolling claim award program where applications and awards will not be all made at the same time. With this Fund, there is the potential that a claim could be awarded to an individual claiming to be the personal representative before the official personal representative even applies. These personal representative determination rules can be reflected in the design of the application and the record management system. One component of the system should be a design to flag duplicative claimants for eligible individuals. Accurate record keeping for these cases is at a premium. In cases where there is uncertainty or a dispute over who is the appropriate personal representative of the victim, we would advise making a claim determination and holding the award payment in escrow. Topic #6 Nature and Amount of Compensation Based on our experience with the preference of beneficiaries in other trusts, the Special Master may need to consider lump sum cash payments to the victims as their preferred award option. There are potential advantages to such a system, although an annuity plan may be the preferred course. In this special case, money gets to the victims immediately. It would also enable the Special Master to complete the program faster. Economic Loss/Noneconomic loss In a program with such a large number of potential claimants, there is a strong need to err on the side of simple criteria, defining very finite standards which include a manageable number of variables in regard to situation and amount of claim. The system should asking open-ended questions calling for description as opposed to using very specific questions designed to elicit clear data. As an example a question which asks for a description of a victim's compensation will not yield as complete data as questions designed to ask specifically about the individual elements of a compensation plan. The goal should be to allow a nearly immediate determination of the claim with the proper documentation and information to minimize the need to exercise judgment or discretion as to individual cases. Fraud Prevention Measures There are three principles our experience has shown are effective tools in preventing fraud. First, create clear documents standards in the application process. Second, make quick determination and awards where possible; and third, offer financial advisory assistance to claimants after awards are made. A balance must be struck between sufficient supplementary document requirements and creating a process which is so onerous that potential claimants prefer the alternative of litigation. Define acceptable documentation It is absolutely critical to establish at the front end what information is required for an application and what will constitute acceptable documentation to support the claim. Uniformity and standardization will make it harder to manipulate the system. Build compatible data exchange with collateral source An experienced and sophisticated trust manager will have the capacity to develop data exchange capabilities with other record keepers in order to collaborate or fill in the information gaps in victim applications. Establish third party sources for immediate verification As part of the process for defining acceptable documentation, it is vital to establish acceptable third party sources to facilitate the verification of applications. Cross check data The data management system should automatically cross check the data entered on forms with related data contained in supplementary documents. For example, wages declared on the form should be cross-checked with income filed on a 1040 form. Supplementary documents should also be inspected for tampering. Quick determination to eligible victims with clear needs Quick determinations will demonstrate a commitment to distributing payments to victims and will minimize the need for unnecessary intermediary fees. Bring in team of investment advisors Though not explicit in the proposed rulemaking, the government should consider the potential for post award fraud and how that can be minimized. Victims who receive large compensation benefits may not be prepared to manage those funds and may be vulnerable to bad advice. As an operational issue, in addition to the data management and payment of awards, JPMorgan strongly recommends that a team of qualified investment advisors be offered as an additional victim's counseling resource to help beneficiaries think through how to manage those funds. JPMorgan appreciates the opportunity to submit comments for your review and urges the Department to consider how these fundamental operational decisions will effect the ability of the Fund to be a viable alternative to litigation by enabling it to expedite the fair and accurate delivery of compensation to the victims of this horrible tragedy. Comments by: JP Morgan September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 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 dojW000756.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. 2001-11-26 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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 6:29 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund I have just read, with indignation, if what I read is true, that homosexual partners of some September 11 victims will not receive the same compensation as heterosexual partners of victims. Again, if this is true, it is an outrage. If what is needed is proof of a legal, civil, or religious commitment to the victim, that is clearly denied homosexuals, no matter how hard they try to obtain the right to marry or enter into a legal civil union. Since the state and federal government prohibit that action of legal connection, it only adds insult to injury to further denigrate this group by rejecting its fair claim to legal compensation. I am incredulous. Again, if what I read is true, I only hope that discriminated against partners of victims decide instead to sue and financially shut down the airlines instead! That will be their only recourse left by the 50 States of the Union in denying legal marriage, and the US Government in its ridiculous Defense of Marriage Act. If there are other reasons for denying these partners of US heroes, what can they be? It couldn't possibly be blatant discrimination--that is un-American. Pay them. Give them my tax dollars. My heart goes out to the loved ones, even gay loved ones of our September 11 heroes. May we keep the memories of and alive in our American consciousness. Most sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 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 dojR001173.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. 2002-03-16 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 21, 2001 12:59 PM Help all victims of terrorist attack Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 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 dojN000461.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. 2001-12-21 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, March 18, 2002 5:33 PM Anti-gay discrimination It is criminal that the 9/11 fund will not provide support for the gay partners of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks. This is a tremendous dishonor to the memories of the gay men and women who died trying to save other Americans. It is discrimination pure and simple. There is no excuse. Individual Comment Minneapolis, MN 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 dojR002140.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. Thursday, November 08, 2001 8:46 AM (no subject) I was shocked and dismayed to learn yesterday that as a person who witnessed the attack on the WTC from my bedroom window, had to be evacuated from my home, and is STILL displaced from my home, I am not considered to be a victim of the attacks according to the official definition. My heart aches for those who lost loved ones, and I worry for those who lost jobs and businesses in Lower Manhattan. I consider myself lucky to have escaped "merely" traumatized, with my neighborhood in tatters. Please don't minimize the damage done by the terrorists by limiting your definition of who was victimized to those who lost loved ones or income. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-08 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 dojW000231.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. 2001-11-08 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 28, 2001 2:00 PM Please Listen December 28, 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 Largo, Fl September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001046.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. 2001-12-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 11, 2002 11:31 AM I am terribly saddened... Sirs, When I gave money to help those Americans involved in the tradegy of September 11th, I certainly did not intend for you all to take my generous contribution and use it to further promote hatred and bigotry. In an appearance on the Sunday, March 10 broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg makes it so terribly clear that his agenda is just that; cut anyone who is not "heterosexual" out of the fund. His ramblings about state law do nothing to sway me and only further sadden me at the terrible mishandling of our generously donated funds. I donated so EVERYONE personally effected in the heinous act would be somehow compensated for their loss. You now, in your ingnorance, wish to deny those Americans who happen to be Gay or Lesbian the same rights to my donation as even illegal immigrants will receive. Shame shame shame on you. If I had known then what I know now, I would think twice about sending you one dime. ALL THE VICTIMS OF SEPTEMBER 11th DESERVE TO BE TREATED EQUALLY. EVERYONE OF THEM. Sadly, Individual Comment Los Angeles, CA 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 dojR000168.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 11:21 PM 911 Fund To whom it may concern: The tears I shed on September 11th have barely dried. My eyes are still red. My heart still aches. I am still dumbfounded at man's ability to bring such hurt, pain and destruction to another. Certainly, I was, and am bolstered by the spirit in which each of us supported and held each other. As an African American man, the days following September 11th, enveloped in the love and comfort of my fellow man, I, for the first time, truly felt like an American. I, like may other Americans, gave, as I could, anything that would help. Time, muscle, hugs, money. It was also my attention to give blood. I deeply wanted to give anything I could to help heal my fellow citizens, my countrymen, people, and strangers I now called friends. I was told, and believed, as we all did, that we were a nation united in peril fortified by our pain and struggle. That we were now one, that our differences, the things that separated us, were no longer important. I was told we should set those differences aside and rise to the great calling of our time, like our forefathers did before us, and so, I did. I tried to give blood, my blood, red, like every other Americans. Filled with the passion and toil of a life spent fighting for and believing in Freedom, as it was idealized in our constitution, as it was promised, was denied. My blood, red like every other Americans, is gay. In this country, united in peril, we were still separated, segregated, in blood. That was, to me, another terrorist attack. Only this time the enemy was more familiar. I cried for my country again on that day. Now, more than six months later, my tears have barely dried. My eyes are still red. My hurt still aches. They said we were a nation united in our peril and struggle. They said that we should put aside our petty differences, for we were all now the same America. On September 11th, many lives were cut short, many heroes died. One of those heroes was &nbsp , like the other heroes, had a mother who loved him deeply, &nbsp once wrestled a gun away from a mugger on a San Francisco Street. &nbsp was on flight #93. &nbsp , along with other heroes like &nbsp gave their life to spare us even greater pain. Senator John McCain spoke at &nbsp memorial. "I love my country, and I take pride in serving her. But I cannot say that I love her more or as well as &nbsp did, or the other heroes on United Flight 93 who gave their lives to prevent our enemies from inflicting an even greater injury on our country. It has been my fate to witness great courage and sacrifice for America's sake, but none greater than the selfless sacrifice of &nbsp and those good men who grasped the gravity of the moment, understood the threat, and decided to fight back at the cost of their lives." "I may very well owe my life to &nbsp and the others who summoned the enormous courage and love necessary to deny those depraved, hateful men their terrible triumph. Such a debt you incur for life." Another of those heroes was &nbsp . "That fateful morning last summer, while most New Yorkers were fleeing the streets surrounding the World Trade Center, the Associated Press reported that &nbsp put on his helmet, raced to ground zero, and started administering last rites to the firemen already fallen. But as soon as he removed his helmet to pray over the lifeless body of fireman &nbsp himself was to join the ranks of the heroes, hit by a chunk of falling debris, and instantly killed." (about.com) Over 2000 mourners came to say farewell to &nbsp . His memorial was presided over by the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan. Most notable in attendance was President William Jefferson Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. &nbsp was the &nbsp on flight &nbsp . He dreamed of flying and died living his dream. He is survived by his partner of 14 years, &nbsp . "In Washington, at least 1,000 people packed St. Matthews Cathedral on Tuesday, Sept. 18, for a memorial Mass for gay &nbsp . Dozens of pilots, flight attendants, and officials from American Airlines and other airline companies attended the St. Matthews service. D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and &nbsp partner of 14 years, delivered eulogies." (Washington Blade) &nbsp was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight #11. In 1999 &nbsp received the American Flight Attendant Award. &nbsp is survived by his partner &nbsp . &nbsp is still missing. She was an analyst working for the U.S. Armys management and budget office. It is likely that she perished when American Airlines flight #77 crashed into the Pentagon. Her partner of 17years, &nbsp , survives her. &nbsp and &nbsp perished on United Airlines Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center. The couple, together for ten years, had a three-year-old son, &nbsp , who also lost his life on Flight #175. &nbsp is survived by her partner &nbsp was once quoted as saying "I'm not afraid to die because I know where I am going is beautiful." (Washington Blade) Today, more than six months later, I still mourn these heroes. These and others, to numerous to name, whose death, united a nation. These ordinary people, who through their sacrifice, brought us face to face with our humanity and our greatness, or rather our potential for greatness. Today, however, my mourning is different. I am saddened today that in spite of our call for unity and patriotism, in spite of our decries of brotherhood and love, we have fallen short, once again, of our goal. Today, the sacrifice of these heroes, gay heroes, gay Americans, may go in vain. It is inconceivable that in the face of such inhumanity heaped upon us, that in our greatest pain, we would heap inhumanity on our brothers. These victims, these heroes, deserve the same respect in their death that all those who perished on September 11th deserve. They deserve the same dignity. Those they left behind mourn as deeply, and deserve the same rights, respect, benefit and aid as other survivors. We all were damaged on September 11th. We all hurt. Our president called us together and asked us to support one another. We cried together, we mourned together. Let us not part now. It is too soon. My tears have not yet dried, my eyes are still red. Let not, my arms be empty. John McCain said, when eulogizing &nbsp , "I will try very hard, very hard, to discharge my public duties in a manner that honors their memory. All public servants are now solemnly obliged to do all we can to help this great nation remain worthy of the sacrifice of New York City firefighters, police officers, emergency medical people, and worthy of the sacrifice of the brave passengers on Flight 93." Let us hold, each of us, to that promise, for it is good and just. And charge our hearts and souls to make ourselves worthy of the sacrifice of these heroes, as is our duty to ourselves and to God. Philadelphia,Pennsylvania 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 dojR001778.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 9:54 PM Comments I am very concerned over disparate treatment. How will these payouts differ from other victims of terrorism. I hear that they are going to be far larger than any crime victim or victim of other terrorism has ever received. What did the Lockerbie, Oklahoma City, Embassy Bombings receive from the Government for those terrorism acts? Also, it looks like firefighters and other uniformed member's relatives will get tremendous charitable allocations, any life insurance policies, full pensions to survivors, free tuitions, other perks, and a 250K death benefit payout apparently, as things are going....ON TOP of what the taxpayers give them from the Fund. Part of the justification is that they are heroes who rank higher than others in death. How will this compare to a security guard or WTC operator who stayed and risked their lives to help do the evacuation (all those guys and gals died), or for that matter, the soldiers in uniform who were past victims of terrorism -- most notably the USS Cole, Marines in Lebanon (1983), Air Force at Khobar Towers, and the soldiers and CIA who will die fighting the terrorists over the next several years. As you deliberate on the awards from this fund, think of what core underlying philosophy is at work....I understand about how income, number of dependents has influenced valuation of damages in the past....but now we are past that to evaluating the value of humans by profession. As the hierarchy seems to be now, based on the money each dead American is going to get.....A cop is the highest level of human, followed by a firefighter, then by an EMT, then by a bondtrader, then a security guard, then a US soldier, then a dishwasher. As long as they die in a famous terrorist incident, not a minor one like the 3 US military attaches who were assassinated in Turkey in the 90's, or a firefighter who dies in a fire, or a cop or a lesser human being (mere civilian) who dies at the hands of a common criminal. As a volunteer firefighter, I do not want to consider my life better than my civilian loved ones. I do not want to see a firefighter's family get 33 times the compensation that a sailor on the USS Cole's fatality list from the Al Qaeda attack. Making this a huge gulf, in terms of net "worth" between various American's lives is a huge mistake. It is fundamentally un-American. What happened to the belief that "All men are created equal"? Was that just meaningless words? Or, does life value somehow transform if instead of a business suit, a uniform is slapped on (except military folks)? Individual Comment Waterford, CT PS. I'm a volunteer firefighter and a Navy Vet. 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 dojN000142.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 8:36 AM 9/11 Fund To Discriminate Against Gay and Lesbian Survivors As a gay and Christian American, I am appalled at the U.S. government's stance on denying benefits to gay and lesbian survivors of the 9/11 attack. If illegal aliens are going to receive compensation, then so should my fellow gay Americans. Let's do what's right, America!! Equality for all!! Individual Comment Brandon, MS 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 dojR000052.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