176 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, December 18, 2001 11:13 PM Victims Relief Fund December 18, 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 Valdosta, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 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 dojA002435.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. 2001-12-18 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. Monday, January 28, 2002 9:01 PM compensation Text of the Victims Compensation Fund states: SEC. 403. PURPOSE. It is the purpose of this title to provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. If the government wishes to compensate the victims, then the compensation should not be reduced by any amount simply because the victims are being "compensated" by other sources. If, however, this is an attempt to provide a financial "safety net" for victims, then it is appropriate to take into consideration what other support they have. As for calculating lost earnings, I find this an exercise in folly. My brother attended Harvard for one year, had he died then one might assume he would go on to earn a significant income. He then moved to California and worked many odd jobs, most not payinf very much. Had he died then, his projected income would have been quite modest. He now holds a significant position in a respected company and certainly is earning more than anyone in his California days might have projected. I am thankful that I don't have to deal with these issues personally. I hope that those who do will be clear in what they are trying to do, and do it the best they can, and I hope that the victims of this horrible tragedy do not rely on money to ease their pain. Individual Comment Dunn Loring, Virginia September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-28 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 dojP000254.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. 2002-01-28 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. 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 Santa Rosa, CA 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 dojA004939.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, November 26, 2001 3:00 PM Attorney General Ashcroft Dear Attorney General Ashcroft,   The deaths on September 11th were the result of an attack on America. Please do not discriminate against the unmarried partners of September 11th victims.  All unmarried partners, gay or straight, young and old and their dependents should be eligible for compensation.   Individual Comment 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 dojW000612.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. Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515-3004 January 23, 2002 Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master September 11th Victims Compensation Fund The Feinberg Group 1120 20th Street, Northwest Washington, D.C. 20036 Dear Mr. Feinberg: Enclosed please find a copy of the letter I have sent to Attorney General Ashcroft on behalf of my constituents who remain very concerned about the proposed regulations for the administration of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. In compliance with the comment period, I have cosigned other congressional delegation letters that underscore the concerns with the proposed rules for the fund. The major objections, as you know, are centered on the low figure suggested for non-economic loss compensation for families and the offset from collateral sources. However, given the sentiments you expressed at the forum held last Wednesday at the East Brunswick Hilton, I felt it was important to not only share these concerns with you but also directly with the Attorney General. I am hopeful that I will be able to meet with the Attorney General to discuss this matter, shortly. In the meantime, you know the statute gives you great discretion in some areas and specifically directs you in others. I have drafted legislation to set a minimum for the non- economic compensation and to repeal the collateral offset. Your support for both of these provisions will be critical to improving the original statute either through the legislative process, the rulemaking, or both. The surviving family members have neither the time, the emotional strength, nor, in some instances, the expertise to navigate this process. They are counting on us to ensure that the fund is established and administered equitably. Regrettably, with its mandate on the collateral offset, PL 107-42, falls short in this regard. Thus, I am hopeful that you will use the latitude Congress gave you to be as generous as possible and at the same time work with me, and like-minded members of Congress, as we move to reform the statute. I thank you for your heartfelt commitment to the surviving family members. I look forward to working directly with you to achieve fairer compensation through the fund. Sincerely, COMMENT BY: CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH Member of Congress CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Washington, DC 20515-3004 January 17, 2002 The Honorable John Ashcroft Office of the Attorney General 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest Room 1145 U.S. Department of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530 FAX: (202) 514-4482 Dear Mr. Attorney General: I am writing to request a meeting with you and several of my constituents who are surviving widows of the horrendous attacks of September 11th. They are particularly interested in meeting with you to express their grave concerns about the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund. As you know, the Special Master for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, Ken Feinberg, has been meeting both privately and publicly with those expected to be eligible for compensation through the fund. Still, I believe it is critical that you meet personally with the victims as there is widespread dissatisfaction regarding the limitations set in the proposed rules for the fund. For instance, at a meeting this week Mr. Feinberg explained that the inadequate amount proposed for non-economic compensation for surviving widows ($250,000) and children ($50,000 per child) for pain and suffering was reached in consultation with you and top officials at the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Feinberg said he would like to see the non-economic compensation amount universally increased. We are hoping you can agree with him. Similarly, there is confusion and concern about the proposed regulations as they pertain to the offset required for life insurance payments made to some of the victims. It seems grossly unfair to penalize those who tried to act responsibly for their families by purchasing life insurance. As you may know, I have drafted legislation to repeal the collateral offset provision of the fund. In the meantime, however, Mr. Feinberg stated that he is committed to finding ways to minimize the "harshness of the collateral offsets." We would like to sit down with you to discuss some creative proposals that we believe meet the current requirements of the statute, without harshly punishing the victims' families. I have enclosed, for your review, a letter written by whose husband, , a portfolio manager, was murdered in 2 WTC on September 11th. thoughtful letter articulately expresses the views and concerns of many of the widows who have attended and spoken out at the meetings in New York and New Jersey. I know you agree that those who lost loved ones on September 11th have suffered enormously. Sadly, there is a growing sentiment among the victims that the Department of Justice and the Bush Administration do not yet fully appreciate the pain these widows endure and the overwhelming personal and economic challenges they now face - many as single parents. I am confident that after meeting with you, the victims will know that their government is listening, is responsive, and working to establish a fair and equitable program to help them. Sincerely, COMMENT BY: Christopher H. Smith Member of Congress enclosure January 15, 2002 Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, I am a widow at the age of 30, left alone to raise my 2-1/2 year old daughter. On the morning of September 11, 2001, my husband left for work as a portfolio manager for on the floor of 2WTC. Six minutes before the second plane hit his building, he phoned me to tell me of the horror he was witnessing outside his window. He told me that he was ok, that he had been told to stay at his desk and not evacuate, and that he loved me. I never spoke to him again. It has been over four months since September 11th, and my daughter no longer walks around the house asking for her "daddy". She smiles and points to him in photographs, but the word "daddy" has all but left her daily vocabulary. Any shred of her dad and who and what a "daddy" "is" has been erased from her memory and her mind forever. Because of my daughter's tender age, I am fortunate in that I don't have to explain to her the "why" and "how" of September 11th. Many of my widow friends do not have that luxury. Somehow they must come up with answers and explanations on a daily basis. They have to talk to their 5, 7, and 10 year olds. They have to try to make them feel safe and secure. They have to hold them and rock them back to sleep when they wake up in the middle of the night screaming for their dads. This is the legacy my friends and I are left. I am writing to you because I do not think that you have heard our voice. I do not think that you have even attempted to walk in our shoes. And I think that it is time that you do listen to our voices, hear our needs, and understand our nightmare. I think that you need to do all these things so that you can more fairly address the Victim's Compensation Fund. This country failed each and every one of our children, our spouses, and us on the morning of September 11th. Quite simply, September 11th should have never happened. I often ask myself where our government was that morning. I know that President Bush was reading to a group of kindergartners both before and after the first plane hit. And, with the fact well known that there was a plane bearing down on the White House, I can all but imagine what the remaining governmental officials were doing that fateful morning. Its unfortunate that my husband and the thousands like him were not given the same warning or the same opportunity to run. These are some facts that bother me: 1. In August 2001, the FBI was given tips from two flight schools about the possibility of terrorists using American airplanes as trajectory missiles. They were told that foreign men were taking flight lessons, did not speak English, could not pilot even a small plane, and only wanted to learn how to pilot a large plane mid flight. 2. In August of 2001, Zacarias Moussaoui was arrested and held in custody under some degree of probable cause. 3. On the morning of September 11th, a flight attendant from the first airplane was on the phone with her supervisor for 45 minutes prior to that plane crashing into Tower 1. Her supervisor knew that the plane was hijacked, knew that they were flying above water, and knew that the men on board were particularly ruthless. That phone call equates to 45 minutes of notice with regard to both Towers. The flight attendant's final words were, "my god, we are way too low, we are way too low." 4. After the first plane barreled into building 1, my husband was told by the Port Authority and his company to not evacuate his building. Sixteen minutes later, the second plane barreled through the floors immediately below him. (Sixteen minutes on an express elevator would have put him below the floors of impact.) 5. Less than 2 days after September 11th a videotape of Mohammed Atta was released to the press showing him at an ATM machine in Maine and the airport check-in at Logan Airport. It took the NJ state police 4 months to locate a video of one of the hijackers who actually received a written citation on the NJ Turnpike, and yet the FBI quite miraculously produced a video of Mohammed Atta at an ATM machine in Maine less than 48 hours after September 11th. (With all the millions of ATM machines in the country, how could you locate such a video in such a short time? Could a possible explanation be that Atta was already under FBI surveillance, and the FBI watched him get on that plane?) The fact is that those murderers should have never been allowed to get on those planes. Furthermore, the Twin Towers should have been evacuated 45 minutes before that first plane plowed into Tower 1. The FAA should have been promptly notified by that supervisor who was on the phone with that flight attendant, and the FAA should have alerted the Twin Towers to evacuate immediately. And, any death caused as a result of the plane hitting Tower 2 is absolutely inexcusable and wholly unacceptable since there was even more notice and time provided to evacuate that building. There is simply no excuse for it. And what is this government's response? Three days after the 11th, the airline industry lobbies Congress who turns around and shields them and their fault. Congress enacted the Airline Bailout Bill that capped the airline's liability at its insurance levels. As an outgrowth of the Bailout Bill, the Victim's Compensation Fund was created. Reading the Congressional Record from that day, some comments that were made about the Victim's Compensation Fund are the following: 1. It is paradoxical to fully support the airline industry by limiting their liability to their insurance levels, and yet reduce support for the families by requiring collateral deductions.(Jones) 2. Congress has provided a method whereby the victims of those who have died will have full recovery for their economic and non- economic damages. The Treasury of the United States has been opened by the members of Congress to ensure that every family will receive just recovery.(Turner) 3. The families deserve everything we can do for them.(Delahunt) My husband's life, liberty and pursuit of happiness were taken from him on the morning of September 11th. All I am asking for is justice-fair and equitable justice. And, the Victim's Compensation Fund is not providing it. While I know that Congress enacted the Victim's Compensation Fund (hereinafter, the "Fund"), with the collateral deductions attached, I think you must strongly reconsider them. It is completely unprecedented in any personal injury case to require such deductions. The Fund's collateral deduction rewards those for irresponsibility and penalizes those for responsibility. People like my husband paid into life insurance policies, pension plans, 401k's, and social security because they were responsible, family men. They were fathers who had children and a wives. They planned for their future and wanted to ensure their family's financial security within that future. My husband and all of those beside him were brutally targeted and murdered on September 11th and now you, our own government, is stealing one of the few pieces that remain of these family men-the financial security that they left for the ones they loved. We have been wronged enough, through enough, and had enough. The collateral deduction's impact must be softened. This government has done enough taking away from our families. It is time to talk about giving back. Clearly, this entire nation recognizes the unfairness of the collateral source deduction. Quite frankly, it is precisely why many of us will not even consider entering the Fund. So why not lessen the impact of the collateral source deduction. I know that you cannot eliminate it (Ken Feinberg has made that abundantly clear), but how about softening its edge by capping it at $250,000, the value Mr. Feinberg has placed on each human life. Playing the devil's advocate, I am sure your argument against this will be that in doing so the government will yield a much lower return, and , therefore, the actual cost of the Fund will be raised. My response is two-fold. First, I have read the Congressional Record. There is no cap on this Fund, and there was never any Congressional intent to cap this Fund. Recall from the floor of Congress that, "the United States Treasury has been opened to ensure that every family receives a just recovery." Hence, saving money should not be one of your goals in carrying out the rules and regulations of this Fund. Secondly, if the non-economic number (set at $ 250,000) provided by the Fund is deemed by you to be sufficient enough to compensate me for my husband's pain and suffering while he burned alive for 45 minutes, then certainly, it should be enough for the government as a collateral source deduction. After all, this was the most unprecedented attack in US history. The families would like you to set the collateral source deduction to a limit no higher than $250,000. This limit should be applied across the board, to every party involved. In doing so you are not only providing an incentive for families to enter the fund, but you are also alleviating some of the unfairness that lurks behind the rules and regulations of this Fund. Our Senators, Congressmen, and the Special Master, himself, have commented about this unfairness. We think you should do something about it. Limiting the collateral source deduction to a maximum of $250,000 is that particular something. Another topic that the families would like to address with you, President Bush and the Office of Management and Budget is the non-economic recovery. We have been told by the Special Master that this number was chosen since the men and women who were killed on September 11th are being likened to military men killed in the line of duty. Understand this, our husband's and wives in no way, shape, or form "signed up" for the morning of September 11th. Our husband's worked in finance; they were not federal employees, civil servants, or members of our armed forces. They were stock brokers, stock traders, portfolio managers, etc. In short, they were businessmen, not servicemen. They were innocently murdered when an airplane crashed into their civilian office building and to apply a military award to this case is absolutely and utterly wrong. We would suggest that in setting the amount for the non-economic recovery provided by the fund, you look towards personal injury recoveries in airline crashes. These victims were civilian men and women who went to their office building on the morning of September 11th. They did not knowingly assume any risk that fateful morning. When we married our spouses we were not knowingly assuming any risk of them being killed. We were not marrying a fighter pilot, a navy SEAL or even a fireman. We were marrying a broker, a trader, or a portfolio manager. We were not given the luxury of ever planning for our husband's to be killed because the worst-case scenario for a trader, a broker, or a money manager does not include a plane flying into their office building. Moreover, the non-economic recovery must be raised to a more respectful number. To be offering $50,000 for each dependant child is essentially telling an entire generation of children that their entire life without their parent is worth less money than their therapy bills, alone. These children will grow up with the raw horror of September 11th in their face every single day. They will, much like the Kennedy children, have to witness the exact moment of their parent's death over and over again. They will see it on television shows, learn it in history class, and read about it in books sold at Barnes & Noble. Americans across this country, who are not even directly affected by September 11th are claiming post-traumatic stress disorder; all of these people talk about how their lives have irrevocably changed. Think about these children and what they will have to endure over their lifetime, the pain and suffering they will endure day in and day out. Think about the older children who walked out their back doors for 10 days following September 11th and actually had to smell Ground Zero burning. Think about the children waking up in the middle of the night screaming for their fathers-the burning birding falling to the ground. Just think about these things, and know that I cannot even begin to explain the absolute horror these kids must endure. And, $50,000 is what they get-$50,000, less money than a luxury SUV. It is wrong. It is unconscionable. And, for the sake of these children, you must prove to them that their life and their pain and suffering is worth more than $50,000. Another issue that I would like to address is the top 2% money earners; those individuals who earned more than $225,000 per year. We have been assured by the Special Master that individuals who made above this amount will be entitled to their full economic recovery. I trust the Special Master, and I believe that he does speak the truth when he says that there is no $6 billion dollar cap on this fund. However, I would like to note some comments that can be lifted from the floor of Congress the day the Airline Bailout Bill was passed. There was much debate when apparently confusion arose as to whether or not the airline executive's salaries would be "capped" at $225,000. Various Congressmen spoke and the end result was that it was made clear that if an airline executive made $3, 5 or 15 million dollars in 2001, he will be entitled to earn that income in 2002, he just could not earn any more that amount. I would suggest to you Mr. Attorney General, that if it is "ok" for the airline executives to be compensated up to and beyond $15 million per year by the American taxpayers, when these men are at fault for my husband's death, then the Compensation Fund should best not "cap" my husband's or nay other victim's income, regardless of how high that income may prove to be. In closing, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with either you or President Bush. It would be extremely nice to know that you care about people like myself. We have requested numerous meetings with each of you and have been repeatedly told that you are unwilling to meet with us. Please keep my daughter and myself and the thousands of others like us in your thoughts. And again, I implore you to listen to our voices, hear our needs, and understand our nightmare so that you can better understand why we so desperately need the Victim's Compensation Fund to work for us. Sincerely, 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 dojN002677.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. 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 Chapel Hill,NC 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 dojA003692.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. 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 Exeter, CA 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 dojA004492.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 15, 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 Baton Rouge, LA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-15 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 dojA005196.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. 2001-12-15 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. Monday, December 17, 2001 9:24 AM 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 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , 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 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp 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 Milton, DE 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 dojA002099.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. Friday, March 15, 2002 7:32 PM and his family deserve any and all benefits available to survivors of 9/11. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-15 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 dojR000877.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. 2002-03-15 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. Friday, December 21, 2001 8:50 AM September 11th Relief Fund Distribution December 21, 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 Anderson, IN 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 dojN000374.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:20 AM Equal Access for Gay and Lesbian Partners 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 East Lansing, MI 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 dojA002575.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. January 18, 2002 Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Clinton: I am an attorney in New York City and I have been asked by a friend, &nbsp, a resident of &nbsp, Massachusetts, for advice with respect to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (the "Fund"). &nbsp's husband, &nbsp, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11 and died in the attack on the World Trade Center. &nbsp was seven months pregnant at the time, and has two other small children. &nbsp, who was 33 years old when he died, was a partner at a venture capitalist firm in Boston. I write to express my serious concerns about the "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund" issued by the Department of Justice (the DOJ). My concerns and objections pertain specifically to 's situation, although in most respects they apply to all families. In short, post-September 11 legislation gave the airlines $15 billion in cash and loan guarantees while capping the airlines' liability for the September 11 crashes at the limits of their insurance coverage (which I understand is $1.5 billion per airplane). This cap for all intents and purposes, eliminates the right that &nbsp would otherwise have to sue the airlines because, in simple economic terms, the monetary damages for death and property loss at the WTC will greatly exceed the available insurance coverage. (This may not be true, or as true, for victims of the flights that crashed in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, since $1.5 billion would likely sufficiently cover those victims.) Since &nbsp is effectively losing her right to sue, she should be given fair compensation in return. Congress, in setting up the Fund, sought to ensure that the bail out of the airlines would not come at the expense of victims, and the Act mandates full and fair compensation to victims and their families. However, the regulations, as currently drafted, do not appear to achieve that purpose in &nbsp's situation for at least the following three specific reasons. First, the DOJ's formula allows for non-economic awards of $250,000 for the person killed and $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent. This is only one-tenth the level paid in comparable cases. And this is so even though Congress explicitly enumerated a broader range of non-economic damages than could be recovered in Massachusetts, New York or any other single jurisdiction. Second, the DOJ's method of calculating economic damages appears to seriously underestimate bonuses, promotions and real increases in a victim's earnings. I attended a discussion last night with Special Master Kenneth Feinberg at the New York City Bar Association at which Mr. Feinberg attempted to address this issue. It is still not clear to me how someone such as &nbsp's husband, who was making well over $200,00 at the time of his death at age 33, and whose income was steadily increasing, will be treated. If David's income and earning potential are not realistically assessed, including the major bonuses be stood to receive in his particular line of work. &nbsp's family will receive only a small percentage of their actual economic loss. &nbsp was extremely successful and that should be part of any fair analysis with respect to actually and fairly compensating his family for their loss. Third, the deduction of "collateral source payments" from any award presents perhaps the greatest unfairness and threatens to get any award &nbsp might otherwise receive. The fact that &nbsp and &nbsp had the foresight to take out high insurance policies, for which they of course paid the high premiums, should not be held against them in a dollar-for-dollar sense with respect to recovery under the Fund. This issue is not, of course, unique to . At the discussion with Special Master Feinberg last night, a representative of a group of firefighters strongly asserted that the "collateral source" rule, if strictly applied, could very well leave moderate wage earners with high pensions with nothing from the Fund. The following are suggestions as to how the problems identified above can be remedied: (1) All families should be given a non-economic award at levels comparable to those provided in the tort system the Fund was designed to replace. The current amounts are simply too low and not consistent with the mandate of Congress. (2) The earning potential of victims should reflect their real earning potential, including a realistic assessment of a victim's bonuses and promotions, and it should be made clear in the regulations that no "extraordinary" showing is necessary for those who earned over certain high amounts. (3) The "collateral source" offset provision, while I understand it cannot be completely eliminated since it is part of the Act, should be construed extremely narrowly. Certainly the amounts paid to secure collateral source compensation--e.g., life insurance premium payments, social security payments--should be deducted from any amount considered to offset a potential Fund award. In addition, if collateral source payments trigger new income or estate tax liability, that new tax liability should be deducted from any amount considered to offset a potential Fund award. Finally, the "collateral source" reductions should be capped at a certain amount or a certain percentage relative to earnings. Without these sorts of changes to the proposed regulations, &nbsp and those like her could be seriously under-compensated. Please contact Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg and tell them of your concerns that the Interim Final Regulations fail to conform to the language and intent of the Act, with respect to 's particular case and with respect to all victims. With the regulations soon to become final, I believe that swift efforts by Congress can guarantee that the Fund is regulated and administered in a way that is fair and consistent with the intentions of Congress. Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention. Very truly your, Individual Comment New York, NY cc: (Via Email) President George W. Bush 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 dojN002548.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. December 17, 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, ncluding 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 San Jose,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 dojA005123.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 3:34 PM equal 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. Individual Comment Ridgway, PA 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 dojA003471.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:56 PM Equal 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 Brighton, MI 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 dojA003281.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. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 4:17 PM Equal benefits for all victims 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 economiclosses 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 whomleft 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 Miami Beach, FL 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 dojA000354.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. Sunday, March 31, 2002 2:09 PM VCF: Including Domestic Partner Benefits Dear Mr. Feinberg, I have just reviewed your Victim Compensation Fund plan and I am disgusted that you would exclude domestic partners to your compensation plan. Domestic partners have the same level of commitment to and love for their partners as heterosexual couples do and to deny them compensation for their painful loss is to deny this reality. I appreciate that you are trying to follow state and federal guidelines regarding same-sex relationships, however these laws are antiquated and do not truthfully reflect the diverse families of Americans. Please reconsider excluding domestic partnership funding for families that can prove their commitment to each other (ie: joint accounts, shared mortgage, auto loans, etc). All American families have been hugely affected by the September 11th attacks - don't exclude some families because they don't look like straight middle/upper class, white families... Show compassion for ALL American families. Thank you for your consideration. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further. Sincerely, Individual Comment Denver CO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-31 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 dojR002837.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. 2002-03-31 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 2:29 AM same sex rights 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 Anchorage, AK 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 dojN000204.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 8:30 PM Equal Benefits December 21, 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 Carol Stream, IL 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 dojN000664.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