189 20 12614 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, April 01, 2002 9:50 PM Unborn Victims Of 9-11 Support the Unborn Victims of 9-11! Dear Attorney General Ashcroft: First, I want to congratulate you on the way you have responded to the 9-11 terrorist attack upon our nation. You have obviously assembled a highly skilled and dedicated team in the Justice Department. We are praying for you and those in DOJ who are working so hard on our behalf during this time of national tragedy. I am aware that 18 Congressmen have recently written a letter to you asking that you include unborn babies who died in the 9-11 attack as "victims" whose surviving family members are eligible for help under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001" that is part of Public Law 107-42. You're already familiar with the story of who died with her unborn child on United Flight 93. 's husband suffered not just the loss of his wife, but of their first child during that terrible crash. Their unborn baby should be considered just as much a victim of 9-11 as and those who died in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. As you prepare regulations on implementing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001," please make sure that you add "unborn children" to the list of victims whose survivors are eligible for assistance. Thank you again for taking such an aggressive leadership role during this time of war and national instability. Our prayers are with you! Individual Comment Leavenworth, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-04-01 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 dojR002942.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. 2002-04-01 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, March 19, 2002 7:56 PM Gay Victim compensation Why is it that Gays can rescue those to be rescued, put out the burning building, dig through the rubble - and DIE in service to others??? Because we are people - people that care !!! The exclusion from victim compensation of Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partners is an outrage !!!! If one can document their partnership by a Will or co-ownership of property - then they too deserve to be compensated. This sounds like nothing more than PREJUDICE !!! Individual Comment Gloucester County NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 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 dojR002258.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. 2002-03-19 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 7:02 PM Applying human rights standards 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 Boulder, CO 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 dojA003737.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 9:51 PM Compensate ALL families, even non-traditional ones 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." Because my extended family includes a committed lesbian couple, who are co-parents to a beautiful little boy who was planned for and concieved within the committed family they created, this is an especially important issue for me. And, as a School Counselor and Psychologist, I am well aware that many other families face these issues that complicate the outcome of tragic situations such as occurred on Sept. 11th. I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Arcata, CA 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 dojA000590.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Mandeville,LA 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 dojA004697.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 1:13 PM Equal Compensation for Gay Partners I am outraged to learn that gay and lesbian partners of 9/11 victims will not receive the same compensation as other victims because their state laws may not allow it. How is it that illegial aliens can be given special consideration, but the US Government will not give the same consideration to law-abiding American citizens who happen to be gay or lesbian? Please send me a clarification of how the issue of compensation for gay and lesbian victims will be addressed. Thanks for your assistance. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Individual Comment Miami, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 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 dojR000438.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. 2002-03-12 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 7:02 PM Exclusion of Gay Partners from Victim Compensation Fund I am disturbed to learn that the Victims' Compensation Fund is excluding gay partners/"significant others" from compensation. How can such a decision be justified when the Fund is compensating many others with even less of a claim of right to the funds such as aliens who are in this country illegally and unborn fetuses? 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 dojR001188.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, January 18, 2002 5:10 PM Comments of NYS Trial Lawyers Assn on 9/11 Fund January 19, 2002 Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Ashcroft: We submit these comments to you on the Interim Regulations for implementation of the "September 11th Victim Compensation Fund" (Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, Public Law 107-42) on behalf of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). The Fund was established as an alternative to bringing a civil action against any parties (other than the terrorists who perpetrated this crime) whose negligent conduct may have resulted in the failure to prevent this crime or may have worsened the harms that occurred. At NYSTLA, we are deeply and personally aware of the huge scale of the September 11th attack and its devastating effects. As we noted in our first set of comments, some members of NYSTLAs staff witnessed the World Trade Center attack and were near the towers when the attacks occurred. When the towers collapsed, we opened our doors to people who were fleeing from the dark cloud of dust, shepherding them into our legal education classroom so that they could drink some water to help recover from the smoke and try to call their loved ones. Day after day thereafter, we watched the rescue and recovery workers returning to the site to carry out their difficult and often hazardous labors. We are deeply concerned for the plight of the families and rescue workers affected by this atrocity. We believe it is critical to ensure that this program provides the full relief contemplated by Congress and includes the full range of victims of the attack for whom Congress intended to provide this relief. As you know, NYSTLA has been at the forefront of an unprecedented pro bono effort to help September 11th victims and their families. We have been working closely with the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) to make sure that any eligible person who is considering making a claim under the Fund has access to skilled, experienced, free counsel to provide advice regarding whether or not the Fund is that persons best option and free legal representation in bringing a claim under the Fund if that is the persons choice. All attorneys volunteering for this work meet strict qualifications for experience and training and have pledged not to represent any September 11th victim for a fee either in a claim against the Fund or in any lawsuit. These new comments again focus on two key questions: who is covered by the Fund, and how compensation will be determined. WHO IS COVERED BY THE FUND At the outset, we would like to express concern that the Interim Regulations and Eligibility Form require any individual who submits an eligibility form requesting advance payment to waive his or her right to bring a civil action -- before the Special Master has even determined that the person is eligible for the Fund. The statute requires such a waiver only for those claimants who apply to the fund. An eligibility form is not an application, and it is entirely unfair to require people to waive their civil justice rights even if they are found to be ineligible. This leaves the injured person with no remedy at all. We urge the Department to revise its Interim Regulations to establish that a persons civil justice rights are not waived until the person is found eligible. We also urge the Department of Justice to revise its Interim Regulations to ensure that the Fund covers: (1) all of the people who were physically injured as a result of the destructive force of the plane crashes and the collapse of the towers, and (2) the rescue and recovery workers who were injured while carrying out their heroic and difficult work. We believe that Congress intended that the Fund would cover all people who were physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist attack. (1) Coverage of the People Who Were Outside the Towers We are pleased that the definition of "present at" includes "any area contiguous to the crash sites that the Special Master determines was sufficiently close to the site that there was a demonstrable risk of physical harm" (Section 104.2[e]). As we noted in our prior comments, because the towers were so extraordinarily tall and because the planes hit with such extreme force, the impact of debris was much more widespread than one might ordinarily assume. This definition is reasonable and appropriate. (2) Coverage of People Who Were Physically Injured Unfortunately, the Interim Regulations define "physical harm" so unreasonably that people who suffered injury may be denied relief, contrary to the plain intent of Congress. Under Section 104.2(c) of the Interim Regulations, no injured person is eligible for compensation unless the person was treated by a medical professional within 24 hours of injury or rescue. This arbitrary definition could exclude people for several reasons: - People who suffered injury may have been too concerned about the safety of their children to seek medical care for themselves, and may have gone home or to their childs school to ensure that their children were safe, putting off their own necessary medical care until the next day. - Others might simply have been in too much shock to recognize or cope with their own injury immediately. - Still others might not immediately have known that they were injured. Some medical conditions -- such as brain injuries, herniated discs and compression fractures -- may not become apparent for weeks after the injury itself occurred. Section 104.2(c) of the Interim Regulations further require that the injured person must have been hospitalized as an in-patient for at lest 24-hours, or else have suffered temporary or permanent partial or total physical disability, incapacity or disfigurement. Both requirements are inappropriate. The requirement of 24-hour hospitalization is unrealistic and out-dated, because: - many conditions today are no longer treated in hospitals but in doctors offices, clinics or other facilities; - hospitals today send people home within a few hours even after performing surgery; and - on September 11th, many hospitals were trying to clear beds in the tragically mistaken belief that they would be flooded with injured people (instead, most of the people who did not escape injury died). Unfortunately, the alternative requirement of disability, incapacity or disfigurement fails to make this Interim Regulatory provision reasonable because it is too narrow. People can suffer physical injuries that are extremely painful without being disabled, incapacitated or disfigured. It would be harsh, unfair and contrary to the intent of Congress to deny such people compensation under the Fund. The requirement that the physical injury "must be verified by contemporaneous medical records created by or at the direction of the medical professional who provided the medical care" (Sections 104.2[c][2] and 104.21[3][iv]) is unfair and unrealistic, especially under the conditions of crisis that existed on September 11th and 12th. (3) Coverage of the Rescue and Recovery Workers The statute covers those injured during the attack and in the "immediate aftermath." We all know that immediately after the attack, heroic and seemingly tireless ironworkers, firefighters, and other rescue and recovery workers rushed to the site to try to recover any surviving victims or, for the peace of mind of the bereaved families, the bodies of loved ones. This work, tragically, took much longer than most of us probably expected, in part because the site remained so hazardous for such a long period. It was, reportedly, the longest burning building in American history. Until only just a few weeks ago, the site was still hot and smoldering. The people who continued, with truly inspiring dedication, to perform that heart-breaking recovery work must not be left without compensation for harm that they suffer while performing this hazardous yet necessary task. Unfortunately, Section 104.2(b) of the regulations defines "immediate aftermath" to terminate just 96 hours after the crashes. We believe that Congress intended to include the courageous and dedicated rescue and recovery workers within the scope of the Fund. Given that Congress limited the liability of the City for injuries related to the September 11th attack, it is especially critical that the rescue works be covered by the Fund for their injuries. Our country should not abandon these heroes. HOW THE SPECIAL MASTER WILL DETERMINE COMPENSATION AND THE SCOPE OF HARMS TO BE ADDRESSED Congress clearly intended that this Fund for the victims of the September 11th attack and their families be a positive alternative to a civil action. The regulations therefore should not establish any "one-size-fits-all" list of damages. Each claimant should be treated as an individual. Those who bring claims under the Fund give up their right to access Americas judicial system to hold accountable those who failed to take reasonable (and indeed, in some instances, quite obvious) measures to help prevent those attacks; they should not be asked to give up the right to be treated as individuals in determining how they were harmed by this terrible event. The following comments address the provisions that establish how compensation will be calculated. (1) The Presumed Compensation for Noneconomic Damages Is Very Inadequate "Non-economic" damages compensate for real-life harm such as having to live with the loss of a limb, permanent disability, or disfigurement, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and grief. The plan to limit such compensation in most cases to a mere $250,000, for injured victims, would be unfair to those who are suffering the most. It is especially inadequate to compensation a person who has suffered a permanent physical disability, or an injury that will cause pain and discomfort for many years to come. Such devastating harm should not be minimized. This planned limit also is terribly unfair to the bereaved families. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, family members who are bereaved as a result of a crime rather than, for example, a death caused by a medical condition, generally suffer a broader range of emotional reactions and also remain in grief for a longer period. The families who are bereaved because of the September 11th terrorist attack have suffered a great emotional loss, compounded by the shock of having been victimized by the most terrible crime in our countrys history. These bereaved families also will be faced with repeated and often graphic visual reminders of the horrifying events of September 11th for many years to come, as this day lives on in our countrys memory and in the news media. The amount suggested as compensation to these people is completely unjust and disrespectful. As a matter of basic fairness, it is simply unreasonable to pay large economic compensation to high-earners families and low economic compensation to families of seniors or low income victims, while failing to recognize that all of them have suffered a great emotional loss. In the case of a deceased parent, moreover, limiting non-economic damages to $250,000 and $50,000 for each dependent fails to acknowledge the vital role of the parent in providing years of guidance, love and care to the child. (2) Subrogation We agree that the regulations should make it clear that any source of funds for which there is a right of subrogation not be subtracted from the damages award (Section 104.63). Otherwise, there is a danger that families could, in effect, lose that money twice -- once when the Special Master subtracts it from the award and again when a party exercises the right of subrogation to "recover" the amount from the victim or victims family. (3) Life Insurance Premiums Should Be Deducted from Life Insurance Award Life insurance, while included as a collateral source under the statute, is a privately contracted benefit for which the deceased person or the persons spouse may have paid many years of premiums. We do not believe that it was Congresss intent to penalize people for being responsible in providing for their families by, in effect, causing them to lose their premiums twice. Unfortunately, § 104.47(a) of the Interim Regulations does not yet take this concern into account. The premium payments should be deducted from the total insurance award to reflect the actual net benefit that the victims family received in order to determine the true amount of the insurance benefit before it is deducted from the compensation award. (4) Need to Clarify How Collateral Sources Will Be Deducted Only collateral sources that correspond to a particular item of damages recoverable under the Fund should be deducted, and each collateral source should be deducted only from the amount of that corresponding item of damages. Also, only future collateral sources to which the victim or personal representative has an enforceable vested or contractual right should be considered for deduction. These are general principles of common law that have been the subject of a well-developed body of case law in New York. The Interim Regulations, unfortunately, fail to state how collateral sources will be deducted. If the Fund treats collateral sources in a way that runs counter to the common law principles stated above, it will fail to carry out the intent of Congress that the Fund be a viable and attractive alternative to bringing civil actions. We therefore urge amendment of the Regulations to incorporate those principles. (5) Charitable gifts We agree that charitable gifts should not be designated as collateral sources and subtracted from the amounts granted by the Fund (Section 104.47[b][2]). Congress listed very specifically, within the statute itself, what sources would be considered collateral sources for the purposes of the Fund. At the time that they established this Fund, the members of Congress were well aware that people throughout the country were making substantial charitable contributions to help the families affected by the September 11th attack. If Congress had intended to include charities as a collateral source, it most certainly would have done so. (6) Need to Compensate for Long-term Injuries Not Yet Discovered No one yet knows what the long-term consequences will be for people who were affected by the September 11th attack. Physical injuries that have already surfaced may develop unforeseen complications. Also, people may have been exposed to harmful levels of toxic chemicals and may suffer health consequences from that exposure many years from now. The two-year deadline for submitting claims to the Fund not only is a full year shorter than the statute of limitations for most injury claims in New York State, but also is completely unreasonable if the regulations fail to allow a date-of-discovery rule, especially for toxic-substance-related injuries (such as exists under New York State law). Since the statute is intended to create a sufficient alternative to civil actions so that people will choose to access the Fund rather than bring their claim in court, the regulations will not carry out Congresss intent unless they include a "reopener" to address long-term harms that have not yet become manifest and thus, through no fault of the person bringing the claim, could not have been raised during the two years immediately following the attack. (7) Need for Oversight of Hearing Officers Decisions As a final point, we are very concerned that the Interim Regulations do not provide the Special Master with the practical and necessary authority to supervise properly the implementation of the Fund. In particular, Section 104.31should provide that: (1) Decisions of the hearing officers be subject to review by the Special Master on request by the victim or the victims personal representative; this is particularly critical because the hearing officers decisions cannot be appealed to a court even if they are inconsistent with the regulations or the statute; and, (2) The regulations should also clarify that the decisions of the hearing officers must be set forth in writing and must provide a reasoned elaboration of the decision, and a detailed explanation of the specific items included in the award and any collateral source deductions. Provisions establishing the right of review of hearing officer decisions and requiring a reasoned elaboration of the decision are essential to ensure accountability and consistency in the interpretation of the provisions of the statute and also to foster public confidence in the process. As a final note, the Interim Regulations should be revised to ensure that the information provided by undocumented aliens who were injured or bereaved by the terrorist attacks is not used against them by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) or other government agencies. It is critical to establish strict protocol to ensure that information about such victims applying to the Fund as a result of the terrorist attack is not shared by the Department of Justice or obtained and used by the INS. We thank you for your consideration of these comments and look forward to participating as volunteers in the implementation of this important Fund for the benefit of the September 11th victims and their families. With sincere regards, Comment by: New York State Trial Lawyers Association September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002008.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. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 7:48 PM Dear Kenneth Feinberg: Words almost fail me in trying to respond to your judgement of whether and the other gay and lesbian heroes of 9/11 should be treated the same as others, including the illegal aliens you are so kindly brushing aside U.S. law to accomodate. Your comments on "Meet The Press" illustrate without question that you do not deserve your position on the 911 fund. You are an insult to heroism. This is the only thing I can say: if you ever run for office, or are up for any future appointment, I will dedicate myself politically to opposing you. No one in their right mind supports a spineless bigot. Individual Comment 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 dojR000689.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. 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 Saint Paul, Minnesota 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 dojA005496.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. Sunday, November 18, 2001 5:36 PM (no subject) You ask if awards from the victim's compensation fund should be reduced by the amount of charity a victim's family accepts? Absolutely not. Donations are just that. Gifts and only gifts given freely by those who chose to. These donations should have absolutely no bearing on the compensation a victim's family receives as a result of these horrific acts. As the wife of a victim, the effort (mental & paperwork) required to obtain these charitable funds while trying to grieve and take care of my family and home at the same time was incredibly difficult and painful. Please do not make obtaining victim's compensation for the loss my husband and my children's father even more painful by even considering the reduction of this compensation. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-18 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 dojW000378.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. 2001-11-18 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. November 20, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director, Office of Management Programs Civil Division, USDOJ Attached are my comments concerning the notice of inquiry for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001. I am neither an attorney nor accountant. I simply reviewed your proposed regulations and processes as an affected party. My main concern is that the USDOJ institute regulations and processes that are far simpler than those that would be required in litigation. I have read many articles quoting attorneys and economic experts about the complexity of determining a proper compensation in this case. If the fund requires this type of legal and economic efforts, then it will be a failure to not only the victims and their loved ones, but to the entire country. The USDOJ must not lose sight that the main purpose of the fund is to fairly compensate victims and their families quickly and to avoid costly litigation for our country. Attachment 1: Re: September 11th Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Sir: I have reviewed the USDOJ's notic of inquiry and advance notice of rule making for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001. I performed my review to assess its impact on myself as a beneficiary and its impact on my fiduciary responsibilities as an estate administrator. My comments are as follows: 1) Regarding the plan to implement regulations as interim final rules, I feel this is very important. The rules need to be reviewed and commented on so that any concerns or problems that would lead claimants to pursue other legal avenues can be minimized. This is important because the intent of the fund is not only to minimize pain for survivors and the loved ones of those lost, but to reduce the cost and pain to our society that would result from lengthy litigation in a public forum. 2) Claim forms must be made as simple as possible and spell out exactly what information and supporting documentation is required. This is necessary in order to avoid possible rejections and delays, thereby inflicting even more pain on the claimants. 3) The Special Master should hold hearings for all claims. This will make certain that a claimant's case is not misinterpreted, resulting in an improper award. Improper awards will lead to a public outcry since claimants will give up their right to sue and will have no right to appeal the award. This would lead to claimants feeling that not only did the Federal Government fail them on September 11th, but also they mislead them and duped them into an unfair settlement. 4) I am strongly opposed to any offsets from collateral sources such as insurance that would be due a decedent's estate under normal circumstances. I believe that offsets for workman's compensation death benefits and accidental death policies are reasonable offsets. However, reducing awards for charitable contributions is wrong, since these grants are intended only to help people carry on in the short term and are not a permanent solution as is insurance. Also, including charitable contributions as offsets is a misguided policy. This policy would take funds from the injured party and in effect give it to the government who itself must bear some responsibility for the claimants injuries or deaths because it did not provide proper airline security laws as confirmed by the hasty passage of the airline safety act. I also oppose reducing awards for life insurance that a decedent purchased to protect their family and estate under the assumption of normal death, not terrorism. Finally, because there will be no social security payments made to decedents, or their heirs on their behalf, these heirs are entitled to receive as much as possible because the government will not be making social security payments otherwise payable to the decedents. 5) Any award should be free of federal and state income taxes as well as estate taxes. Also, Attorney and Accountant fees should be paid directly out of compensation awards. 6) I strongly support the USDOJ's belief that claims should proceed without economic experts. However for this to occur the USDOJ can not request that claimants specify an amount of compensation sought, because to determine this amount would require economic experts. Therefore, to accomplish this task the USDOJ must establish a set of simple formulas for determining economic compensation that can not be open for interpretation. I suggest setting up two formulas, one for personal injury and one for wrongful death. The personal injury formula should include lost wages and medical expenses. The wrongful death formula should be based on a loss of future earnings to the decedent's estate had they not died prematurely. Since my situation involves wrongful death, I will focus my comments on this type of claim. The formula should utilize a decedents current total earnings at the time of death, take into account the years until retirement and escalate these earnings for each year until retirement in order to determine the decedents future loss of earnings. This amount can then be reduced by any offsets (see note 4) and reduced to a present value that would equal the future loss of earnings if invested conservatively. This method should be used for all cases to make the process as simple as possible. Economic loss determinations should not be based on any other factors other than earnings. Other factors such as dependents should be handled as a non-economic loss. Non-economic losses will include pain and suffering or mental anguish and loss of care and companionship to the survivors. Decedents who made less money then others should not receive a larger economic loss simply because they had more dependents. However, we as a society need to help care for these dependents, so I propose an additional fixed amount of money be awarded to all claims with dependent children and parents above and beyond the economic loss award. This amount would address the loss of care aspect of non-economic losses and should be predetermined and not subject to the Special Masters discretion. Other factors related to non-economic losses can be subject to the Special Masters determination based on the factors of the claim. For example, did the claimant suffer before their death, was the claimant directed to return to their office by the building management only to be trapped. However, since the point of this fund is to encourage its use as opposed to litigation, I propose a minimum award be established that can be increased at the discretion of the Special Master. By establishing simple formulas for economic losses and fixed amounts plus minimum awards for non-economic losses, the USDOJ will provide a mechanism to determine the minimum possible award prior to filing a claim. I feel this method is fair to claimants who will give up their right to sue as well as provide a strong incentive to avoid litigation and encourage the use of the Victims Compensation Fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Kings Park, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-20 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 dojW000426.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. 2001-11-20 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. Friday, December 07, 2001 8:12 PM implementing & administering "911 Victim Compensation Fund." Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and the administering "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. The devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bearsville, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-07 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 dojA001320.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. 2001-12-07 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 11:12 AM Crisis Relief for all 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 Berkeley, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004249.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. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 11:39 AM Compensation Families of victims of 11Sept. should not be able to receive government funds when they are also receiving charity for the same needs. That, to me, would be collateral compensation & go against the true intent of the victim compensation bill. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000098.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 06, 2001 10:06 AM 9-11 Victims comp Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice FAX -- (301) 519-5956 December 6, 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: I am Justice Coordinator with over 600 Sisters and Associates. We are writing in response to your 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. All surviving families of those killed, INCLUDING the committed partners and non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims should be compensated fairly and equally. I understand that the Justice Department must issue the regulations by DECEMBER 21, 2001, so I will be looking forward to inclusive regulations. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. I will be looking for your response to this letter addressing our concerns. Sincerely, Individual Comment St. Louis, MO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001130.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 27, 2002 5:12 PM GLBT aid I am an 18 year old college student, and I am bisexual. I have many young gay or lesbian friends. Do you have any idea how frightening and discouraging it is to hear that your country doesn't believe your wellbeing is as valuable as that of another citizen? Why should I spend energy supporting a country that won't support me? Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-27 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 dojR002769.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. 2002-03-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:07 PM unamerican Dear Sir/Madam: Your discriminatory policy on compensation to the partners of gay men and lesbians killed in the attacks of September 11th was brought to my attention by a firefighter who risked his life at the WTC that day. He (and I) are outraged that you would duck your moral responsibility to compensate ALL the victims of that attack. How can you justify bending the law to take care of the families of illegal aliens--which is a noble gesture--and ignore those gay and lesbian Americans whose lives were devastated when their partners were killed that day? If the proposed policy sounds un-American to a firefighter who went rushing into the towers that day, then I have to agree. It's not so much about the money as it is about respect for your fellow Americans. I hope you will be able to look everyone in the eye when it comes to discriminating between those who you say are deserving and those who you say are not. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002441.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-20 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 08, 2002 12:08 PM New Vote.com votes as of 12:08 PM EST on March 08th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 7 votes NO: 18 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-08 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 dojR000008.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. 2002-03-08 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. Sunday, December 16, 2001 3:12 AM fair compensation for the families of victims of Sept. 11 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 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-16 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 dojA002049.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. 2001-12-16