201 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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 11:51 AM 9-11 compensation Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: Please be sure to compensate the domestic partners and non-biological children of gays and lesbians killed in the September 11 tragedies. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, we should draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the losses. Sincerely, Individual Comment Chicago, IL 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 dojA001152.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. 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 Brentwood, CA 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 dojA003990.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, December 22, 2001 4:52 PM equal access December 23, 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 Brooklyn, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000817.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. 2001-12-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, March 21, 2002 12:40 PM 9/11 Fund I must publicly comment on the recent decision to exclude payments to the certain families of the 9/11 victims. To say that I am outraged is a understatement. To publicly state that the families of certain heros from 9/11 are not entitled to the same benefits of others does not exemplify the American spirit that our government so proudly exclaims exists. Our government leaders are sending the message loud and clear: you do not have to practice what you preach. There was no discrimination on 9/11. None. People from every nationality and from every walk of life were killed, wounded, lost a family member, rushed into help their neighbor and rushed into to help a stranger. America was hurt that day; but American was also proud that day. Our spirit rose to a level that even surprised the most patriotic. To publicly state that certain families of the heros are not entitled to the benefits of the 9/11 fund because of their sexual orientation is an outrage. Plain and simple. Have our leaders lost this spirit that so many of us renewed? To say that they are willing to turn and look the other way in regards to illegal aliens and provide those families with benefits and, in the same breath, state that because same sex reunions are not recognized at the state level, families of gay heros are not entitled? Does this mean that state's do not recognize illegal aliens or punish corporations for allowing illegal aliens to work in this country? I am not a proud American today. How will we ever move to a point where America is free of discrimination when our respected leaders are clearly not setting the example. God Help America and God Bless all the heros who gave their lives for my freedom without regard to my religion, my sex, my color or my sexual orientation. Individual Comment Boston, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002521.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 4:43 PM September 11 Victims Compensation Fund In WWII I was a combat marine (serial number 919409 USMCR). I did not put my life on line nor see my buddies blown away defending the Constitution so you people could discriminate against some Americans with my tax dollars. I urge you to include ALL survivors of the 9/11 NYC disaster. This certainly includes gay couples and their non-biological children, in my opinion. Discrimination is NOT the American way. Please do not make a mockery of what we marines did when called on to defend our Constitution with our lives. Individual Comment Kemah, TX 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 dojA000371.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 2:46 PM Compensate Gays and Lesbians for 9-11! I as all Americans was outraged at the attacks on September 11 but was also inspired by the stories of herorism that emerged from the carnage. It appeared the country was healing as one and that for a moment all that matter was our united humanity. Now I see though am not very surprised that this was a sham. Homosexuals are again being relegated to the second class citizen, subhuman role. While the law seems not to apply to illegal aliens and their families as it should not, suddenly it is being enforced in full against the gays and lesbians and their families and partners! The excuse is that it will be left up to the individual states and that the federal government has not right to interfere. Again the issue of illegal aliens comes up. Why are they receiving compensation but not these legal citizens who happen to be gay. This is the height of hypocrisy and I again feel ashamed to be American. Sincerely, Individual Comment South Easton, Massachusetts 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 dojR001008.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. November 16, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick We are writing to provide &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp response to the Notice of Inquiry and Advanced Rulemaking published on November 5, 2001 in the Federal Register. Our main office was located on the 104th floor of Two World Trade Center in New York. SOP is a full service investment bank and broker dealer that prior to September 11, 2001, had 148 employees in New York and an additional 23 employees in four smaller offices throughout the country. SOP lost sixty-six employees and four guests in the terrorist attack. Before the airplane crashed into Two World Trade Center, approximately twenty employees on the 104th floor who had been in the office had left the building. Another twenty-five employees witnessed the events unfold from the street as they arrived for work. No SOP employees on the 104th floor at the time of the second crash survived. At this time, only twelve of the SOP victims have been found and positively identified. Of these victims, forty-six were married and thirty-three had children. The thirty-three leave behind seventy-five children with three having being born since September 11. We also had one divorced single parent that was killed. In addition, several employees were engaged to be married. Ages of the victims ranged from 22 years old to 61 years old. Thirteen were in their 20's; twenty-six were in their 30's; twenty-three were in their 40's; three were in their 50's and one was in their 60's. The victim's annual compensation ranged from the high five figures into seven figures. The job descriptions of our victims ranged from Senior Managing Principal to Associate. No SOP employees were physically injured in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Since the September 11 attacks, SOP has been communicating with each of our families through our Family Support Center. The Family Support Center is staffed by both of us and two additional SOP employee's and is assisted by the Triad Group, which has provided grief counseling to our families, and employees. The Abernathy MacGregor Group provided initial crisis management support to the families and SOP. Abernathy has continued to provide support and assistance to SOP and its families. In addition, each victim's family has been assigned to a surviving SOP principal. Through a combination of these programs, SOP has become aware of the broad spectrum of concerns and difficulties faced by those close to the victims. The clear intent of Congress in adopting the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (the "Fund" or the "Victims Compensation Fund") is to address, in a full, fair and prompt manner, the consequences that will be faced by persons injured in the attacks and their families and those that will be faced by the families of those who perished. As part of the "Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act" (the "Act"), this Fund is intended to provide a meaningful alternative for all victims to pursue various tort claims against the airlines and others. We strongly believe that in order in to accomplish this goal, any regulations implemented under this Act and the administration of the Fund by the Special Master should fairly address the losses faced at all age, job description, or compensation levels. * This will prevent families from deciding not to use the program, instead pursuing costly protracted and emotionally devastating litigation. * It will also absorb the time and energy of defendants and of employers of victims who will be repeatedly called on to testify in these trials. * The Fund will then only serve the limited number of persons whose claims will be small enough to be fairly treated or those so desperate for a "quick" payout, regardless of the fairness, that they will end up being short-changed for their true losses. We believe many victims and their families would embrace a fair and simple claims process that would provide economic security, allowing them to move on with their lives. Some families, either because they believe they will do better in conventional litigation or because they have a need or desire to go through an individualized process dealing with their loss, will not take advantage of such a streamlined process. Because of these potentially different approaches, were believe that the regulations should envision a bifurcated claims process. 1. Simplified Claims Process: In one, a simplified claim process, the end result of filing a claim should be fairly obvious; almost based on a published formula and assumptions. As discussed below under Topic #4, assumptions to be utilized by the Special Master relating to life expectancy, number of productive working years in relevant industries, anticipated inflation and discount rates, reasonable expectations as to compensation growth and industry and economic cycles should be published and be binding on the Special Master and victims representatives who would choose this process. Even a clear understanding of the award related to pain and suffering should be established. For this simplified process to provide a meaningful alternative, awards would have to be in a range which may exceed awards resulting from conventional litigation or an extended hearing on the facts before the Special Master. Claimants using this simpler process would have to file a limited amount of information on a relatively simple form and get a quick result. They would avoid the costs of hiring attorneys or other experts to prove economic loss or pain and suffering of the victim. They would avoid a prolonged and emotionally painful process. 2. More extensive process: In a second, more extensive process, the regulations should provide for an evidentiary and hearing process which is much like the damages phase of a conventional tort case. There should be no assumption that victims who pursue this process will "do better" than those who pursue the simple process. Obviously, if neither of these alternatives is acceptable, a victim's representative may pursue conventional litigation, cognizant of the limitations on liability and venue contained in Section 408 of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. The remainder of this comment letter will address certain specific questions raised in Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rule Making (the "Notice of Rulemaking") of the Department of Justice published on November 5, 2001. The underlined captions below refer to captions where specific issues have been raised in the Notice of Rule Making. General approach to regulations that must be promulgated by December 21, 2001. f) Issues relating to the rules to be promulgated by December 21, 2001. In light of the extensive waiver of rights for those who make claims under the Victims Compensation Fund, we believe the rules adopted should be extremely comprehensive. If the rules are vague or incomplete, many potential claimants may delay filing claims in an attempt to discern patterns in the prior decisions of the Special Master. In addition, such an incomplete set of rules may leave open important threshold questions for potential claimants. For example, potential claimants will need clear guidance on the scope and application of the definition of collateral source in assessing whether to seek benefits under the Act. Charities, employers, and other potential sources of support to victims will also benefit from clarity on this point in making gifts and structuring survivors benefits. This is discussed in greater detail under Topic #6, below. It is not entirely clear from the Act if claims made against the Fund can only be asserted by the victim or the victim's estate or whether ancillary claims, such as family claims, are also covered by the Fund. * If allowable claims are limited to victim claims, the litigation waiver should only apply to the victim or victim's estate. * If family claims, such as, loss of consortium, loss of parental guidance and comfort or intentional infliction of emotional distress, are allowed, the waiver of rights to pursue civil litigation should also cover these persons. * The eligibility requirements of Section 405(c) appear to indicate that claims are personal to the victim or the victim's estate. However, the reduction of a benefit award by collateral source payments that may be paid to others, such as survivors benefits paid by an employer or insurance proceeds paid to a designated beneficiary other than the estate, implies that claims should not be limited to the estate. The regulations should cover this point explicitly. Topics #1 & 2: The forms to be used in submitting claims under this program and the information to be included on the claims form. Consistent with the bifurcated approach discussed above, a simplified application form should be made available for the simple application process. This form should be available for any size of benefit claim and should not be limited to claims below a maximum dollar amount. Even large claims may be efficiently handled through a fair simplified application process. Even a simple claims form will require fairly detailed information (which may best be provided in the form of attachments). Some of the most important information would include the following: * Personal information about the victim * An employment and compensation history and job description of the victim (either through copies of W-2's, tax returns or letters from employers) * A description of injuries, if the victim has been injured (which may be in the form of medical records and receipts) * Information which establishes the presence of the victim at the sight of the attack (which may be similar to the information required for issuance of a death certificate--such as a certificate from the next of kin and from an employer) * Information about persons who may have an interest in the benefits paid to the victim, including family members, other dependents, and known creditors or others with legal claims against the victim (this information should be used as the basis for some mailing of a notice to such interested parties, similar to the process used in administering a probate proceeding) * Information establishing the legal right of a claimant to act as the personal representative of the victim (which could be a state guardianship order or appointment as an administrator or executor for a decedent) Because this is a new program, we believe there should be a liberal opportunity to correct mistakes in a filing. Also, in light of the requirement that claimants waive rights to civil litigation, such waivers should not be effective until the form is accepted as complete for filing by the Special Master. Claimants who wish to offer special expert testimony or other substantial proof of special losses should not be able to avail themselves of the simpler form and process. The Department may wish to provide for a form that will effectively commence this claims process, recognizing that greater detail will be submitted in further submissions and hearing testimony. Shortly after submission of these forms, a schedule should provide dates by which detailed written submissions of proof are to be provided to the Special Master. There should be some rules of evidence adopted, including rights to subpoena witnesses and rules of conduct for document subpoenas and depositions. In addition, if requested, a hearing should be scheduled. Since this will be a complex procedure, the Special Master and the claimant should have some limited right to waive specific deadlines to allow for the proper productions and the preparation of expert reports and testimony. Recognizing that this is a new program, and that such claimants may subsequently elect to pursue the simple process, or pursue litigation, the waiver of the right to pursue civil litigation should not be deemed effective until some time after the initial filing. Topic #4: Procedures to assist an individual in filing and pursuing claims under this title. The Department should engage experts who can prepare a variety of models and assumptions on which the Department will rely in handling any simplified version of a claims process. We believe that such data should be published along with some explanation of how it will be applied by the Special Master in the claims process. This will provide certainty in the determination of any awards for simplified claims. Generally, such data should be prepared by independent highly qualified sources to assure the fairness of the process. However, certain data may best come from government sources that have routinely prepared such information for public dissemination for purposes other than the administration of the Act. The models and assumptions should cover information such as life expectancy, number of productive working years in comparable jobs in relevant industries, anticipated inflation and discount rates, reasonable expectations as to compensation growth and industry and economic cycle statistics. The assumptions used in establishing awards related to the pain and suffering of a deceased victim should also be published. All of such published assumptions should be binding upon the Special Master and those victims and personal representatives who elect to utilize the simplified claims process. Claimants seeking relief under the more complicated process may elect to rely on some or all of such data or offer expert data on their own. However, the preparation of individualized expert testimony may involve factors not considered in the preparation of standardized published data used in the simple claims process. Accordingly, the Special Master should not be bound by such published data and may consult with its own experts to reflect such special considerations in each of these complex claims. The Department may wish to specifically address the right of claimants to sell their potential future awards to other parties. If a fair and quick claim process is made available, the ability to sell potential future awards would not appear necessary. To the extent not already covered by existed laws, improper solicitations of potential claimants should be prohibited. There should be an outright ban on any "cold call" solicitations of victims or their families. Topic #5: Claimant Eligibility In defining both "physical harm" and "immediate aftermath" we believe certain types of claims, such as those made by persons who were not present in a "circle of imminent physical danger" at the time of attack or subsequent structural failure, should be excluded from the Victims Fund process. If this is not the case, the process may be overrun by claims with a far less clear connection to the terrorist attack. For example, residents of apartments in lower Manhattan making claims based on environmental damage related to ongoing fire condition or asbestos contamination have the option to pursue conventional tort claims and should not be claimants against the Victims Compensation Fund. The New York City Coroner's office has already established the type of proof necessary to issue a death certificate for victims. Such a level of proof should be sufficient for the Special Master to prove that the victim was in such a circle of imminent physical danger. This would require an affidavit from the next of kin and the employer. Other information, such as letters from persons who saw a victim in the building, or who spoke with or received an email from the victim at the time, may help verify these affidavits. We suggest the following general recommendations: * If ancillary family claims are not allowed, an injured victim who is competent to make a claim should be the only party permitted to make such a claim under the Act. * However, if ancillary claims are allowed to be included, such persons should be notified that they have a right to join in such a claims process. * For a surviving victim not competent to make an individual claim, a properly appointed guardian under state law should be the personal representative. * For deceased victims, their personal representative should be the same as the administrator or executor under the intestacy or probate process, since these persons legally represent the victim's estate. Since New York and other states have adopted streamlined death certificate and probate processes, the appointment of such a representative should not be an undue burden. * In order to limit fraudulent claims, any claims made by persons other than the victim, the victims next of kin or the state appointed guardian, executor or administrator of the victim should be reviewed extremely carefully. Topic #6: Nature and Amount of Compensation As noted in earlier comments, we believe that the publication of various statistical and other assumptions used by the Special Master will greatly facilitate the decision process for potential claimants. In addition, if a bifurcated claims system for simple and complex claims is adopted, the publication of such information will also assist claimants in determining which, if any, of these systems should be used. Noneconomic Losses. While state courts often consider extensive proof as to pain and suffering, in the case of deceased victims, with very limited exceptions, it will be nearly impossible to assess relative suffering of similarly situated individuals. Various post- mortem reviews for the few remains recovered in the Trade Center may provide some information as to how a specific person died. It is not unlikely that personal representatives in a position to offer such individualized proof may elect to present complex written and oral testimony on this issue. For personal representatives who would avail themselves of a simplified claims process, a publication of assumptions based on the location of an individual in the various buildings attacked may be useful to fix compensation for pain and suffering or other similar claims. Collateral Sources. We believe that an overly broad definition of collateral sources is likely to force potential claimants to pursue conventional tort claims and avoid the Victims Compensation Fund. The Act itself has a substantial inconsistency between the definition of "Collateral Source" in Section 402 (4) and the impact of collateral sources on the decision process of the Special Master, as set forth in Section 405 (b)(6). Section 404 (4) provides: The term " collateral source" means all collateral sources, including life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by Federal, State or local governments related to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. (emphasis supplied) Section 405 (b)(6) provides: The Special Master shall reduce the amount of compensation determined under paragraph (1)(B)(ii) by the amount of the collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive as a result of the terrorist related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001. If the allowable claims of a personal representative or injured victim do not include family claims of other relatives, a narrow reading of the operation of Section 405 (b)(6) to reduce an award solely by amounts payable to the victim or their estate by reason of such person's death or injury would be appropriate. Such a reading would exclude from collateral sources used to reduce benefit awards amounts paid to beneficiaries of insurance policies, pension funds, IRA accounts and other similar items, other than those paid directly to the victim or the victim's estate. Such a treatment would be generally consistent with tort law in New York. On the other hand, if family claims are allowable, it may be proper to include in collateral source payments certain payments made or to be made to family members. The definition in Section 402 is apparently very inclusive. However, we believe that the inclusion of items which were already assets owned by the victim prior to the attack in collateral sources is not appropriate. For example, vested interests in pension funds and IRA or 401(K) accounts; the cash surrender value of whole or universal life policies (as opposed to term policies); vested interests in deferred compensation plans; and other previous owned equity interests are really assets owned by the victim before the terrorist related attack. To include these in collateral source items would be to penalize the victims who saved and built their assets while benefiting victims who made fewer efforts to save and build their assets. Such "owned" assets can easily be distinguished from term life insurance payments; disability insurance payments, survivor's benefit payments; and payments made under various government programs such as Social Security, Workman's Compensation, and Crime Victims Board payments. While an argument could be made that payments from various charities are collateral sources, there is no "entitlement" to such amounts and, accordingly, the language of Section 405(b)(6) would appear to support exclusion of such amounts. Similarly, outright gifts from family, friends or employers, do not represent an "entitlement" and should be excluded from collateral sources. Including such items as the definition of collateral sources will either reduce the interest of various persons in helping victims and their families or will cause such persons to wait until claims have been awarded under the Victims Compensation Fund before making such gifts. If the Department is not prepared to completely exclude such gifts from collateral source treatment, two alternative options should be considered. First, at a minimum, gifts for certain purposes, such as payment of health insurance premiums, tuition or other education assistance and housing and other "emergency" expenses should be excluded. Second, an allowance for the first $300,000 should be permitted with additional amounts being subtracted from the award. We appreciate the opportunity to provide these comments to the Department of Justice. While we recognize the difficulties in drafting regulations to implement the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund of 2001, a fair simplified process will benefit many victims and families consistent with the purposes of the Act. If you have any questions, you can contact us at (212) 847-6024. Very truly yours, Individual Comment New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-16 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 dojW000779.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. 2001-11-16 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. Tuesday, January 08, 2002 3:35 PM Its not right I have a hard time with this fund. I don't make a lot of money about 26,000.00 a year. And I have a home two cars a wife and two kids. We have to watch carefully what we spend each month to make ends meet. Being the sole provider for my family it would be terrible if I were to no longer be able to do my part for my family. I pay for enough Insurance to take care of things until my family is grown and my wife can fend for herself. The benefit to my family is 300,000.00 tax free. I do this understanding that the government is not going to come to the aid of my family if I was to come to harm by ill will of madmen. I am also 21 years retired from the Mn. Army Nat. Guard I would have fought for freedom had I been asked. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-08 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 dojN001453.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. 2002-01-08 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. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:42 PM Sept 11 Victim Compensation Fund Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to ALL victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment Cedar Park, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 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 dojA001049.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. 2001-12-05 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 4:25 PM fund?!?! I have to say that I am not impressed at all at the US governments stand on gay americans towards the compensation fund allotments. For god sakes!!! I am a christian and a gay american and I cannot believe that you people would discriminate against gay americans because of the facet that they are simply gay>!?! You are more than willing to support illegal alians and fetuses but living breating tax-paying gay americans mean nothing to you. I am so ready to pull out of the SS fund. I am a clinical psychologist practicing in Los Angeles and I will never again show my support to gay americans who come to me towards the US government in this way. Please reconsider and show you patriosisim as you did during the attacks.... Individual Comment Los Angelas, CA 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 dojR001087.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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 2:24 PM 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund Coments To whom it may concern, I am writing to add my voice to the thousands of American, Tax Paying Citizens who are outraged at your decision to EXCLUDE gays & lesbians from the benefits of the Victim's Compensation Fund. There have been few times in my nearly half century of life that I have been more angry or more ashamed to call myself an American than I am at this moment. If the events of 9/11 have taught us anything it is that we are ALL "victims" of this horiffic attack on our country and it infuriates me to know that my tax dollars will go to "reward" people who were in this country ILLEGALLY on 9/11 but will not go to help the domestic partners of those Gay and Lesbian heroes of this horrible event. Maybe it's about time that those of you in government actually start LISTENING to what the people who put you there and pay your salaries have to say about issues such as this! As for "state law" I say "to hell with any law that excludes anyone from receiving benefits from this fund that my tax dollars help to provide! A victim is a victim, PERIOD! Angrily Yours, Another Infuriated American Citizen Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001441.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-17 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 05, 2001 7:11 AM Let's be fair! Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Toward equality, Individual Comment Milton, DE September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 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 dojA000692.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. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, March 21, 2002 9:18 AM Fw: 9/11 FUND- please email & forward by thur-3-21-to protest exclusion of domestic partners as un-american. Hello This is a country that does not condone discrimination and criticizes other countries that are discriminatory. Discrimination of any kind is un-American. Any person who was injured and any family , spouse or domestic partner, hetrosexual or homosexual, whose loved one was killed on 9/11 deserves the same equal treatment and protections, rights and compensation under the law. It is discrimination to do otherwise. It is should be illegal and is morally wrong. Support the 9/11 fund for all victims and their families and domestic partnerships. Do not discriminate against any of the brave and heroic victims and their chosen families. They all have suffered the same pain and loss and deserve to be equally respected, acknowledged and compensated for that pain and loss. Thank you, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002487.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 06, 2001 1:48 PM (no subject) 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. Many Americans were killed on September 11, some of whom were gay and lesbian. Gays and lesbians also left behind families and 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 New York, NY 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 dojA001184.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. On 9/11 we lost our only son in the WTC. We now understand Fiancees or co-minglers may be considered to receive benefits from the Fund. We made many sacrifices to raise a strong and hard working son. We DO NOT believe a fiancee or (short-term) co-mingler should be entitled less than to any benefits from the VCF unless 1 year it is completely separate from our benefits. Our son was engaged for only 5 weeks and lived with a woman for 11 months and we do not believe she is entitled to any of our benefits. Individual Comment Harrington Pk, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-06 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 dojP000268.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-02-06 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, December 19, 2001 7:35 AM Victims' Relief Fund 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 Cary, NC 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 dojA002680.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. Monday, December 17, 2001 10:26 AM Treating all families with respect and fairness Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attach, 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 Newton, MA 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 dojA002102.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. Thursday, December 13, 2001 11:19 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 Michelangelo Signorile, 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 Signorile 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 Corona, CA 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 dojA001540.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:24 PM please help 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 Minneapolis, MN 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 dojA004504.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:31 AM Equal Access to Relief Funds 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 Fort Collins, 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 dojA002864.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