239 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. 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 Muskegon,MI 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 dojA004368.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. Kenneth L. Zwick Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530 Fax: 301-519-5956 March 21, 2002 Dear Sir, If September 11th has taught us anything, it's that our patriotism and love of country transcend our differences and unite us all. We were told that September 11 was the day that "hyphenated-Americans" were no more; rather being Italian-Americans, African-Americans or gay-Americans, we were now simply Americans, all of us together as one American family. It is with this in mind that I ask you to extend equal benefits to same-sex partners and families of September 11th victims as opposite-sex partners and families. You have offered benefits to the families of illegal, undocumented workers. I think that this is right and I commend you for it. I also feel that you should go one step further, and extend the same compassionate hand to same-sex partners and families. The hyphens seem not to matter when our government wants to use heroism to inspire others, but when it comes time to actually aid the families of those heroes, the hyphens come back with a vengeance, and it seems that some American heroes are now more equal than others. I hope that the Victim Compensation Fund will do the right thing and attempt to eliminate some of those hyphens. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Individual Comment Arlington, 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 dojR002736.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. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 5:19 PM Homosexuals, No?....Illegal aliens, Yes?!? D-I-S-G-R-A-C-E-F-U-L !! I ( an AMERICAN CITIZEN ) lost my partner of 18 years ( a LESBIAN woman, also an AMERICAN CITIZEN ) in the WTC attacks on September 11, 2001. Your willingness to assist even ILLEGAL aliens ( which I DO NOT oppose - morally ) but to deliberately and willfully EXCLUDE same-sex domestic partners has effectively demonstrated that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT does not WANT recognize me. Thank you for making easy for me to now NOT RECOGNIZE the federal gov't - I will NOT be filling my federal taxes since I really don't exist to anyone there. Additionally, I will seek to sue the gov't for the THOUSANDS of dollars I have paid during the years so that your salaries might be paid, your girlfriends taken care of while preaching "FAMILY VALUES"....ie CONDUIT.... You, Feinberg are a COWARD for NOT standing up and doing what is MORALLY RIGHT, and DECENT in this specific situation. YOU, supposedly have much latitude in your decision making, yet you've proven to the world what kind of person you are. The CIA, FBI, INS, all by not PROPERLY doing their JOBS - which AGAIN, MY tax dollars went to -- Where's MY REFUND for yet ANOTHER POORLY DONE JOB! Thank GOD for my governor, New York State's own "Pataki" and my old pal "Guliani" who gave credence and support for every GAY and LESBIAN AMERICAN. You, my dear sir, you can -- ....take a jetliner, I'll get you a nice taliban pilot from Afghanistan - please be sure to take a seat in first classs..... Individual CommentNew York 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 dojR000665.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. Monday, November 19, 2001 9:58 PM Topic #5 on Claimant Eligibility Regarding your Topic #5 on Claimant Eligibility, I request that you consider those unborn children who were killed along with their pregnant mothers as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks as "eligible victims. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-19 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 dojW000416.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. 2001-11-19 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 3:03 PM Support Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Pasadena, CA 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 dojA003433.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:07 AM September 11 Victims' Fund: Sexual Orientation I believe it is important to offer support to every victim of the September 11 attack, regardless whether they are heterosexual or homosexual. This opportunity to strengthen our protection of diversity should not be compromised by narrowness and bigotry. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this work by the Justice Department. I'll look for ways to contribute to this important work. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojA003061.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 8:02 PM Dear Sir/Madam: Please assure that all partners of victims - whether legally married or not - receive compensation for the loss of their loved ones due to the attack on America 9/11. Thank you, Individual Comment Port Jefferson, NY 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 dojA000535.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. Wednesday, November 07, 2001 7:22 PM Displaced Resident of 600 Bldg Gateway Plaza I lived in the 600 building in Gateway Plaza and although I am receiving rental assistance from FEMA, FEMA does not help with damaged personal items. My apartment was not on fire (I face the river), but apartments across the hall from me were either on fire or 'bombed-out' by WTC debris. Therefore, smoke odors are thick in my apartment and on my personal items. What was worse, is that my windows were left wide open that day (even my FEMA rep. who surveyed my apartment seemed surprised at the amount of ash on most of everything I owned.) I have had to throw away all my rugs, my bed & boxspring, bedding (pillows, blankets, sheets), a couch (will likely have to throw away another couch if despite having it cleaned..the stench is still in it), all of my food, and other personal belongings. I am running up dry-cleaning bills of my clothes (closets were left open that day) in the hundreds of dollars. I have no insurance and need to replace much of what I used to own. Don't know if there is anything you can help me with, but thought I would write you. Please contact me at this email address or call me at my place of business. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-07 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 dojW000323.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. 2001-11-07 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. Monday, January 07, 2002 12:39 AM comments on fund administration I feel these are fair guidelines and reasonable amounts. Families who do not feel so have other legal recourses. I do not recommend any changes. All donated funds should be disseminated as solicited, without caps, pro-rated. We all regret the pain and loss from Sept. 11. yet, we also realize that no amount of money can replace those losses. Thanks for the hard work. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-07 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 dojN001385.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. 2002-01-07 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. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 8:29 AM Military Unique Issues (Public Law 107-42) I recommend that the Department of Justice exempt these unique military payments from the category off "collateral source compensation". (1) Any burial benefit or gratuity awarded by the Veterans Administration ("VA") or any death gratuity paid to a uniformed service member by their respective service. Eligibility for VA benefits is contingent upon service in the Armed Forces of the United States. Although they are called "gratuities" they should be viewed as "deferred compensation" and exempted from consideration as "collateral compensation". (2) Servicemen's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Payments. Under this act insurance payments reduce the amount of compensation. It is necessary to note some critical differences between civilian insurance and SGLI. Unlike civilian insurance policies SGLI has legal restrictions on who can obtain coverage, is neither term or whole life and has no cash value. Additionally, separating or retiring service members cannot retain SGLI coverage after they separate from their respective component. Unlike the vast majority of civilian policies SGLI benefits are paid when death occurs as a result of combat, acts of God or acts of war. These differences clearly distinguish the SGLI program from civilian policies. It may be more accurate to view SGLI as "risk sharing among a closed population" than as a traditional civilian "insurance" policy. (3) Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP)- Under some circumstances the survivors of some uniformed service members may be eligible for SBP. Any benefits collected under SBP should NOT be considered collateral source compensation. If SBP is paid it is an indicator that the service member was eligible to receive retirement pay which is not considered to be a pension. If the qualifying factor is retirement eligibility than SBP payments should not be treated as a "pension" since retirement pay is treated as reduced compensation rather than a pension. (4) If SBP is considered "collateral compensation" then the special master should be compelled to pay the difference between the current calculated values and the SBP value at mandatory retirement. [which is by either time in service or age) Military peculiar losses: (1) When calculating economic loss the special master should be required to calculate and compensate for the economic value of VA pensions or disability payments being paid to any veteran. The value of that economic loss should take into account the difference between the projected life span of the veteran minus their age multiplied by the monthly payment. If the surviving family qualifies for a pension based upon the death of the veteran the economic loss would be the difference between the two values. This value should account for projected annual inflation over the projected life of the veteran. (2) Insert language that acknowledges service members have second careers when we retire. Federal law limits the length of our careers and imposes a maximum age limit. This means there are two components that must be calculated to accurately identify the value of a service member. A. Military compensation to a retirement date + military retirement pay. B. The value of a second career. Recommend you insert language that (1) allows DoD to submit a statement that identifies the compensation the service member would have been paid and an annual value for the retirement pay the individual would have drawn after achieving retirement eligibility. This value must allow for promotion. Just because a victim dies as an E4 it doesn't mean their value should be determined using the actuary age for their sex minus their age times E4 base pay. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002161.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 06, 2001 3:49 PM Dear Mr. Zwick: I write on the subject of the "Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund." It outrages me to find it necessary to urge the Government of the United States to treat all it's citizens equally. Compensation must be available to all victims of the attack including the partners and non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. Truly yours, Individual Comment Beverly Hills,FL 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 dojA001201.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. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 1:19 AM Discrimination in 911 Fund I cannot believe this. What kind of people are you? Why wouldnt you include everyone equally. Is this information true? Individual Comment 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 dojR002153.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. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 11:06 PM basic human rights December 18, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Santa Barbara, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002433.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 24, 2002 5:25 AM fair treatment All people should be treated the same regardless of sexual preference....this is not a political soapbox for the gov. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-24 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 dojR002671.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. 2002-03-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 07, 2002 2:33 PM commentary While I truly feel for the victims of the 9-11 terrorist acts (I lost three classmates that day), it sets a terrible precedent that the government is compensating the victims / families for their losses. If we as a government start with this, where do we draw the line? Further, what about victims from previous terrorist acts (such as the Oklahoma City bombing)? These people were more a victim of terrorism simply because they worked for the United States. What is to stop them from also trying to sue the government for their losses under similar circumstances? What will stop the entitlement mentality that actions such as this one bring? I recently read about a widow named &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp, whose husband, a line chef in the &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp restaurant is suing the government for more money than the $1.6 million she is slated to receive. Her late husband was making $480 per week. With a payout of only $1 million, and invest it in tax free municipal bonds, she will make in tax free interest income (assuming 4% return) 60% more than her husband was making before in taxable income. The greed is appalling, and this is an opportunity for more people to claim more entitlement. I am not an upper class, top tax bracket conservative by any means, but manage to just get by on what I earn. I've played the cards I have been dealt; these people should be grateful they live in a country with such openness and generosity, not be whining that they didn't get more. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-07 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 dojN001415.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. 2002-01-07 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. 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, Shawnee Mission, KS 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 dojA003676.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. Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: As a daughter of who was killed on United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, I am deeply saddened by the rules and regulations as set by Mr. Feinberg as to the distribution of the monies in the Compensation Fund of 2001. What disturbs me most is that under these circumstances and within the current guidelines set forth in the Compensation Fund, my family would receive $0; in fact, under the $300,000 limit for single, not dependent children, we could conceivably owe the government money. The way I view the situation, there are two ways to fairly handle the monetary issue that would benefit everyone concerned: 1. A portion of the fund money (amount to be set by the Special Master) should be used to compensate the people who were injured or displaced as a result of the World Trade Center collapsing. The balance of the fund plus the insurance monies carried by the airlines, security companies, and any other companies that would be constructed as liable in a lawsuit, would then be pooled and equally divided among the families who lost loved ones as a result of the attack. In this way, Mr. Feinberg will not have to decide who is more economically in need because everyone would receive the same amount of monetary compensation. Pension funds and insurance policies should also be excluded as a criteria because each family's situation is radically different and there is no way fairness can be applied without it seeming one gets more than another. By adding the insurance monies from the airlines and security companies, a message can still be sent that there is some responsibility on their part to do their share in compensating the victim's families without litigation, or 2. Each incident is handled separately. For example, United Flight 93 is handled by the insurance of United Airlines, the insured plane that crashed, security companies' insurance and a portion of the fund set aside for those families. Similarly, the Pentagon crash would be handled separately and the World Trade Center crashes as one event. In a recent newspaper article, Mr. Feinberg was quoted as saying that he could not play Solomon and decide different degrees of pain and suffering; nor should he be expected to do so. However, since he cannot play Solomon to decide who suffered more pain than someone else, he also cannot and should not play Solomon to decide who economically is more in need than someone else. If the handling of the fund does not change dramatically, it will become a discussion of "class" rather than equality. A discussion of "class" is a no-win situation for everyone involved. Under the current system, those who had the foresight to purchase insurance and contribute to a pension are left with nothing. Those who did not plan for their future are left with something. How does that seem fair and just? Everyone who died on September 11 did so equally; whether they were retired, working, or unemployed. They have been touted by our Government as American Heroes. Let's treat them and their families with the dignity, respect and honor they deserve. Sincerely, Individual Comment Danville, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-21 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 dojN002604.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. 2002-02-21 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 20, 2001 9:41 PM Families Pain due to loss of &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp How can anyone say how much someones pain is worth and whose pain is greater? I lost my daughter &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , her body has not been recovered as of yet. I keep hoping for some closure or a great miracle that she walk in the door. Since this horendous tragedy I have been unable to cope with normal life functions. &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp is my first born and has two remaining siblings who are terribly devastated by this. My son lost school for this and than lost even more because of the stress he developed mononeucliosis, he lost another 4 weeks of school. My daughter &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp gave birth to her first child on 9-22, her delivery was not easy since she developed complications probably due to the stress of losing her only sister, the intended godmother of her daughter. As for myself I have not returned to work cause I can't function. My husband is beside himself, he feels he let us down. He blames himself for taking her to the train that dreadful day. I feel I can't be there for my daughter and my granddaughter because I hurt so bad. My holidays are ruined. I suffer from anxiety and depression. Do you no what it's like to go to a store in hopes of accomplishing something and you have to run out cause all I think of is &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp ? I attended the meeting last night because I thought it might help since I haven't been into Manhattan since I picked up the flag and urn, but I left in discust I can't help but believe that her life is worth less because she didn't make a great salary. It was graet for her she only worked for &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp for a little over a year. She graduated &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp in &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , after 4 years of hard work. Is that not worth anything? Had she had the chance to forfill her lifes dreams she would have been making plenty. Her intentions were to go back to school for her masters. My daughter was to be married in 2002 to her fiancee &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp who is now in the police academy. They were together almost 6 years. &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp was my strength, she picked me up when I was down. She helped me with anything I needed, She was a great role model to her sister and brother . They truly looked up to there sister. That is all gone now and so are my dreams of her wedding , her children, my grandchildren and anything else she would have accomplished in life. My daughter touched so many peoples lives while in college she worked in &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp as a cashier, when people heard that &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp was missing they sent condolences I had no idea that so many people knew her. There cards were a comfort to me in one way knowing that strangers to me knew how good my daughter is. This is just a bit of what is on my mind, had you known &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp you would have liked her from the start. I don't envy your position and I hope you can make people comfortable with your decision on the worth of there loss, but as I seen from the meeting the only people that will be o.k. are the ones that have earned the big bucks and had years till retirement. As I see it and have felt from the beginning, my daughter is not important she had no husband, children nor was she a policeman nor fireman but had not her life been cut short by a tragedy that should have been prevented she would have been a wife and a mom. My daughter does have a family that loves her and needs her. I have lost a parent and 2 siblings in my lifetime and the pain than was so bad but this is something I don't think I can handle the painis the worst pain imagineable and only those that go through it would know, so again please tell me how you can tell me what my pain is worth? Individual Comment 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 dojN000139.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, January 14, 2002 11:36 AM Comments on Interim Final Rules Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530 My name is &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and I'm the father of one of the deceased Victims of the Sept 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. My concerns regarding the interim final rules are basically two: 1. Knowing what the final award will be prior to official acceptance. If claimant is required to waive their right to pursue legal action it would seem only reasonable that the exact settlement to claimant is verified and agreed to prior to acceptance. This would eliminate the possibility of any misunderstandings. 2. Private insurance premiums paid by the Victims were paid to protect their loved ones financially in the event of death. Their responsible behavior should in no way be offset by this horrific terrorist act. If the concern of the Federal Government is minimizing the use of American dollars then freeze the assets of the 60 countries engaged in or supporting terrorist activities and use those monies to compensate the impact to the treasury. Wrongful death, i.e.. murder, should have no beneficial financial offset flowing to anyone culpable on the back of the murdered victims. Finally, by way of an editorial comment; I sincerely hope that no additional weight is given to the numerous mass e-mailings going to this site on the part of those groups with an obvious political agenda. In fact it is my hope that they be discounted. thank you Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001581.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 14, 2001 9:31 PM 9/11 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. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001974.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14