539 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Kansas City, MO 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 dojA004790.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 1:14 PM Att: Mr Zwick 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 Stamford, CT 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 dojA000882.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. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:54 PM Money to Gays It has come to my attention that money to gays victims' families is being limited. I question the fairness of that decision, and feel strongly that gay partners and families should receive equal compensation, if anyone should receive any at all. Thank you for your consideration, Individual Comment Las Vegas, NV 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 dojR000644.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 27, 2001 3:25 PM Kenneth Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick, First and foremost I would like to begin by saying that I lost my husband in this horrific attack and that I will make sure that he will never be forgotten. He loved and was loved by many. He was the light of my live and the best thing that has ever happened to me. The following are comments regarding the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001: (1) I think there should be a SIMPLE form to fill out instead of appearing before a Special Master (don't like the term) I think it is a waste of government monies and a very difficult task for us as victims to testify or appear before a Special Master. I know I speak on behalf of many families when I say the paperwork and form filing have been monumental task thus far on state, local and federal levels. We have been through enough emotionally. We are not charity cases. Why should we have to grovel for money. These people went to work everyday to ensure that we live in a democratic society. (2) A formula needs to be implemented. I think every family should receive the same amount of money for pain and suffering. In terms of economic loss, I think the deceased salary should be averaged over the past 2 to 3 years and then multiplied by his/her work/life expectancy . If a formula is unattainable, then we should have the right to appeal. (3) Definitions need to be clarified and made clear to the layman. For example, what does the term claimant mean? At one point the document states that " the term claimant means an individual filing a claim for compensation under section 405(a)(1)" and in another section it states that the claimant " is an individual who was present at the WTC, the Pentagon... and suffered harm or death as a result of such an air crash... or in the case of the decedent... the personal representative of the decedent who files a claim on behalf of the decedent." It is very confusing. (4) Therefore, one cannot tell who the pain and suffering should be attributed to. Does pain and suffering mean the deceased final moments of pain and suffering or the family's pain and suffering? (5) We should not waive our rights to other civil actions before knowing the settlement . (6) What are the qualifications of the Special Master? (7) The term "collateral source" should not include life insurance, pension funds or 401K plans. Furthermore, it should not include any monies recovered from the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001. (8) What about Osama Bin Laden's frozen assets? His assets should not be tied up in any legislative package. We should be entitled to those monies free and clear of any government settlement. In conclusion, I think these comments as well as those before and after me need to be taken into consideration before I even consider settling with the government. I share the same thoughts as many family members out there who have been through this same nightmare, we will never be the same people as we were on September 10th, 2001. I would give up everything and anything for my life to be restored to that state of happiness and well being. My American Dream was taken away from me. Respectfully Yours Individual comment New York, New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000034.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. 2001-11-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:10 AM Please support equal treatment for all victims of September 11, 2001 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 New York, NY 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 dojA004074.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. Friday, January 18, 2002 6:54 PM Letter to Kenneth Zwick 1/18/02 (A0521964.DOC;1) Attachment 1: January 18, 2002 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: I am a plaintiff's attorney with an office in Westborough, Massachusetts. Enclosed are my personal comments on the proposed regulations for the Victim's Compensation Fund. The "presumed" awards are grossly unfair and undervalued. By way of example, the award for a forty-five year old man earning $125,000.00 a year with one child is $1,384,000.00. As you are well aware, in the Lockerbie case, &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , Esq. received a verdict of $19 million. I suspect that Attorney &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and other aviation attorneys will be prepared to file suit against the airlines and that verdicts for the September 11, 2001 tragedy will easily exceed the Lockerbie verdicts. Even if we look to statistics kept on jury verdicts and use "conservative values," the presumed awards are grossly unfair. Enclosed is a printout of an independent evaluation prepared on Jury Verdict Research software. I am informed that some insurance companies utilize this software as a basis for "conservative" settlement awards. The projected award for a forty-five year old man earning $125,000.00 a year with one child is $4,983,000.00. As you know, the Fund is supposed to cover economic and noneconomic damages (including hedonic damages). Government and Economic studies have put the value of life at between $9 million and $13.4 million1. Tragically, children from Massachusetts who lost parents on September 11, 2001 will be denied fair compensation. Under Massachusetts law, if the decedent is survived by a wife and two minor children, any proceeds from a wrongful death claim are paid one third to the wife and two thirds to the minor children. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 229 §1 A guardian ad litem is often appointed to take responsibility for the settlement proceeds awarded to the minor child. In many cases a structured settlement will be approved to fund the minor's education. The minor's money cannot be spent by the parents and the settlement proceeds earn interest tax free. One of the main purposes of the Victim's Compensation Fund is to save the families from reliving the horrific events of September 11 and to provide fair compensation. The regulations further provide that the Special Master shall review the plans submitted by the Personal Representatives to be certain that ample funds are paid to the spouse and children. It seems clear that Congress intended to provide fair compensation to a victim's children. However, because the new set of regulations is different than the first set of proposed regulations, it appears to me that the regulations have created certain vagueries and ambiguities. As a result, many young children will not receive any collateral source benefits or any compensation from the Victim's Compensation Fund. As originally proposed, the regulations specified that collateral source payments would be deducted only from the beneficiary who actually received the collateral source payment. Now that the rules have eliminated this proviso, many children who lost their parents may now receive nothing from the Fund. To prevent this injustice, the rules must clarify the distinction between "personal representatives," "beneficiaries" and "claimants." Here are two examples of how the collateral source payment provision can be interpreted to deny compensation to children who lost a mother or father in the September 11 tragedy: EXAMPLE 1 1. On September 11, 2001, Mr. X was insured for $1.5 million. However, since Mr. X was an attorney in partnership with his brother, Mr. X named his brother as the beneficiary of the policy. Furthermore, since Mr. X's brother is an attorney, Mr. X named his brother as the executor under the will. Mr. X was forty-five years old; he had two minor children and he was earning $100,000.00 a year. Under the Fund, the "presumed" award would be approximately $1.5 million. However, since his brother received $1.5 million in insurance, there would be no payment to the wife and no payment to the children under the Fund. Since the presumed award is zero, there is no "plan" to be submitted to the Special Master and therefore the Special Master would not even have an opportunity to step in and undo this injustice. However, if the regulations specified that the collateral source payment would be deducted only from the beneficiary who received the collateral source payment, then the $1.5 million "presumed" payment from the Fund would be payable to the brother as "executor." Under Massachusetts law the brother would not receive any of the money from the Fund. However, as executor, he would be required to pay one third to the wife ($500,000.00) and two thirds to the children ($1,000,000.00). Obviously, Congress did not intend to deprive the victim's wife and children of any compensation under the Fund simply because the decedent had a life insurance policy payable to his brother. In these types of cases the provisions of the Fund and the regulations will force the wife and children to file suit against the airlines (as their only source of compensation). EXAMPLE 2 2. Similarly, if the decedent's 1.5 million life insurance policy is payable solely to the wife, then the children will not receive any compensation from the Fund. The current regulations could be construed as follows: If the wife received $1.5 million in life insurance, then neither the wife nor the children would receive anything under the Fund. However, under Massachusetts's law, if the wife and children were awarded $1.5 million for the decedent's wrongful death, then the wife would receive $500,000.00 and the two children (through a court appointed guardian) would receive $1,000,000.00. If the regulations clearly stated that the collateral source payment would be deducted only from the beneficiary who received the payment then the injustice would be corrected and the two minor children would receive $1,000,000.00 from the Fund. Since the wife received $1.5 million in insurance, she would not receive any payment from the Fund. In other words, if we assume that the benefits from the Fund to be paid to a personal representative would be $1,500,000.00, then the deduction for collateral payments should work as follows: Wife Child "Presumed" benefit: $500,000.00 $1,000,000.00 Collateral payments: (- $1,500,000.00) No collateral payments paid directly to child Payment from the Fund: [Zero] $1,000,000.00 $500,000.00 (- $1,500,000.00) As a nation, we must be certain that any child who lost a mother or father on September 11, 2001 will be financially secure. These children will live their lives without the care, comfort, guidance and support of a parent. Under the current regulations, just because the decedent's brother or his wife received a payment from a life insurance policy, a young child may not be able to collect any money from the Fund. As a result, the children of this tragedy may have no choice but to file suit against the airlines and be forced to litigate and relive the death of a parent. Please be certain that the regulations are clarified so that collateral benefits are deducted only from the beneficiary who actually received the collateral source payment. We must protect the children who are the true victims of the terrorists. Very truly yours, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002014.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 9:13 PM I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses.If they were good enough to perform heroically in their jobs, why not treat them the same as other families. Individual Comment Nanuet, NY 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 dojR001244.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. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 7:54 AM RE: Fund Money To Whom It Concerns, The families of the people who lost their lives in both the buildings and the planes very much deserve help. Do the airline deserve help in the form of bail outs? Apparently so, and if so then why not the persons who are the life line of the airlines. The travel agents who have seen as much as a 75% drop in business. The self employed small travel agent business owner who can't apply for unemployment, who can't get state assistance because their business is an asset. The self employed who already work 50 hr. week keeping their business afloat, who couldn't find a part time job in this economy even if they could physically handle another job. I ask you to help the travel industry as a whole. To help the small business person who is being destroyed by 9-11-01. I am very saddened by the days events 9-11-01. The town of Hudson lost one family man to the terrorists. No amount of money will ever compensate the family for the lose of a loved one. But at least along with losing a loved one the family will not lose their homes, or their children's future. But is a person's life valued at 1.6 million or should quarterly request for money be submitted for an as need basis. I assure you the need for financial assistance due to 9-11-01 goes beyond the first line of horrible deaths and the families it touched. Individual Comment Hudson, NH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 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 dojN002558.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. 2002-01-22 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. 9 January 2002 To our Elected Officials: In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon our nation, Congress enacted the Victims' Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L. 107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As you know, this Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which bailed out the airlines industry and imposed restrictions on the rights of the victims' relatives to sue the airlines in court. We implore upon you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's self-imposed rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which was enacted. Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following changes to the interim rules: 1. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they held, and where they worked-the World Trade Center, the Financial Capital of the world, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American Business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly, commensurate with the support they provided their families before their death. 2. Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is unacceptable. In the words of Rep. Peter King, "...every death is tragic, A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the world - in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come-is a horror these families will never escape from... The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to restrict the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families for the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones. As Mayor Giuliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did die... Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families...There should be no compromise about that ever..."We request that the interim rules be amended and redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic loss and that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bronx, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002452.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. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Santa Barbara, 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 dojA003639.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. Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 Please rethink your position on gay partner compensation Dear Victims Comp Administrators: You guys have a very, very difficult job. Figuring out how to dispense cash, benefits and, with it, compassion to the families of the Sept. 11 horror must be heart wrenching. I am writing to let you know that when I heard that you were planning to limit or deny aid to the life partners of gay and lesbian people who perished on that horrible day, I started to cry and haven't really been able to stop. You've managed to wrench my heart, too. How can you possibly justify this inhumane policy? Why are some lives more valuable to you than others? Why do you turn your back on some loved ones and dispense well-deserved compensation to others? The answers that suggest themselves to me are two: the difficulty in figuring out what, exactly, constitutes domestic partnership, and just plain bigotry. Surely at this point in the history of this country there is ample precendent for determining criteria for a life-partner. Some of the generally accepted measures include such things as shared real estate, bank accounts, registration of the relationship with legal entities. Others use a criteria of the couple having lived together six months or more. These criteria have been hashed out in the halls of governments all over this country. They have also been debated in corporate boardrooms. City and state governments recognize the truth of these relationships through legislation. Companies, of which there are many Fortune 500 companies, including the airlines that employed the gay co-pilot, also recognize these relationships by offering domestic partner benefits. What misunderstanding prevents you from exercising the same judgement? Is it possible that you just don't believe gay and lesbian people are worthy of your compassion? Are we somehow less human to you? Do you imagine that we don't bleed with the loss of the partners with whom we have fashioned our dreams for the future? I sincerely hope you change your mind. There can be no cost-benefit equations when it comes to grief and justice. How can you live with yourself if you turn your back on so many of us? How can you compound the grief of those who are already suffering by pretending their grief matters less and still think of yourselves as moral beings? Thank you for considering my views, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000120.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:22 PM September 11th fund Dear Sir/Madam, I wholeheartedly oppose the discrimination of the September 11th fund against gays and lesbians. sincerely Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000636.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 8:37 AM Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners 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 Edwardsville, IL 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 dojA004320.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. Friday, December 14, 2001 8:55 AM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington. DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have?Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Bryan, TX 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 dojA001720.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 4:15 PM 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 New York, 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 dojA000357.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. Monday, November 26, 2001 4:52 PM Comments by the Council on Foundations Attached are comments submitted by: Council on Foundations Washington D.C. These comments address the issue of whether charitable gifts should be considered payments from a collateral source. ------------------ November 26, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: Adoption of Rules to Govern the September 11 Victim Compensation Program - Topic #6: Should Charitable Gifts Be Considered Payments from a Collateral Source Dear Mr. Zwick: The Council on Foundations is a membership organization that serves the public good by promoting and enhancing responsible and effective philanthropy. The Councils 2,100 members include independent foundations, family foundations, community foundations and corporate grantmakers. Council members responded quickly and generously to the terrorist attacks on September 11. Many gave to The September 11 Fund, established by the New York Community Trust, a Council member, and the United Way of New York City, and to the Survivors Fund of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, another Council member. But Council members also made emergency grants to many of the other charities providing services and financial assistance to those who incurred losses as a result of September 11. In some cases, they established programs of their own to make grants directly to individuals and families. Council members made most of these gifts with the expectation that their contributions, along with the millions of dollars contributed by others, would provide immediate assistance during the time it takes to mobilize a governmental response and would then supplement and enhance the governments effort. The Justice Departments request for comments on the content of rules governing the governments September 11 Victim Compensation Program asks whether the definition of "collateral source" in section 402 of the Act establishing the program can be read to exclude gifts by charitable organizations to those injured in the September 11 tragedies and to the families of those who lost their lives. The Council believes that gifts by charities should not be deemed to be payments by a collateral source and that Congress never intended such a result. There are many reasons why gifts by a charity to September 11 victims do not fall within the statutes definition of "collateral source." This submission will focus on three. First, as a straightforward case of statutory interpretation, the definition provides four examples of payments that are from a "collateral source" - life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs and payments by Federal, State or local governments. Each of these examples is a payment to which survivors are entitled either as a contractual obligation or by meeting the qualifications for assistance from a government program. Charitable gifts are plainly different from these payments simply because they are gifts-survivors have no individual, enforceable right to receive a payment from a charity, any more than they would have a right to compel a friend or family member to make a gift. The wording of section 405(b)(6) of the Act underscores this interpretation. That section reduces the compensation available from the governments fund by "the collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive" (emphasis supplied), implying that Congress was thinking about amounts that are predictable because the claimant has a legal right to collect them. Because charity assistance is a gift, not a right, claimants would not be "entitled" to any future assistance, much less a determinable amount. Consequently, applying the collateral source rule to charity aid would treat claimants differently depending on the timing of their receipt of charitable assistance-reductions for those who receive aid prior to their case being determined, but no reductions for those who receive aid subsequently. The Department can avoid this problem by excluding charity aid from the definition of collateral source. The second reason why charitable gifts should not be considered a collateral source is that doing so would help defeat the purpose of the Act-to encourage survivors to accept an administrative settlement rather than sue airlines and other potential defendants. Since charitable gifts would not reduce damage awards in litigation, using them to reduce the amount claimants would receive from the fund creates a disincentive to use the fund. A third reason to exclude charitable gifts from the definition of collateral source is that decisions about who should receive charitable gifts, and the amount they should receive, are made on a different basis than the decisions about how much compensation survivors should receive from the governments fund. The purpose of the government fund is to compensate victims and survivors for their economic and noneconomic losses; charity aid is directed primarily to alleviating need. As we will explain, the result of that difference is that reducing government compensation by charitable aid would disproportionately penalize those most in need. The federal September 11 compensation fund will provide essentially the same level of compensation to survivors on an administrative basis as they would receive if they prevailed in litigation against the airlines and other parties who might be found liable in tort. Thus the fund will award two types of compensation-one that covers economic losses resulting from physical injury or death in the September 11 tragedy and the other covering noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering, loss of society and companionship and similar nonpecuniary losses. As is appropriate, the victims current and expected future earnings will be a substantial component of the economic loss portion of the award. As a result, and again appropriately given the nature of the fund, the economic compensation awarded to the family of a stockbroker or an insurance executive will be substantially greater than that received by the family of a receptionist or a dishwasher. Even assuming that the noneconomic loss portion of the compensation award is based on factors that disregard income, it is reasonable to expect that the largest awards from the fund generally will go to the families with the highest pre-September 11 earnings. Charity assistance, however, is based on need. As the IRS wrote in guidance it issued shortly after September 11. Charitable funds cannot be distributed to persons merely because they are victims of a disaster. Therefore, an organizations decision about how its funds will be distributed must be based on an objective evaluation of the victims needs at the time of the grant. Advanced Text of a Special IRS Publication, "Disaster Relief: Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations," http://www.irs.gov/relief/aid-charity-pub.pdf. As the Special Publication explains in greater detail, charities provide disaster victims with food, shelter, clothing, medical care, grief counseling and similar emergency services in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Because the IRS recognizes the need for charities to dispense such aid as quickly and efficiently as possible, it is not normally necessary to conduct an extensive inquiry into the recipients financial circumstances. However, as the response shifts to meeting longer-term needs, the IRS requires that charities shift their focus to meeting basic needs of those who cannot provide for themselves from other resources. Recognizing the unique circumstances of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the IRS announced on November 16, 2001 that it will not question payments by charities to September 11 victims and survivors as long as "the payments are made in good faith using objective standards." IRS Notice 2001-78 on Disaster Relief Distributions by Charities to Sept. 11 Terrorist Attack Victims (scheduled to appear in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2001-50, dated December 10, 2001). The IRS notice covers payments made through the earlier of December 31, 2001 or the date on which Congress enacts legislation addressing the issue. Section 103 of The Victims of Terrorism Relief Act of 2001 (H.R. 2884 EAS), which passed the Senate on November 16 and is pending in the House of Representatives, includes language similar to that used in IRS Notice 2001-78 permitting charities to distribute funds to September 11 victims based on objective criteria. Legislative history captures the intent of Congress to permit charities to make payments to appropriate classes, such as firefighters killed in the line of duty on September 11, without directly considering the specific financial needs of each family. Similarly, charities that make payments based on an appropriate surrogate standard, such as the number of dependents in a family, need not examine the specific needs of each family. S. Prt. 107-49 at 30 (2001) http://finance.senate.gov/76060.pdf. IRS Notice 2001-78 and the legislation, if Congress enacts it, free charities to provide assistance to September 11 survivors more quickly than would be possible with strict adherence to the economic need test that normally governs disaster relief distributions once the immediate crisis is past. While the result may be that some families receive charitable assistance that might not have qualified under a strict application of the economic need standard, we believe that many charities will continue to weigh a familys economic circumstances in deciding the type and amount of aid to provide. Knowing that the most substantial settlements from the governments fund likely will accrue to those with the highest pre-attack incomes, it is reasonable to expect that charitable assistance will flow most heavily to the survivors who were economically needy prior to the disaster and whose compensation from the fund is thus likely to be among the lowest. Despite the fund compensation they will receive, many of these families will need continued charitable support and would suffer disproportionately if the aid they received from charities was used to lower the governments cost of paying compensation claims rather than to provide them with the extra help they need to rebuild their lives. Believing, as we do, that the Department should not consider payments by charities to be payments by a collateral source if they are based on need, we note that both the IRS announcement and the legislation, if Congress enacts it, in effect deem payments by charities in response to September 11 to bear a relationship to need and charitable class. We believe that the Justice Department should respect that presumption. To do otherwise would require the Department to gather information on the process employed by dozens of charities with respect to thousands of families and to second-guess the good-faith decisions those charities made. At the very least, this would be terribly time-consuming, likely to produce inconsistent results, and contrary to the intent expressed by the Senate and the IRS regarding this particular disaster. The role of philanthropy in times of disaster is to meet needs that are not met from other sources. Philanthropy supplements a survivors personal and family resources and fills the gaps in government programs. Reducing government compensation by the amount of charitable aid a survivor receives would disproportionately penalize those who most need the assistance and could deter giving in future disasters. Sincerely, Comments By: Council on Foundations Washington, DC September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000664.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, November 25, 2001 12:30 AM september 11 victims fund i'm relly upset that our life insurance etc. will be used to lower the amounts to be awarded, after all my husband paid for that this should be beyond that. He was an officeworker, he left that day with his briefcase. He wasn't a police officer or a firefighter who are aware that when they go to work they may not come home. Danger is part of there job, but shouldn't be part of a bankers job. The amont of compensation needs to be disclosed, how can we make an informed decision? I have two youn children, and myself have aserious chronic medical condition. This has destroyed our family and our life as we knew it. I have to make sure that the girls and I will live our lives without being financially devstated as we are emotionally. The whole picture needs to be completely disclosed before decisions that we can't appeal can be made. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-25 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 dojW000525.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. 2001-11-25 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 Melrose,FL 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 dojA004775.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 06, 2001 10:43 PM Regarding funds for victims of Sept. 11 tragedy Dear Sir or Madame, Although I myself am neither, I would like to ask that in assessing needs for the funds you consider that some families of victim's may be domestic partners of gay or lesbians, and they deserve the same consideration as any other family member or spouse. Thanking you ahead of time for your kind consideration, Individual Comment Richmond, VA 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 dojA001241.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 16, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all the surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under the traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Santa Cruz, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005499.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-16