556 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 15, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Atascadero, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005309.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, January 26, 2002 11:15 PM Compensation I lost my father during World War II and my mother raised two boys by working. Except for Social Security for us she received no large sum of money. I think the children should receive money to support them but not parents of grown adults or homosexual partners. We are going over board on this issue. We sent money for relief and have national security concerns to pay for to protect the rest of the nation. This is not over yet I bet. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-26 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 dojP000192.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. 2002-01-26 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. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 9:01 AM 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. I am extremely disappointed in our country for engaging in such discrimination. This is especially shocking in light of the recent tragedy, which supposedly had a "unifying" effect on our country. 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 dojR002085.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 6:46 AM Help same sex partners of terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment Detroit, MI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000307.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 3:21 PM Sad News To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director It continues to amaze me at the forms that discrimination can take in the United States. Your recent decision to bar benefits to the surviving same sex partners of the victims of September 11th is a brash example of this. Yet illegal aliens will have more rights than gay and lesbian Americans? The logic does not add up except to make one group of people less than. I am, among other things, a retired educator and gay man. My recent visit to Ground Zero was a heart rendering experience. The very breath of those lost there and in Washington and Pennsylvania continues to hang over our heads. Which you believe we should bow in shame for some. Please reconsider your current policy in this matter.Thank you.Individual Comment Southfield, Michigan 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 dojR001037.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. Monday, December 24, 2001 5:39 PM Victim Compensation Benefits for same-sex partners December 24, 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 Wheeling, IL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-24 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 dojN000873.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. 2001-12-24 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. 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 Venice, 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 dojA004860.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 8:25 PM Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and 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 Vancouver, WA 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 dojA000550.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. Thursday, January 24, 2002 1:10 PM Vote of No on Money to Illegal Immigrants My vote for illegal immigrants receiving the 911 money was no. I would like to qualify. I believe they should receive the money and a plane ticket home. If they are not supposed to be here - they should not be. It is a violation of US law. They do not have the right to have information suppressed (regarding their status). Let the Department of Justice and Immigration doe their job. Individual Comment Joplin September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-24 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 dojP000073.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. 2002-01-24 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 3:38 PM fair compensation for surviving family members of 9/11 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 glendale, 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 dojA003472.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. Thursday, December 06, 2001 6:57 PM 9/11 victim compensation fund - public comments I am very disturbe that there is a possibility that the surviving families of some of the victims may be denied compensation that they deserve. Specifically, the life partners and non-biological children of victims who were gay or lesbian are suffering as much as any others. The terrorists made no such distinction. If we our to celebrate our freedoms, we must not allow discrimination to deny funds to those who deserve them. Individual Comment Brooklyn, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001222.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. January 21, 2002 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building - Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 - Interim Final Rule Dear Mr. Zwick: The undersigned, as general counsel for the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, hereby submit comments on the "Interim Final Rule" promulgated pursuant to Title IV of the Air Transportation Safety & System Stabilization Act. We believe that the Interim Final Rule (hereinafter "IFR") must be modified in several ways, both in the interest of fairness and in order to properly comply with the intent of Congress and the specific language of the statute. We also note that even though we represent the firefighter community, many of our comments are applicable to all victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Our specific comments are as follows: Eligibility The IFR defines eligible individuals to include claimants who were "present" at the World Trade Center "at the time or in the immediate aftermath of the crashes." The IFR defines "immediate aftermath" to be up to 12 hours after the crashes, except for rescue workers. For those rescue workers, the time period is currently expanded to 96 hours. However, the IFR requires that an injured claimant have an objectively verifiable physical injury that was treated by a medical professional within 24 hours of sustaining the injury or within 24 hours of rescue. We submit that the 24-hour requirement noted above is unreasonable. We particularly have in mind the thousands of New York City firefighters who responded to the 09/11/01 attacks at the World Trade Center and thereafter continued to search for their fallen brothers. We have heard countless stories that no firefighters were taking medical leave given the tremendous losses the Fire Department suffered and the emotionally-charged environment requiring that they stay at Ground Zero to help. We are also sure that many non-rescue workers were too dazed or frightened by the events of 09/11 to seek care within 24 hours of being hurt. We suggest that reviewing hospital and/or medical records will adequately insure that anyone claiming injury was actually hurt in the "immediate aftermath" of the attacks as defined by the rule. It would be grossly unfair to penalize any individual present during the attacks or who risked life and limb in rescue efforts for not having taken the step to seek medical treatment in the first 24 hours after being hurt. Beneficiaries Section 104.3 of the IFR provides that those qualifying as beneficiaries shall be determined under the laws of the decedent's domicile. Under current New York law, a "registered domestic partner" would not share in the proceeds of a wrongful death recovery. Nevertheless, it is clear that those firefighters, and other who had "registered domestic partners" under the New York City Administrative Code (Sections 3-240, et seq.), wanted them to be treated as if they were their spouses. We respectfully suggest that the IFR be amended to include a provision that a "registered domestic partner" be entitled to participate in any award to the same extent as would a spouse under State law. Economic and Non-Economic Loss/Collateral Sources The most troublesome provisions of the IFR relate to the calculation of economic and non-economic losses and the manner in which collateral source payments serve to reduce the net recovery of a claimant. Section 402(5) of the Act defines economic loss to mean "any pecuniary loss resulting from harm. . .to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." In reviewing Section 104.43 of the IFR, however, it seems to focus solely upon calculations geared to a loss of earnings resulting from the decedent's death (in addition to medical expenses and burial costs). A review of applicable New York law reveals additional components of economic loss that are not at all addressed by the IFR. Under New York law, the loss of services of the decedent by his distributees are an integral part of economic loss. NO mention of this is made in the IFR. I am aware that the rules contend that a portion of the awards for "non-economic losses," namely $50,000.00 for the surviving spouse and each dependent, include a non-economic component of "replacement services loss." It is impossible to judge from the IFR the amount of this "component." Furthermore, since it is an across-the-board benefit for every death claim, it certainly has no relationship to the actual circumstances of individual cases. This can create a great injustice. For example, we are aware of a case in which the surviving widow is legally blind and relied entirely upon her late husband for household work, transportation, home repairs and just about everything else. We are also aware of a situation in which a widow has severe emotional problems requiring that her late husband do nearly all household chores and essentially act as a nurse for his wife on a daily basis. We respectfully, submit that whatever portion the "replacement services" loss of the $50,000.00 for spouses and each dependent may be, it would be clearly inadequate in these and similar cases. Simply put, the rules ignore the potentially significant concept of economic loss under New York law for the loss of services component of wrongful death damages. We are certain that testimony from forensic economists will establish a much greater value for this item of economic loss than permitted by the IFR. An even more glaring omission is the failure of the IFR to provide any form of compensation for the economic loss of the intellectual, moral and physical training and guidance that a deceased parent would have given his children. Loss of this parental care and guidance is a traditionally significant element of wrongful death damages under New York law. For example, enclosed herewith please find a copy of a decision of the Appellate Division, Second Department, in Paccione V. Greenberg, 256 A.D.2d 559, 682 N.Y.S.2d 442 (2d Dep't, 1998) permitting a damage award of 1.5 million dollars per child, aged three and six, for the wrongful death of their mother. With respect to non-economic loss, the rules set a basic $250,000.00 figure, plus an additional $50,000.00 for the spouse and each dependent of the victim. As noted above, a portion of the $50,000.00 for the spouse and each dependent is alleged to have a "non-economic" component. In defining non-economic loss [Section 402(7)], the language of the Act is very broad and includes within the definition, "loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium and hedonic damages and all other non-pecuniary losses of any kind or nature." Significantly, unlike the statutory definition of economic loss, the definition of non-economic loss is not limited to those allowed under applicable state law. Nevertheless, the IFR award for non-economic loss for decedents contains none of these elements - nothing is awarded for loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life or hedonic damages. We respectfully submit that inclusion of these items should result in a substantially larger award for non-economic loss than "presumed" under the IFR. Collateral Compensation We are aware of the constraints placed upon the Special Master by the definition of "collateral source" contained within the Act. However, we believe the IFR gives an overly broad and incorrect interpretation of the manner in which the collateral source deduction of an award is to be made. It appears that once the amount of economic and non-economic losses are calculated, collateral source payments received by the claimant are deducted from the total in an "across-the-board" approach. We submit that the methodology outlined in the IFR is both unfair to claimants and contrary to prevailing law. For example, pension payments made to a widow are clearly intended to replace the lost earnings resulting from the death of her husband. Therefore, if reductions are to be made, they would be properly subtracted from the lost earnings' component of economic loss. IT makes no sense, however, to reduce the non-economic loss portion of the award by a pension or, for that matter, even the economic portion of the award which is not related to a lost earnings' claim. In that regard, you are respectfully referred to the decision of the New York State Court of Appeals in Oden V. Chemung County Industrial Development Agency, 87 N.Y.2d 81, 637 N.Y.S.2d 670 (1995) requiring that collateral source deductions be made only when they represent reimbursement of a particular category of loss for which damages were awarded. Similarly, it also makes little sense to deduct pension payments, life insurance payments or other payments made to a surviving spouse from that portion of an award intended to compensate children of the decedent for their loss of parental care and guidance. We respectfully submit that further thought should be given to the manner in which collateral source deductions are made so that they can be properly allocated to the appropriate portion of the award and not unfairly penalize the claimants and the decedents' distributees. Furthermore, any collateral source deductions must not include contributions by the decedent, earnings on those contributions or the premiums paid for the life insurance coverage. Nor with respect to pensions should there be deduction for that portion already earned or vested by the decedent. Finally, with regard to injured but surviving police and firefighters who were disabled by their injuries, and receive a line-of-duty disability pension, it would make no sense to deduct the present value of that pension from anything but the loss of earnings component of the claimant's damages. Otherwise, the pain and suffering component of claimant's award would be substantially eliminated and a non-disabled claimant would receive more than one who was disabled. Life Insurance At the risk of stating obvious, we believe the IFR should make clear that if the decedent left a life insurance policy payable to persons who are not intestate distributees, that life insurance should not be deducted from claimant's award. Only the beneficiary of the life insurance payment should be subject to the collateral source deduction of such payment. Taxes The Special Master's explanation of the manner in which presumed awards for economic loss are calculated state that: "Projected future income is adjusted to account for taxes that would have been paid." Once again, this is contrary to prevailing law. under New York law, unless there is an express statute to the contrary, there should be no deduction of taxes in calculating the value of the loss of future earnings. [See, Johnson v. Manhattan & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, 71 N.Y.2d 198, 524 N.Y.S.2d 415 (1988).] Forfeiture of Right to Sue One of the provisions that had caused great consternation to survivors and the families of deceased victims of the September 11th attacks is the rule that filing of a claim constitutes a permanent waiver of the right to file or be party to a civil action. While we are not unmindful of the language of Section 405(c)(3)(B)(i), we believe it would be equitable and appropriate for the final rules to define "submission of a claim" as to include the announcement of a "presumed award" by the Special Master. Only in that way can individuals who suffered tremendous losses on September 11th make an intelligent and informed choice of whether to take advantage of the Act or seek re-dress through litigation. There is no question that the Act creates an unprecedented method to compensate victims. However, it is the very unprecedented nature of this method that creates such uncertainty among the claimants. We submit that there will be no prejudice to the government or potential civil defendants if the above noted suggestion is adopted. Life and Work Expectancy Tables We are advised that the life and work expectancy tables utilized by the Special Master in calculating the presumed awards set forth in the IFR are out of date and unfair. They particularly ignore the increased role of woman in the workplace and the fact that individuals today work much longer than in the past. We suggest that any tables used be the most up-to-date and reflective of the reality of today's work force. We ask that the Department of Justice seriously consider the above comments, as well as the comments submitted by others. Thank you. Very truly yours, Comment by: Uniform Firefighters Association of Greater New York Attachment VIA FACSIMILE - (UF-050123) 442 682 NEW YORK SUPPLEMENT, 2d SERIES defendant), convicting them of possession of an ammunition-feeding device in violation of the Administrative Code of the City of New York Sec. 10-306(b), upon their pleas of guilty, and imposing sentences. The appeals bring up for review the denial, after a hearing, of that branch of the defendants' omnibus motion which was to suppress physical evidence. ORDERED that the judgments are re- versed, on the law, that branch of the defen- dants' omnibus motion which was to suppress physical evidence is granted and the indict- ment is dismissed insofar as asserted against the appellants. On the evening of November 10, 1996, the Kings County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (hereinafter SPCC) re- ceived an anonymous complaint that there were two children screaming in apartment 2 at 1107 Carroll Street in Brooklyn. The next evening, several SPCC agents went to the building, knocked on the door of apartment 2A, which was the first door on the second floor, and asked if they could check on the welfare of the children. The woman who opened the door denying that there were any children present and, protesting that "this was not Nazi Germany", refused to let the SPCC agents enter the apartment. After they interviewed some neighbors, who said they had seen two children enter the apart- ment on prior occasions, the SPCC agents summoned the police. When the woman refused to let the police enter the apartment without a warrant, they called the Emergency Services Unit (herein- after ESU), who threatened to use force if she did not open the door. During the ensu- ing search, an ESU officer discovered 12 handguns, 23 rifles, and various forms of ammunition hidden behind a false wall in a coat closet. The defendant's who were ar- rested and charged with 38 counts of weap ons possession, moved to suppress the physi- cal evidence. At the suppression hearing, none of the SPCC agents or police officers testifies that they, or any of the neighbors they interviewed, heard any children scream- ing on the night in question. Contrary to the conclusion reached by the hearing court, we find that the warrantless search of the defendant's apartment was not justified by the emergency exception to the warrant requirement. In People v. Mitchell, 39 N.Y.2d 173, 177-178, 383 N.Y.S.2d 246, 347 N.E.2d 607, cert. denied 426 U.S.953, 96 S.Ct. 3178, 49 L.Ed.2d 1191, the Court of Appeals set forth the following three-prong test for the application of the emergency doctrine: "(1) The police must have reasonable grounds to believe that there is an emer- gency at hand and an immediate need for their assistance for the protection of life or property. "(2) The search must not be primarily mo- tivated by intent to arrest and seize evi- dence. "(3) There must be some reasonable basis, approximating probable cause, to associate the emergency with the area or place to be searched." In the present case, the prosecution failed to satisfy the first prong of the Mitchell text. The record reveals that the police entry and ensuing search were triggered by ambiguous and uncorroborated information relayed by the members of a volunteer organization, who were responding to a day-old anonymous complaint. Moreover, the warrantless night- time search of the defendants' apartment was conducted after a minimal police investiga- tion which failed to establish that any chil- dren were in imminent danger. In the ab- sence of an emergency situation justifying the search, the motion to suppress the weap- ons and ammunition should have been grant- ed. West Key Number System 25b A.D.2d 559 Kevin PACCIONE, etc., et al., respondents-appellants v. A. Saul GREENBERG, etc., appellant-respondent. Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department. Dec. 28, 1998. Husband whose wife had died during surgery brought wrongful death action based PACCIONE v. GREENBERG Cite as 682 N.Y.S.2d 442 (A.D.2 Dept. 1998) on medical malpractice against physician who had cleared wife for surgery. The Supreme Court, Kings County, Garry J., entered judgment on jury finding physician 24% at fault, and awarding damages of $6,020,000. Appeals were taken, and the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, held that: (1) evidence supported jury finding that physician's fail- ure to read patient's hospital chart, and note patient's liver problems, before clearing her for gall bladder surgery was a substantial factor in causing patient's death; (2) awards of $2.5 million each for loss of parental guid- ance to both of wife's children were exces- sive, and would be reduced to $1.5 million; but (3) award to husband for loss of consor- tium was not excessive. Affirmed as modified. 1. Physicians and Surgeons 15(12) Evidence supported jury finding that physician's failure to read patient's hospital chart, and note patient's liver problems, be- fore clearing her for gall bladder surgery was a substantial factor in causing patient's death 2. Physicians and Surgeons 18.120 Jury findings that physician's action in giving cardiology clearance for patient to un- dergo gall bladder surgery was not substan- tial factor in causing patient's death, but that failure to read her chart and note existence of liver problems was such a substantial fac- tor, were not irreconcilably inconsistent. 3. Physicians and Surgeons 18.110 Awards of $2.5 million for loss of paren- tal guidance to both of decedent's two minor children were excessive in wrongful death action based on medical malpractice, and would be reduced to $1.5 million each. 4. Death 103(4) Jury in wrongful death action could con- sider issue of surviving husband's damages for loss of wife's services, even through court did not admit expert economist testimony as to value of such services. McKinney's EPTL 5-4.3(a) Martin Clearwater & Bell (Mauro & Goldberg, Great Neck, N.Y. [Barbara D. Goldberg, Kenneth Mauro, and John L.A Lyddane] of counsel). for appellant-respon- dent. Coiro, Wardi, Chinitz & Silverstein, New York, N.Y. (Sylvester J. Garamella and Rob- ert M. Silverstein of counsel), for respon- dents-appellants. O'BRIEN, J.P., PIZZUTO, JOY and GOLDSTEIN, JJ. MEMORANDUM BY THE COURT. In an action to recover damages for medi- cal malpractice and wrongful death, etc., the defendant appeals, as limited by his brief, from so much of a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Garry, J.), entered Oc- tober 10, 1997, as, upon a jury verdict finding him 24% at fault, and finding that the plain- tiffs suffered damages in the total sum of $6,020,000, is in favor of the plaintiffs and against him in the principal sum of $1,477,- 513.41 and the plaintiffs cross-appeal, as lim- ited by their brief, from so much of the judgment as apportioned liability to other defendants who had settled with the plain- tiffs prior to trial, and failed to submit the issue of the plaintiff's damages for loss of the decedent's services to the jury. ORDERED that the judgment is modified, on the facts and as a matter of discretion, by (1) deleting the provision thereof which awarded damages for loss of parental guid- ance and substituting therefor a provision severing the cause of action to recover those damages and granting a new trial with re- spect thereto, unless within thirty days after service upon him of a copy of his decision and order will notice of entry, the plaintiff shall serve and file in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Kings County, a writ- ten stipulation consenting to reduce the ver- dict for loss of parental guidance from the principal sum of $5,000,000 to the principal September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 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 dojN002481.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. 2002-01-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 14, 2001 11:02 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 Staunton, VA 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 dojA001752.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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 7:00 PM 9/11 Relief Fund Breaks the Law, But Not For the Heroes of that Day! I am writing to express my outrage and umbrage at the audacity exhibited in setting up this fund only for those relatives and spouses who meet a narrow-minded definition of what constitutes an "acceptable," legally recognised spouse or family member. Not only do you denigrate the memory of those gay heroes like who helped SAVE your by bringing down flight 93 over Pennsylvania or who were killed in the line of duty trying to either save or bring comfort to the victims of 9/11, like , by simply denying their partners the same coverage as others who stood by and did nothing, but you add insult to injury by BREAKING THE LAW and allowing STRAIGHT illegal immigrants to come forward with impunity and collect on the relief funds that their legally sanctioned marriages to other ILLEGAL ALIENS afford them under this horrendously unfair and discriminatory fund. Just because Asscroft says he's leaving it up to the state laws as to whether John Queer Doe gets a piece of the pie doesn't make it legal, fair, or right: don't the state laws ALSO dictate against illegal aliens? In short, you do this country and its citizenry a tremondous injustice, espousing claims of solidarity and attempting to "bring the nation together" in the hypocritical name of shared tragedy, when the real tragedy is that more than 200 years after the creation of this so-called democracy of all men created equal, some men and women, it appears, are still much less equal than others. Individual Comment New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001530.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 1:35 PM RE:911 victim compensation I am a little tired of hearing some victims of 911 complaining about their compensation for their loss. Did we give money to the victims of the Oklahoma bombing? Do we give additional money to the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty? The current program of distribution seems to be fair and adequate. Individual Comment Dalton, GA 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 dojN002273.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. Monday, March 18, 2002 8:41 PM Concerns about fairness Dear Victim Compensation folks: I am writing to express my concern to you that loved ones of some of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, based on their sexual orientation, may be denied their fair share of funds provided by the United States government . I understand how difficult it might be to verify relationships that are not yet recognized by all governments, but I urge your unit to try mightily. People in bona fide dependent or interdependent relationships often leave behind strong evidence of those connections--joint tenancy, joint bank accounts, life insurance benefiaries and the like. I urge your unit in the Justice Department to craft the rules creatively, so that fraud is prevented, but that all real connections are honored. &nbsp , believed to be one of the brave passangers that caused his flight that crashed in a Pennsylvania field rather than the Capitol, was one such gay man. Honoring his memory, and the memory of other heros of that terrible day, requires that we set aside preconceived notions of consanguity to achieve real justice. Thank you for your attention. Individual Comment Los Angeles, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 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 dojR001769.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. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, November 26, 2001 11:32 AM Comments re: 9/11 victim compensation fund Dear Mr. Zwick: I respectfully submit the following two comments on the proposed rules concerning the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001: 1. The Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (the "Act") was signed into law on September 22, 2001 to provide protection to the airlines and provide a means to compensate the victims of September 11, 2001. Section 405(c)(3)(i) of this Act sets forth a limitation on civil actions. Specifically, a claimant who files for compensation must, at the time of filing, waive any right to file a civil action (or to be a party to an action) in any federal or state court for damages sustained as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes on September 11th. Since the intent of the Act was to protect airlines, this limitation on civil litigation in federal or state courts should not apply to suits against Osama Bin Laden (or his estate), the Taliban, or any other entity or person tied to the terrorist attack on September 11th. Surely, the Act was not intended to protect Bin Laden or any entity or person affiliated with him. Accordingly, it would be helpful if the rules could address this issue and carve out an exception to the limitation on civil litigation so that victims' families could pursue expedited relief from the federal Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 and still have the ability to sue Osama Bin Laden and related entities. 2. Please address whether the evidence required to be submitted by a claimant concerning collateral damages could be kept confidential or under seal so that it would not be available to the public. Thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, Individual Comment Bethlehem, PA 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 dojW000565.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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 4:29 AM crisis relief benifits 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 san jose, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004114.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 21, 2002 9:22 PM (no subject) January 21, 2002 Dear Mr. Zwick: I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment in the way the Victim Compensation Fund is currently being regulated. My husband lost his life on September 11, 2001. He in Building 1 of the World Trade Center. He and I had two daughters together and they are soon to turn three years old. My husband worked very hard, day and night, weekday and weekend, to ensure that our daughters would have a prosperous future, one which would provide them with opportunities to grow and learn and live in the best way possible. My husband is gone now; I want to make sure that his dreams for our daughters live on. I find it unjust that the Victim Compensation Fund currently deducts life insurance and 401K plan payments from money to be donated to victims' families. Life insurance and 401 K plans were paid for by victims and their families, not by the government. Though my husband did not earn very much in salary last year-- he did, after all, have to pay the rent for two offices and the salary for four employees--his potential earning power as both a lawyer and an accountant was enormous. My husband, through his diligence, intelligence, and hard work, had built a great reputation in his field, and his clients counted on his expertise and sound advice. Now, according to the current regulations and charts, our family is entitled to almost nothing. How can I continue to build a future when I am asked to subsist on so little? The loss of my husband haunts me each and every day, and now I feel as though the tremendous pain I am suffering is being compounded by regulations that are insensitive to the needs of my family and our future. We, the victims' families, should have the right to know how much we will be compensated before we renounce our right to sue. It is crucial that we be provided with this information as we prepare for the difficult and painful times ahead. Please consider changing these regulations. Knowing that my family is provided for, that my daughters' futures are bright and without conceivable limits, will alleviate, ever so slightly, some of our anguish. It will give us the peace we so desperately need at this heartbreaking time. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-21 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 dojN002198.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. 2002-01-21 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. December 15, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment White Salmon,WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005005.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-15