578 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. Monday, November 26, 2001 6:25 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Please find attached the comments of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Federal Bar Association. Attachment 1: November 26, 2001 ORIGINAL VIA E-MAIL To: victimcomp.comments@usdoj.gov Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: On behalf of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section (the "Section") of the Federal Bar Association ("FBA"), we respectfully submit comments on the Proposed Rule to Implement The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, above referenced (hereafter the "Proposed Rule")(*). The Section consists of attorneys and associated professionals in government service, private practice, and industry. We seek to improve the process of resolving adversarial conflicts that involve legal issues of federal consequence. In that regard the Section has a strong interest in submitting public comments on pending legislation, regulations and other procedures concerning alternative solutions to litigation of federal issues. The Proposed Rule would implement Title IV of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act of 2001 (Pub. L. No. 107-42 115 Stat. 230 (the "Act"). That Title provides for federal payments of compensation from a Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) to eligible individuals who were physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes on September 11, 2001. The Section believes that the Act provides an excellent framework for the establishment of a victims claims procedure or process. Moreover, the Department of Justice ("Department") identified in the Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking virtually all the issues that should be considered as the Department implements and administers the VCF. All Claims Should Be Deemed "Filed" Only After Review and Certification The Department should create a process that allows the government to review putative claims for completeness before they are deemed "filed" because the Act does not allow hearing examiners enough time to both verify the bone fides of a petitioner's claim and adjudicate the merits of the claim itself. Section 405(b)(3) of the Act states unequivocally that "not later than 120 days after that date on which a claim is filed the Special Master...shall make a determination [on the claim]." The Act does not define the term "claim." We concluded, however, that Congress spoke to making determinations of a claim's merits. This conclusion comes from the guidance provided about the nature of the proceedings. In this regard Congress directed that the Special Master afford claimants an appropriate measure of due process that includes "the right to present evidence, including the presentation of witnesses and documents" (Section 405(b)). We believe that Congress viewed presenting "witnesses" and "documents" as two separate and distinct functions because Congress chose to differentiate one from the other. If Congress wanted to limit presentations of testimony to affidavits, Congress may well have spoke only the presentation of documents. Consequently, it seems that Congress anticipated that the hearing examiners would hold evidentiary hearing of some sort where live testimony could be presented. Although 120 days covers a quarter of year not an insignificant amount of time, we believe that Special Masters may find the period only long enough to permit a careful examination of the merits of a claim. This certainly would be the case where a claimant requested an evidentiary hearing or the hearing examiner found it necessary to convene a hearing or have someone acting on his or her behalf take other steps to verify information presented by a claimant. If a hearing examiner could stay the claim period to gather more data, nothing more would be need. However, because Congress was silent on the matter of stays, we cannot presume such a power was intended. Consequently, the Attorney General should structure the process to enable the government to ensure that a "claim" contains all essential information and materials at the time it is deemed "filed." To this end, we recommend that the Department define the term "claim" to mean the submission of a complete claims package. Under our proposal, the 120-day period would begin after a government official, certified or otherwise determined that a claimant had completely filled out a Claim Form (promulgated pursuant to Section 405(a)(2) of the Act) and supplied such supporting materials as required to make a prima facie showing of entitlement, i.e., a showing of eligibility with enough particularity for submission to a hearing examiner. Having submissions reviewed for eligibility and completeness before they become "claims" would ensure the Department's hearing examiners have enough time to accept evidence, hear testimony, as needed, and verify the merits of claims within the 120-day statutory limit. We propose that people with paralegal training or otherwise qualified administer the intake process the preliminary review of a claimant's submission. These administrative personnel would review documents submitted and identify information that may be missing or additional information needed to resolve the claim. Rather than rejecting submissions lacking data, the reviewers would return submissions to claimants for supplementation with directions for providing the additional required information. With regard to the latter, the intake personnel should be able to provide instructions and assistance to claimants proceeding pro se and those with special needs (non-English speakers, the disabled, etc.) We believe providing a mechanism for assisting claimants in the preparation and submission of their claims is consistent with the Act's emphasis on providing a simple, straightforward and inexpensive procedure. Claims Packages Should Contain Information Sufficient to Establish a Prima Facie Case of Entitlement The Act provides enough guidance about what should be submitted where it places limitations on the bases for the payments from the Fund. The Claim Form should be fashioned so it requires from claimants enough data and with enough specificity to establish a prima facie case regarding: 1. His or her eligibility to file the claim and to receive compensation; 2. The extent of harm suffered, including any economic and noneconomic losses; and 3. The amount of collateral compensation received or to which the claimant is entitled. The claimant should be required to sign the Claim Form and affirm the accuracy of the information presented under penalty of perjury. It is the combined experience of the Task Force that having claims notarized seldom increases the trustworthiness of the information. The directions for affixing a signature should explain the consequences of such an affirmation. The process should require that claimants append to their form all information that supports their claim. The Attorney General should establish and publish rules for the authentication of documentary evidence and for the content of supporting affidavits. If the claimant intends to rely upon witnesses to establish portions of the claim, these witnesses should be identified in an appendix to the Claim Form. The Attorney General may want to stipulate the nature of documentary support the government will consider adequate to make a prima facie claim. The rules might require that a claim submitted for a deceased person be accompanied by a certified copy of a will that names the claimant as the person's executor. Certified copies of tax returns might be required to establish the income stream for a claimant. However, when creating the documentary requirements for claims, the Attorney General should keep them to a minimum in order to minimize the expense and time needed to submit a complete claim. In addition, we believe that the Attorney General should establish and publish rules detailing what forms of documentation the government will accept to establish the key elements of a claim. The notice inviting comments suggested that requirements for a claim may need to vary depending on the type of claim submitted (e.g., claims on behalf of decedents vs. claims by survivors). We suggest that sworn statements or affidavits from unrelated third parties should be permitted where needed to establish facts that cannot otherwise be documented because the necessary records were destroyed in the attacks. Qualifications of Hearing Officers and Scope of Authority The great number of September 11th victims portend the filing of many claims and an attendant need for a great many qualified hearing officers. We suggest that the Department choose as hearing officers lawyers with experience or training in economics and labor economics, and litigation. Also, the hearing officer corps should be limited to attorneys admitted to practice for at least 10 and, possibly, 15 years. We believe that selecting counsel experienced in mediation or arbitration would help further the cause of completing claim determinations within the 120-day period. The ADR Section of the FBA would gladly assist the Attorney General in locating lawyers possessing these qualifications. We feel that Congress intended that hearing officers have the power to compel evidence. This power can be inferred from §404(2)(2), §405(b)(4)(c), and §407. The internal review board, or boards, could include retired federal and state judges, especially retired appellate judges. Review boards should consist of at least two members for each decision ofa hearing officer, or recommended decision of a hearing officer. They would conclude their work on a claim by submitting , in addition to the hearing officer's determination, the review board's written recommendation for submission to the Special Master for a final decision. Insuring The Integrity Of Claims Processing We believe that the Attorney General may wish to augment the claims process having another official help the hearing officers that the Special Master appoints. This official would review all claims, and assist in assessing the nature and weight of the information contained in the claims by verifying the information. Given the tight time frames for adjudication, we believe that an additional official, such as a deputy to the hearing examiner, would enhance the likelihood that claims will be given their due while preserving the fairness of the process and protecting the taxpayer from inadvertent payments of unverified claims. Senator Daschle and Representative Gephardt in comments that they submitted on October 25, 2001 suggested that a representative of the Department perform this function. They suggested that the Department's representative be present to comment on the evidence and ask questions to ensure that a complete evidentiary case (and not one that favored the claimant only) be presented to the Special Master. Whether hired from the Department or elsewhere, the person should have a background in economic, insurance-like claims and a familiarity with the common law rules of evidence. With respect to the latter, the person should be qualified to help the hearing officer decide the degree of trustworthiness to be accorded submitted evidence. We urge that the Department define that individual's role in such a way that the process stays as non-adversarial as possible. Consider As Collateral Funds From All Sources The ADR Section suggests that every payment a claimant may have received or may receive from any source be considered as an off-set in determining how much the claimant should be entitled to under the VCP. This interpretation we believe is consistent with the statute, the generally accepted rules of statutory construction, and the intent of Congress. Moreover, despite the arguably strong policy reasons for excluding charitable contributions from the definition of collateral sources, the Section recommends against such an exclusion. This exclusion is not only contrary to the text of the statute, but may be contrary to the intent of the charitable organization in providing the contribution. Equally important, such an exclusion could have the effect of penalizing those victims who have not been fortunate enough to receive charity. In its request for comments, the Department noted that strong policy reasons exist for excluding charitable contributions from the definition of "collateral sources." Some of those who already submitted comments raised another argument. They say that charitable contributions are legally different in character than the payments authorized by the Act. They say that the specific examples in section 402(4) are contractual or statutory entitlements and that, consequently, charity payments should not be included as offsets. However, we believe that a fair reading of all the language and a consideration of the statutory intent suggests that the term "all" was meat to encompasses or include every collateral source or the totality of collateral sources. Such a statutory reading is consistent with the way the term "all" is generally defined and is thus consistent with the plain meaning of the term. See, Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, MA, 1985, at 70 71. Turning to the dictionary is consistent with the well established proposition that when construing and applying statutes one should accord terms their "plain meaning." In this case following the general rule comports with the definition that Congress supplied. Section 402(4) of the Act states that "collateral source" means "all collateral sources including life insurance, pension funds " The plain meaning of "all" does not change, nor should one read into the statute any unique meaning of this term simply because the statute does not specifically include or exclude charitable contributions. We believe that when Congress enumerated certain collateral sources, it intended that those items serve as examples only. Had Congress wished to limit the types of collateral sources to those listed, Congress would have so stated. This interpretation is consistent with the tenor of the statute. Congress stated that "all" collateral sources "shall" be treated as offsets to the amount of compensation set by a Special Master. Many legal commentators regard the term "shall" as the strongest legislative directive. It seems, therefore, that Congress wanted to limit the government's liability. For the foregoing, we believe that VCF funds should serve to supplement other sources of compensation. Furthermore, it would be arbitrary to allow those who receive charity, be it substantial or otherwise, to also receive full-compensation from the VCF while others receive only fund payments because they are without charity. Finally, it might be contrary to the rationale behind charitable giving to interpret the statute in a manner that would allow those victims who receive charity to keep those funds in addition to their VCF payments. Those making charitable contributions usually do so because they perceive that the victims have added economic burdens that might not otherwise be met. Said another way, charitable givers might not have volunteered their aid had they known that the victims would be fully compensated by public monies. Our interpretation would recognize as total compensation all the money received by a claimant from all sources to make the victim, or victim's relatives whole precisely the result Congress intended. The Period Between Filing Comments And The Effective Date of the Regulations. The Attorney General in his Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking stated asked for guidance on when the VCF should become effective. The Section suggests that the Attorney General consider pushing the effective date at least 60-days afte December 21, 2001 to allow the Department and the Special Master as much time as possible to create the claims apparatus the Act envisions. Enough time should be set aside to handle the great amount of work that will be required to prepare for entertaining and determining claims. Congress created in the Act a blueprint for an somewhat complex claims process. The Attorney General needs to choose a Special Master. The Department must realign existing staff to administer the claims process or contract for the needed personnel. The Attorney General and the Special Master must identify and hire qualified lawyers to act as hearing examiners. The Claim Form must be designed and printed. The procedure for filing claims must be reduced to writing and published in a manner expected to reach all potentially eligible individuals. The list runs long. In addition, the determination of a claim will be the exclusive remedy for the thousands that elect the procedure. Consequently, we believe it incumbent that the Department take care to create as close to an ideal process as possible. Although some individuals already filed civil actions or have irrevocably committed to doing so soon, truncating the time available to create the process simply to provide those people with an alternative to litigation should not take precedence over the careful creation of the claims process. * * * The Section appreciates this opportunity to comment on the Proposed Rule. If you have questions concerning our comments, please contact Richard Theis at (202) 307-0116. Respectfully submitted, FBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section by: (*) The Federal Bar Association is an association of attorneys who practice in various areas of law relating to the Federal Government. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Federal Bar Association, which consists of attorneys engaged in the resolution of legal differences without resort to litigation or in conjunction with, and as an alternative to, litigation is authorized by the Constitution of the Federal Bar Association to submit public comments on pending legislation, regulations, and procedures concerning alternative solutions in lieu of the litigation of federal issues. These comments have been prepared by The September 11th Claims Process Task Force of the Alternative Disputes Resolution Section, with the direction and approval of Section leadership. The views expressed in these comments reflect the position of The September 11th Claims Process Task Force. They have not been considered or ratified by the Federal Bar Association as a whole, or by any Federal agency or other organization with which Section members are associated through their employment or otherwise. The comments reflect the views of the Task Force members in their individual capacity and not that of their employers. 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 dojW000685.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. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 2:53 PM Victims Compensation Fund I am very confused about the purpose of this fund. Is this in addition to the millions of dollars this country has donated to the families (September 11 Fund, etc)? My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones and those whose livelihoods have been impacted by this tragedy. I have contributed privately to those funds already established but I don't know that I understand or agree with why the government is also going to be compensating the same set of victims. I think it is necessary to know how much each family has or will receive from other sources (other funds, Red Cross, life insurance, etc) before any public money is given. I'm still stuck on the point of why government monies are going to these victims when the private donations have been so generous. We need to be careful with this. Thousands of our innocent neighbors were killed on September 11 but thousands of our neighbors are being impacted everyday by job losses, etc. Are they to be compensated, too? If this program does come to fruition, the following things need to be considered: What financial resources does that family/victim already have? Where else have they applied for assistance? A cap needs to be established so the distribution of money is equitable and, therefore, providing enough to go around. Lawyer fees are not compensable! Money goes to the family for direct needs: food, clothing, shelter, education (within reason) Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000118.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, March 18, 2002 12:04 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund Another slap in the face of the millions of gay people living in the United States. HELLO, gay people pay taxes like everyone else. HELLO, gay people work like everyone else. HELLO, gay people vote like everyone else. HELLO, gay people contributed to this fund like everyone else. GET IT? Thank you, 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 dojR001877.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, January 14, 2002 8:42 PM Justice help all 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 Shelton, CT September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001711.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Richmond, 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 dojA003928.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 1:46 PM (no subject) Please include gay and lesbian partners in the compensation fund. I don't understand why you don't. I cannot explain to my children why some American heroes are ok and some are not. Can you? Thank you for your consideration. Individual Comment Wimauma, FL 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 dojR000934.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. Thursday, November 29, 2001 9:54 AM Support benefits for gays and lesbians and trans people! We all pay taxes around here and gay, lesbians and trans people deserve benefits as citizens of this country. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-29 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 dojA001498.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. 2001-11-29 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 11:08 PM Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, The deaths on September 11th were the result of an attack on America. Please do not discriminate against the unmarried partners of September 11th victims. All unmarried partners, gay or straight, young and old and their dependents should be eligible for compensation. Yours Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojW000719.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. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 3:06 PM Attn: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director: Office of Management Programs, DOJ Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing to ask the Justice Department to include 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 to those directly affected by the WTC attacks on September 11, 2001. I also ask the U.S. Government to follow the example already set by New York Governor Pataki in 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." Sincerely, Individual Comment Oklahoma City, OK 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 dojA000827.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 10:14 AM Equal Access to Relief December 21, 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 Duluth, MN 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 dojN000394.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, January 26, 2002 9:49 PM Compensation A person who has lost a family member in the September 11 attacks is no different them people who lost loved ones due to drunk driving. Both DUI and Terrorist acts are illegal, and it is not just to pay one family and not all the families in Oklahoma, embassies in Africa, drunk driving, etc. This is nothing but a ploy to sheild the airlines from lawsuits and to give the politicians something to thump thier chests about when election time rolls around. It is wrong for FEDERAL tax dollars to be used. The American people sent a great deal of money on thier own for the families, which is great. I would LOVE to see an audit showing the total amount of money given to New York by the Federal Gov and private individuals and how much money actually went to the families. 40 billion dollars from the Federal Gov to repair building that were insured tells me that most has/will gone/go to corporations and places that the people would not support on thier own. 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 dojP000188.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. Monday, November 19, 2001 3:38 PM Eligible victims of Sep 11 attacks Regarding your Topic #5 on Claimant Eligibility, I request that you consider those unborn children who were killed along with their pregnant mothers as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks as "eligible victims." Individual Comment Cascade, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000396.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 23, 2002 9:40 PM Compensation for Life Partners Dear Sirs: I understand that the compensation plan for the 9/11 fund discriminates against the life partners and survivors of gay and lesbian victims. I am appalled by this, and I hope that you will reconsider. There is no reason to add to their pain. Yours, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-23 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 dojR002668.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. 2002-03-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 7:56 PM Equality in benefits for heroes of September 11 Dear Madam or Sir; I am outraged that while illegal aliens, fetuses, and partners of the opposite sex are recieving benefits for their loss of those who died in the tragic bombings of September 11th, the government is excluding all gay and lesbian persons who lost their loved ones. This is blatant discrimination. Many speeches were made that stated that no longer are we Cuban-Americans, African-Americans, but this does not appear to include Gay-Americans. I would like to know why a large segment of the American population who contribute so much are ostracized. I want all partners of loved ones to recieve the same benefits regardless of sexual preference. It is only just. Love is love and a loss of a loved one is something that should not be ignored. Gays and Lesbians lost partners who meant as much to them as heterosexual couples. It appears that this country is still asleep and it is time for the government to wake up. Illegal aliens are being recognized and their loved ones are recieving benefits but gay citizens are being shunned, ignored, and totally dismissed. This is a mark of shame which needs to corrected. I ask you to take action and recognize the loss of those gay citizens who lost their lives on a day that will be remembered forever. Sincerely, 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 dojR002259.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, January 18, 2002 12:04 PM [Fwd: [Fwd: Victims Compensation Fund of 2001]] Attachment 1: To Our Elected Officials: In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of The United States, on September 11, 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 airline industry and imposed restrictions of the rights of the victims' relatives to recover damages from 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. Remove arbitrary income limits 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. Increase non-economic rewards. 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 Congressman 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 that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered.  Justice demands no less. Sincerely, Individual Comment NYC 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 dojN001988.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. Thursday, March 28, 2002 11:37 AM Ensure Fair Treatment for September 11th Victims' Families 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 alrea 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 Peace September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-28 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 dojR002792.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. 2002-03-28 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 11:34 PM Please unbias the Victim Commpensation Fund to include same-sex partners of 9/11 To whom it may concern, On September 11th we all lost members of our ethnic, religious, political, social, and communities. This tremendous loss has had devastating affects on all of us. On September 10th I went to bed as a 27yo, college-educated, gay, Italian- American. On September 11th when I finally was able to lay myself down I was simply an American. Proud of my country and the life that I was privileged enough to lead in the land of the free. Liberty and justice for all. For the first time in my life I stopped identifying myself by what made me different and instead by the one thing that we all share. We are all Americans, united in the land of opportunity for all. Over the past six months I , like most of us, have tried to make sense of what has happened and how I fit into the post Sept 11th America. While my recovery has not been easy, I have found comfort in the attitudes of others. Our country has taken a step back to appreciate one another more than ever before. People in general, for now, seem to more united and tolerate of one another. This has helped me to heal, knowing that I can find solus in my fellow citizen because we have been united by a horrific tragedy. Then came the announcement that same-sex partners are excluded from receiving benefits from the 9/11 fund. I feel, now more than ever, excluded from my peers. Almost as if our bloodshed means nothing to the country we live in, serve, and die for as &nbsp did in Pennsylvania. I really feel that in circumstances where financial and or medical dependency can be established, same-sex partners should receive compensation. This money was raised in part by our community as well. I urge you to please send the message of unity to all Americans and show that my love for my country is valued equally as it should with all Americans. Thank You, Individual Comment Johnston, Rhode Island 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 dojR001780.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. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 8:00 PM PLEASE READ! December 18, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write 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 Amherst, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002219.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, December 17, 2001 2:26 PM (no subject) Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Dear Mr. Zwick, I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. The grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are absolutely no less than those suffered by other families. Our country must equally compensate those who suffered from the attacks. I urge the Department to honor the love and bonds of all families, and to treat the lesbian and gay victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individaul Comment Eugene, OR September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002117.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Shelburne Falls, MA 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 dojA004611.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