dojP000326.xml

dojP000326.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-02-06

Via e-mail and Facsimile
Mr.Kenneth L. Zwick
Director, Office of Management Programs
Civil Division
United States Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Fax: 301-519-5956

Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001

Dear Mr. Zwick:

On September 11, 2001 my youngest brother, died at the age of 40 in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. His wife, and his two little girls are left with nothing but memories.

I am not the only one to bear such a sorrow, nor am I the only one to protest the administration of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, Title IV, of Public Law 107-42, 115 Stat. 230 (Air Transportation and Safety Act).

Special Master Feinberg has promulgated a set of regulations contrary to law which artificially cap the compensation awarded to victims of this attack. There was no provision in the law for such a thing. Nowhere was it stated that the financial security of the victims was to be the prime factor in determining the amount of compensation due.

For example: the New York firefighters who died trying to save those in the building have what are considered to be generous pensions. There is no provision in the law for reducing the compensation by the amount of such pensions. In fact there is no such provision for a reduction of any type. To penalize those who lost their lives by fiat as it were is not only unlawful, it is completely discriminatory, insensitive and immoral.

Later discoveries make this sort of discrimination even less palatable. Surely someone could have at least considered the possibility that some sort of attack would occur, since there was a warning at least two days before. "At dawn we slept" As we did at Pearl Harbor. Our investigatory agencies, the FBI, the CIA, FELL DOWN ON THE JOB HERE, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD FAIR WARNING NOT ONLY ON SEPTEMBER 9TH BUT ALSO BACK IN 1993. The FAA, has never had much experience in security issues and has always fallen down here.

The ludicrous restrictions imposed by Special Master Feinberg are tantamount to punishing the victims of this attack for the failure of their duly elected and appointed officials. This is also contrary to law.

I ask for nothing special here. Just to do your duty as duly elected and appointed representatives of the people of the United States of America. Remove Mr. Feinberg's guidelines, provide hearings with an unbiased, non-political officer, and remove the unlawful caps and reductions from collateral sources.

Sincerely,

Individual Comment
North Swanzey, NH

2002-02-06