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 5:24 PM I Lost My Fiancee in 2 WTC on September 11th, 2001 Dear Sir/Madame: My fiancee, and domestic partner, died in his office's at , on the 89th floor of 2 WTC in the September 11 terrorist attack. I am writing to express my concerns and objections to the Department of Justice's, (DOJ) "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund;" as there is no place/no where in the documentation/regulation does it even acknowledge the rights of fiancees or domestic partners. Yet, as fiancee myself, I can attest to the fact that we were obviously the most important persons in each other's lives. We had chosen to spend the rest of our lives together, to support one another in sickness and health, many of us planned to conceive and raise children together. We were dependent on one another as confidants, role models, friends, lovers, and in many cases, such as my own, in financial matters. Now, not only have we lost the most important person in our lives - taking away our own lives in many cases - as life now has no meaning, joy or reason - we are told we may not even be considered as recipients in Mr. Feinberg's ruling. It may be that families receive all the rights, yet those who are also family - NEW family (such as fiancees,) those whom could be considered closer than actual family have no rights - this I must disagree with strongly. How can one committee, one man decide whom is worthy and whom is not? and I had been engaged for over a month, but had been dating and virtually living together for three years. We were best friends and spent every moment when we were not working together. provided for me financially, as he was obviously the "bread winner," and although his family may disagree, I was dependent on and he wanted it that way. family has now made it perfectly clear to my family that they do not intend to include me in the financial part of this disaster - in other words I have been "cut off." and I travelled extensively, we rented houses yearly with other couples in places such as Vermont, St. Barth's in the Caribbean, we were to travel to Italy on September 21st, 2001, we ate out alone and with friends regularly, we shopped together - (he often paid for my "everyday needs" at the grocery, drug and clothing store.) paid for all of the above, am I, therefore, not considered dependent or in the exact circumstances as a wife may be? Although we had the ring and were in the process of making plans, we simply had not reached our wedding date of June 2, 2002 before this horrific terrorist attack on the U.S., that has devastated the world, let alone those who lost love ones personally. I implore you to realize that fiancees/domestic partners should be considered the same as a wife, for the love is no different, the dependency is no different and I can guarantee the mourning/grieving is no different, we too have lost our future - we were excitedly planning together with our loved one - and therefore we should be considered equal and be given fair treatment. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojN002313.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