1006 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, March 18, 2002 2:24 PM with deep concern I would like to express myself on the unfortunate decision of the Victim's Compensation Committee NOT to do whatever is necessary to ensure that ALL those whose families suffered the loss of a loved ones in the events of September 11th. will be recognized. If the unity that this tragedy is supposed to have highlighted is to be a reality, then the partners of gay men and lesbian women must have equal standing, and the fact that there are uneven practices across states simply does not trump that requirement. Sincerely, Individual Comment 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 dojR001956.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. Please help the survivors & their families in Manhasset!! 9 January, 2002 To our Elected Officials: In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon our nation, Congress enacted the Victims' Compensation Fund of 2001 P.L. 107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As you know, this Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package which bailed out the airline industry and imposed restrictions on the rights of the victims' relatives to sue the airlines in court. We implore upon you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feingberg's self-imposed rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which was enacted. Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following changes to the interim rules: 1. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair but also inconsistent with the letter and the spirit of the law. Those victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they held, and where they worked-the World Trade Center, the Financial capital of the world, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieve such success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly, commensurate with the support they provided their families before their death. 2. Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is unacceptable. In the words of Rep. Peter King, "...every death is tragic. A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the world-in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come-is a horror these families will never escape from...The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to restrict the rights of the families." Therefore, we request that the interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims' families for the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by our loved ones. As Mayor Giuliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did die...Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families. ...There should be no compromise about that ever..." We request that the interim rules be amended and redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic loss and that compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less. Sincere, Individual Comment Manhasset, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-29 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 dojN002384.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. 2002-01-29 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. Thursday, March 14, 2002 12:30 PM I find it to be an atrocity that illegal aliens will be receiving compensation after the 9/11 deaths of their loved ones, while gay Americans will not. This nation that is built on the creed that all men are equal is one of the most discriminating nations in the world. I find this to an embarrassment to our nation. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-14 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 dojR000759.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. 2002-03-14 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. Mr. Kenneth Zwick U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: My name is My close friend &nbsp worked for He was 30 years of age. Child: &nbsp born September 22, 2001 Please accept the comments and opinions of the attached letter as that of my own. Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. November 21, 2001 Mr. Kenneth Zwick Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick: Five thousand people were murdered on September 11, 2001. They left that morning to work at the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon and were at their desks by 8:30 A.M. Some said "I love you" as they left, some said "see you later", and some said "don't forget to put air in your tires." None came home that night. None will come home anymore for the rest of forever. In response to the Justice Department's request for public comment on the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund" established by the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, we respectfully submit the following. However, before we begin our substantive comments, please allow us to make you aware of one fact. Be very clear in knowing that there is nothing you could possibly do on this earth that could compensate us for the loss of loved ones. You could offer us one billion dollars each, lump sum, and we would trade it along with all our worldly possessions to have them back, to have them home. The Victim Compensation Fund is purported to be an attempt to "make whole" the families of the victims lost in the attacks. Unless you have supreme power which will result in the return of our loved ones, "making whole" is impossible. Alternatively, we are hoping this legislation results in a fund which truly is an incentive for families not to pursue litigation. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to comment. RIGHT TO A HEARING The legislation as written does not make clear whether or not we will have right to be heard before a hearing officer or Special Master. Only we can present the specifics of our personal situation and loss and therefore rightfully deserve the opportunity to do so. This would include the right to be represented by counsel, to present evidence, to offer personal and expert testimony, and to present our expectations of relief. This would require each case to be heard and considered individually. While this may be time consuming, it is the only way to insure that each family suffering this loss is fairly represented and thus fairly compensated. ECONOMIC LOSSES We strongly oppose any cap to the amount recoverable through the Fund for economic losses suffered as a result of the death of our loved ones. Husbands and fathers worked long hours, sacrificing the precious time they had left with their families and children, to earn the salaries and bonuses accrued every year. This income is forever gone; to reduce it in any manner is contrary to the statutory attempts to "make whole" the family suffering as a result of this disaster. The computation of the amount of lost wages should be similar to that used in personal injury actions. Retirement age should be set at 68 and the decedent's age subtracted from there. Gross income should be averaged over the past three years. The resulting income and years to retirement should be multiplied together for a starting point for computation. Factors such as inflation, wage increases, merit advancements and any other benefits that would have earned had the victim's lived should be considered and added to the base amount. NON-ECONOMIC LOSSES We, again, strongly oppose any cap to the amount recoverable through the fund for non-economic losses suffered as a result of the most public, painful and horrific deaths of our loved ones. Each case must be evaluated individually and must take into account specifics such as the number of the decedent's children and their age, the severity of the pain and suffering of both the victim and his family members, and the severity of the loss and pain to be suffered as a result of reliving this tragedy as a moment in history for the rest of our lives, for the rest of their children's lives. It is worthwhile to note that families with substantial pensions, with a lost spouse nearing retirement age, or with income received as a result of the death of the victim would be unable to benefit from this Fund unless the recovery under this section is substantial. There would be no incentive to pursue a claim offset to pecuniary loss or minimal benefit. Litigation in this instance would be obviously pursued. COLLATERAL INCOME We strongly oppose and are greatly disturbed by the clause in the statute which requires any distribution under the fund to be offset by "the amount of collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive . . . [including] life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs . . . " Since this is a governmentally sponsored fund, we find it understandable and acceptable to reduce the amount recovered under such by the monies received through other government programs. However, reducing the amount distributed by proceeds of life insurance policies personally purchased by the decedents is unreasonable and contrary to public policy. It establishes a system of disparate treatment among the victims in that it penalizes some for investments made through personal purchases, while excusing others. For example, victims who increased their families' assets through personal purchases of stock or related investments to a level where life insurance was not necessary, would be able to collect from the fund as written with minimal offset. However, those who planned to increase family assets through life insurance would have the same distribution substantially reduced by the amount of the life insurance proceeds. If an individual purchased a rare painting for his estate planning, sold after his demise at a substantial financial gain for his heirs, his families' distribution under the fund would not be reduced. Yet distribution to the family who purchased life insurance instead, if regulated as planned, would be offset by the proceeds. It is quite simply an unequal and unfair provision. The government may not investigate and penalize against the personal purchases of individuals. We do enjoy the right of the protection of liberty in this country, we have the right to earn a living and spend our after tax dollars as we see fit. Supplemental life insurance, obtained with personal funds, must not be included in the provisions which regulate distribution reductions under the Fund. If revising the language of the statute is not an option of this Committee at this juncture, or not an option until properly challenged, we submit that reduction of the distribution under the Fund by a percent of the proceeds of employer sponsored or funded life insurance would be an acceptable compromise. COLLATERAL INCOME/IRA'S; CHARITABLE DONATIONS Pension funds, IRAs and 401K plans are essentially savings accounts of another name funded with the personally earned money of the decedent. The choice of one's particular occupation or allocation of his income gave rise to the monies available at retirement or death in these accounts. Again the issue of disparate treatment arises. Individuals who saved in a standard bank sponsored savings account suffer no reduction from distribution under the Fund. Individuals who allocated their savings of personally earned income to retirement accounts suffer reduction of the total amount in savings to that which would be distributed under the Fund. In deference to the governmental involvement in IRA's et al., money owed due to preferential tax treatment of savings in retirement accounts could be reduced from Fund allocations, but principal determined to be from personal savings must not. In the end, we lost our loved ones because they worked in a national landmark. The terrorists chose these buildings, the World Trade Centers, because they symbolized the American economy, the freedom of capitalism. It was an act of war on America and the American people recognized this. As a result, in an effort to support our country and to unite with those of us who suffered the greatest loss in this tragedy, the American people donated hard earned money to ease the burden of those of us left to suffer this loss for a lifetime. Donations were generously given as a form of healing for both donor and receiver. It is reprehensible that the very charities trusted with the responsibility to honor the wishes of the American people see fit to withhold the donations for personal objectives, yet to have the government attempt to belittle the gesture of its own people even further is as horrific as the tragedy itself. The money donated is toted as "a gift from the American people." Since when does our government have the right to investigate our personal gifts and require the recipients to "pay them back"? Charitable donations must not be considered a source of collateral income to reduce the amounts distributable under the Fund. That is not in the spirit of which the donations were given. Restitution of the amounts by a reduction in Fund allocation would serve only to financially benefit the government. If that is what the people of this country had intended, they would have sent their checks to the government first hand. RIGHT TO APPEAL One of the liberties we enjoy in America is the right to an appeal. In cases heard before a judge in trial and in most heard before a hearing officer in an administrative agency, respondents enjoy the right to appeal the decision. Plaintiffs would have the right to appeal a decision on varying levels if litigation were pursued in response to the events of September 11. Denying one the right to appeal the decision of the Special Master is not an incentive to consider merits of the Victim's Compensation Fund. And it is contrary as well to the standard practices of adjudication of this country. Finally, we would respectfully request that payment under the fund be paid in one lump sum and as directed by the claimants. For example, sums paid to a victim's minor children should be permitted to be made in trust with vesting as determined by the minor child's guardian. CONCLUSION Thank you again for this opportunity to comment on regulations which will bear great effect on our lives and the lives of the children of the victims. We have suffered the greatest of losses because we live in America and because our loved ones worked in the symbol of American capitalism. We are changed forever; we bear the burden of other's hatred of our country's ideals more than anyone at this moment in time. Think of the children as you write and finalize the regulations associated with the Victim's Compensation Fund. Think of the children, not partisan loyalties. Think of the children, because if you do not now, you will have lost the opportunity to support your fallen families forever. Sincerely yours, September 11 Victim's Families September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-21 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 dojW000776.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. 2001-11-21 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. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 12:13 PM 9/11 Fund Exclusion of Gays I am outraged that partners of lesbian and gays are to be excluded from the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. The government should treat all Americans equally, this includes homosexuals. In memory of the heroic gays involved in 9/11 like " &nbsp who helped bring down the flight in Pennsylvania, &nbsp who died in the line of duty when the first tower fell, and &nbsp who was &nbsp of the plane that crashed into the &nbsp ." I'm sure there were many other acts of heroism performed by gays that day which have not yet come to light. If America truly stands for freedom, you must reverse this decision and include homosexuals in the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. quote taken from a mass email circulating concerning the disregard shown to homosexual victims of 9/11 Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-20 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 dojR002347.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. 2002-03-20 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. Wednesday, November 28, 2001 9:41 AM Regarding Victim's Defense Fundfor September 11 Dear Attorny General Ashcroft: The citizens of the United States of America--indeed the world--were hediously attached on September 11. I urge you to support distribution of funds for September 11 on a non-discriminatory basis. The surviving , partners and dependant children of all victims should be eligible regardless of their sexual orientation, marital status, age or race. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 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 dojA000063.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. 2001-11-28 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. Tuesday, January 08, 2002 2:25 PM "The Act" and "The Fund" As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist acts, our congress has passed the captioned into law with their hearts. The overly generous "Fund" is setting a precedent that will ultimately be another burden for the taxpayer. A lesser amount would have been more appropriate. But since it is done, it begs the question, "How can you place the dollar value of John Doe's life above that of Jim Doe? Because he earned a higher salary? I think not. Because he had a higher mortgage? I think not. Does your Trust allow more of your estate to one child than another because of their salary or insurance, or the lack of? I think not. If you are bent on spending 6 billion or more of our money, do it fairly and equally. I cannot help but think of the Capitol policemen that were shot some time ago. The serviceman that was recently killed overseas. Anyone that lost their life innocently at the hands of others. How much of that 6 billion will go their way? None, I suspect. Thank you for this forum that has allowed me to write my thoughts. Good luck as you proceed with this endeavor. Individual Comment Hawthorne, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-08 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 dojN001456.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. 2002-01-08 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 Chicago, IL 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 dojA002595.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 3:10 AM Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian partners December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Southbury, CT 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 dojA004107.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. Thursday, December 27, 2001 6:50 AM re: Sept. 11 Victim's Relief Fund December 27, 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 Dedham, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000989.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. 2001-12-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 10:47 AM Domestic partners excluded? To Whom It May Concern: I understand that you have already received countless emails in reference to domestic partners being excluded from the 9-11 victim relief fund. This email serves as my notification to you of my dissatisfaction with this policy. The policy is exclusionary, un-American, and wrong. thank you, Individual Comment Memphis, TN 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 dojR002157.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. Thursday, January 31, 2002 3:23 PM 9-11 Victims' Compensation Dear Mr. Feinberg: Thankyou for the opportunity to comment about the law governing victims' compensation for the September 11th tragedy. I understand that I am late to this, however, an editorial in the Washington Post by &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp has promted me to share my opinion. First, let me say that I am not related to anyone who lost a loved one that day. I have many ties to NYC - my husband and I traveled many times through the Twin Towers and had a first date in the Windows restaurant. We feel great sympathy for the families and we, as well as our children, donated money to organizations helping these families. What has me concerned is the apparent sense of entitlement and growing dissatisafction on the part of many of the victims' families about the governments attempt to "compensate" for their loss. On many levels, this is disconcerting and sad. What I cannot fathom is, no amount of money can "compensate" for the loss of a loved and if it were me, any monetary payment would be welcomed as I begin to make peace with the loss. Why do these families want to prolong their grief- as in lawsuits - to inflate their compensations? If , as so many families state, it isn't "about the money" then why are they complaining and threatening if the guidelines are not changed to suit them? As I reviewed many of the comments, there were several issues that I felt compelled to respond to. In no particular order: 1) Definition of "kin" - It seems that there are several groups of people who do not agree with the definition of family member for beneficiary purposes. I agree that gay partners should receive any compensation due their partners. Since they cannot legally marry, if they can prove that they were in a "marital" or otherwise, familial relationship, that should fulfill the definition. As for fiances - the fact that they were not married does not entitle them to the same rights as those married. Sure, there is likely the same loss and perhaps people cohabitating feel they should be viewed the same way, and I find it rather interesting that there was no urgency to "make it legal" for cohabitators yet when it comes time to "collect" the goodies associated with legal status, then, it becomes and urgent matter for them. There has to be some reasonable way to define family member which is consistent with other types of governmental entitlements or legal terms. 2) Issue of "justice" and "non-economic" collateral - In some of the comments, people reference the cap on "pain & suffering" awards. First of all, the issue of the collateral source rule does not have the same application here as in other crimes. The government - who is making the award - is not responsible for the loss. It is only out of generosity and sheer magnitude, that these victims have a hallowed status among others in the government's eye for justice. We did not compensate other victims of other tragedies (Oklahoma etc) to anywhere near the degree. Most Americans would be happy to see victim's families receive a fair compensation; we just do not like the unappreciative comments. Since no amount of money would be adequate, there again has to be a reasonable way to calculate the awards. It seems that people do not like the way that their family member were "valued" compared with others. One woman had the nerve to state that her husband was an ivy league educated MBA and the implication was that he should have a different amount of compensation than the firemen because they had a "choice" to go in an risk their lives and her husband was only going to work. What did she think those firemen were doing? It was the firemen who chose to go in and save others lives. Surely, it is not a penalty to deduct the value of life insurance policies. The fact that some people planned better for a catastrophic financial loss should be of great comfort to those whose family members did so. Instead, some believe that they are being punished. There will be no way to assuage everyone's feelings about the issue of value and compensation and fairness. It seems to me that the only way to view this tragic "pay-off" is to keep it equitable as the same loss was experienced by each of the families. That there may be huge disparities among the future losses (of income, companionship etc) cannot be compensated for......... I wish you much luck and wisdom in sorting this out. I think you have made a fair and reasonable attempt in enacting these guidelines. As a very patriotic American, former New Yorker, current Washingtonian, I am deeply outraged at this attack and feel deep sympathy for the families. We all cried billions of tears for this loss of life. It seems, though, that we must quickly determine what is a fair compensation and move forward. I hope that the victims' families can try to view this law as an unprecedented outreach by our government and our citizens to, in part, allow them to also move on with their lives with some measure of financial security. Do not allow greed to taint this outpouring of generosity and collective spiritual support. I wish everyone peace. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000309.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-31 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 04, 2001 5:47 PM Sept 11 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 Bellevue,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 dojA000419.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. 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 Phoenix,AZ 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 dojA004702.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, February 14, 2002 9:09 AM (no subject) I am writing to express my hope that our sympathy for victims will not cause the government to spend billions of taxpayers' dollars to make 9/11 victims into millionaires, which will not bring their loved ones back. Tragic deaths occur all the time and are not turned into an equivalent of winning the lottery for the survivors. This money would be much better spent to prevent future terrorist attacks. Some people are trying to turn a tragedy into a get-rich-quick strategy. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-02-14 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 dojP000509.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. 2002-02-14 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 Troy, OH 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 dojA003940.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. 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 Portland, OR 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 dojA005040.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 11:22 PM Gay and Lesbian Partners I find it unthinkable that the partners of gay and lesbian victims of the 9/11 attacked are not receiving the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. Can't you people just stop this? You'd think that after 9/11 it would be more obvious than ever that gays and lesbians are just as deserving and courageous and patriotic as straight people. This ridiculous treatment just makes the whole tragedy even worse. Please reconsider. Thanks. Individual Comment 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 dojR001280.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:02 PM Fair Benefit Distribution December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. Please 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. Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks.Please do not make the lives of their survivors any more dificult than it already is. Sincerely, Individual Comment Minnetonka, MN 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 dojA003160.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. Sunday, January 27, 2002 11:51 AM compensation for significant others/same sex partners Pain and suffering damages traditionally are added to the victim's Estate, distributed under a Last Will and Testament. This legal tradition may create a way for the Special Master to compensate significant others and same sex partners who cannot collect on the Wrongful Death claims for economic damages, which ordinarily are distributed to dependents. (For a discussion on legal treatment of Wrongful Death and survival damages, see any Prosser, Wade and Schwartz text!) You may find that same sex partners tended to have made Testamentary dispositions, because that has always been a method to assure financial security for one another. Although there would tend to be a disparity in treatment between spouses and partners, under current laws this would at least assure that individuals received some compensation. Individual Comment Bronx, New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000202.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. 2002-01-27