1028 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. 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 airlines 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. 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. 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 precise 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 arbitral 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. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bx Ny September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-30 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 dojN002427.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. 2002-01-30 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. MEMORANDUM DATE: November 26, 2001 RE: Comments on the Air Transportation Safety And Systems Stabilization Act (the "Act") from the Massachusetts Bar Association's Presidential Task Force on the Preservation of Rights, Liberties, and Access to Justice. Please find attached the above-mentioned comments which are being submitted by the Massachusetts Bar Association and are due to the Department of Justice by today, November 26, 2001. We are also faxing a copy to you today at If you have any questions concerning these comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at or by email at TO: Department of Justice FROM: The Massachusetts Bar Association's Presidential Task Force on the Preservation of Rights, Liberties, and Access to Justice DATE: November 26, 2001 RE: Comments on Air Transportation Safety And System Stabilization Act (the "Act") The following are comments from the Massachusetts Bar Association which were endorsed at the House of Delegates meeting on November 26, 2001 to be submitted to the Department of Justice on November 26, 2001. The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was established to provide for the expeditious and fair compensation to the victims of our nation's tragedy. It is imperative that the Fund be administered in a just manner consistent with traditional tort damage principles, so as to foster support for the Fund. Because the participants in the Fund will waive rights to file any other action related to the tragedy of September 11th, we must ensure that their participation as claimants in the Fund is both fair and consistent with the longstanding principles of our civil justice system. Section 405 (b) (1) (B) (ii) of the Act provides that the Special Master shall review a claim submitted and, with respect to a claimant determined to be an eligible individual, award: ...the amount of compensation to which the claimant is entitled based on the harm to the claimant, the facts of the claim, and the individual circumstances of the claimant. Consequently, the Act dictates that participants in the Fund be treated as individuals and not as a class. Additionally, each claimant should be afforded his or her due process rights as provided by Section 405 of the legislation and each claim should be adjudged on its own merits. The MBA rejects and opposes the suggestion made by the ABA Task Force that the Fund should be administered with a view toward "horizontal equity". We also oppose the ABA's assertion that "predictability" will require that "appropriate ranges of recovery" be fixed in advance of adjudication. The MBA explicitly opposes the institution of a matrix system in order to administer the Fund, whereby individual claims would be categorized and processed by arbitrary class systems, and the MBA rejects any attempt to introduce structure and rigidity into awards, to set ranges of awards, and to cap damages. The MBA further believes that the administration of the Fund should adhere to traditional collateral source rule principles. Specifically, we oppose the inclusion of charitable gifts in the calculation of collateral sources. Voluntary payments to the various charitable funds that have been established, to the extent payments in turn are made to claimants, should not be counted against whatever is otherwise payable from the Fund. First, such inclusion would represent an unprecedented digression from traditional tort damage principles and create a dangerous precedent for the future. Second, inclusion of charitable gifts may have a severe and enduring chilling effect upon charitable giving in the future. Third, administering the Fund in this way may create a disincentive to participate in the Fund. The MBA agrees substantially with the proposal submitted by Senators Daschle and Leahy and Congressmen Gephardt and Conyers on October 25, 2001. Specifically, the MBA urges the Department of Justice to include the following in the regulations it promulgates: 1. A definition of collateral source which mirrors the language of Section 402 (4) of the Act, but also specifically states: It shall (collateral source) not include any grants or gifts given, or expected to be given, to the claimant as a result of the terrorist- related aircraft crashes on September 11, 2001, from any non- profit, religious, or other charitable 501 (c) (3) organization. Also, the reduction of the award should only include collateral source compensation the claimant has received, and is reasonably certain to receive in the future. 2. The Special Master should appoint the Hearing Officers rather than the Attorney General, since the Act clearly places such authority on the Special Master. 3. Given the complexity of damages, the uniqueness of the procedure, and the finality of the decision, use of a lawyer in the claims process is strongly encouraged. 4. Any form promulgated for presentment of a claim must contain the following information in clear-unambiguous language: a. The claimant has the right to be represented by a lawyer. b. In presenting this claim, the claimant is forever waiving his/her right to file a civil suit, and to have a jury determine the economic and non-economic damages sustained as a result of the catastrophe on September 11, 2001. c. The availability and location of pro-bono lawyers offering assistance to those presenting claims. d. There is no right of appeal from the decision of the Special Master. 5. Since a claim is not deemed filed upon submission, but rather upon the determination that it is complete, the regulation must provide an extension mechanism for claims submitted on or near the two- year deadline. 6. The amount of compensation sought should not be stated on the form completed. Claimants proceeding without the benefit of counsel may be placed in a disadvantageous position if this amount is included. Although under some proposals the award may exceed the amount sought, by requesting a specific amount, the claimant may be limiting his/her recovery because a hearing officer is not likely to award an amount vastly greater than that requested. 7. Since the Act clearly provides claimants with the right to present evidence, including the presentation of witnesses and documents {Section 405 (b) (46:11 PM 11/27/01)}, claimants must be afforded the opportunity to present their claims to hearing officers. An appeal or review to the Special Master provides a necessary safety net. 8. The hearing officer shall award economic and non-economic damages in accordance with the elements of those damages specified under Section 402, subsections (5) and (7). Of particular importance in making these awards is the intent of Congress that non-economic damages not be limited by any unique state law provisions. 9. The deduction of collateral source payments from any award must be stated specifically, and the award must address the right of subrogation for certain collateral source payments. Additionally, the collateral source deductions shall only be made from the award to the beneficiary receiving the collateral source. 10. Life insurance, pension funds, and death benefits programs shall be defined to exclude the present value of amounts contributed by the claimant or the decedent to any such funds, programs, or benefits. In conclusion, the MBA supports the efforts of Congress in establishing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. We hope that the Fund will be administered in a fair manner, so that compensation will occur swiftly and justly for the many affected families. In order to meet these goals, the administration of the Fund must preserve the due process rights of all claimants, and allow for full compensation as provided by the legislation. We urge the Department of Justice to adopt the principles set forth above, so as to administer the Fund in a just and compassionate manner. Comments by: Massachusetts Bar Association 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 dojW000746.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. 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 Alachua,FL 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 dojA005257.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 7:45 AM EQUAL ACCESS TO GAYS AND LESBIANS December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment New Orleans, LA 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 dojA002689.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. 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 Santa Barbara, 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 dojA004164.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 2:48 PM Equal access to Crisis Relief for Gay and Lesbian Partners December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. I also write as Social Justice Coordinator for the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. 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 Brooklyn, NY 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 dojA003414.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. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:44 AM Protest 9/11 Fund To Whom It May Concern, I am a firm believer that history repeats itself in many forms and fashions. I have always considered myself to be a true, proud, and fair american who should be able to recieve all the benefits of being an American. September 11th will remain with all of us, black or white, old and young, gay or straight. You see it doesn't and shouldn't matter if we are all of a different color, or of a different country, nothing should stop us from being American. Why would you all who are supposed to be good role models for our future children set an example of prejuidice. You may not think of it that way but, when you look at the facts that's exactly what it is. It's sort of like we are regressing in our approach to the future instead of taking the steps forward to make our world a better place. You all talk about equality, and being a true American and yet you wish to prejudice to someone because they don't love the way you do. I will have you know that I am a 24 year old female who is in a lesbian relationship but, that doesn't make me any different than the rest of the people in this world. I believe that God made us all different for a reason. God doesn't make trash, he never has and I can almost guarentee you he never will. Don't regress back to the past and make the same mistakes our ancentors made. September 11th is about all the people who lost loved ones. Everyone that died on that day, gay or straight have the right to be remembered. Sincerely, Individual Comment Houston, TX 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 dojR002339.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. Thursday, November 08, 2001 11:58 AM Victim Compensation I do not know the amount set-aside for the 911 Victims in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. However, rates of payment should be based on Current Annual Middle Individual-Income level. Those who earned less than the National Average would probably have not covered themselves with life insurance or only with a low amount. Nor might they have been working in jobs that provided employer paid medical insurance or Worker's Compensation, pensions and the like. Pensions, Charity Awards and Worker¡¦s Compensation, Life, Medical or business or State Disability insurance, and Social Security should "not" have to be exhausted in order to receive the benefit from the government. Therefore, the victims in the higher income brackets who have these things will not appear to be penalized. I have not seen that people cannot sue any other entity. Many businesses in and around the World Trade Center are gone, or reduced. Yet there is the potential for victims or their heirs to sue. These awards should also not have to be exhausted in order to collect the government award. This is a payment made on behalf of the airlines, which would otherwise be liable regardless of any other of these compensations. Victim Compensation should be considered a ¡§minimal supplement¡¨ to their Loss of Income. It is meant to help the families meet the financial challenge of losing a provider through death or through disability (based on a typical insurance company schedule for disability or dismemberment/disfigurement, and medical expenses not covered by insurance) in their household. As long as you are bailing out the airlines, the limit per beneficiary should be modeled after no more than the middle individual-income base. However, where the victim who died is a child up to age 18, (or college students to age 25) it would be assumed they had not been a primary contributor to a household, yet a compensation should be awarded. It would seem the minimum amount (1 year income) on the schedule would still be awarded as there are expenses with burial and some family members may not have had paid bereavement days through their employers. This is the case where humanity is applied to show some value to the grief. Those injured, yet not disabled or disfigured, should also receive compensation for time lost at work, plus medical expenses not covered by insurance. Example: the Middle-Individual-Income Adjusted rate x hours missed ($14.37 x 120 hours = $1,724.40 and out-of-pocket medical expenses). Assumption: * 20 years old would have a projected income for 45 years (to age 65) ?h Annual National Average is somewhere near $28,000 ($13.46/hr.) ?h Insurance premium for medical coverage (employer paid portion, i.e., 80%) of perhaps $.91/hour ($200 mo. x 80% /2080) * TOTAL Adjusted First Year income: $29,889.60 ($14.37/hr.) * .03 projected increase per year (or whatever the national average on increases actually is): Table shows simplified increments: 1-year (Minimum): $ 29,889.60 5-year: $128,798.35 10-year: $312,761.17 20-year: $773,255.15 30-year: $1,392,120.55 40-year: $2,223,823.89 45-year (Maximum): $2,741,469.97 Payment for a Death would require an amount adjacent to the number of years they would have lived before the 65-year retirement age, but ¡§not less¡¨ than $29,889.60 (that would cover those past the retirement age). If Joe and Mary Smith were each 35 years old and died in the event, their heirs would be entitled to a total of $2,784,240 (2 x the 30-year rate). Which, if deposited and accrued .04 interest/year, it would provide $111,369 interest income a year on which to live, the equivalent of each earning $55,684/year. If they follow this method of preserving their award, the first year of annual income will then be near twice the National Middle-Income level, while maintaining the original award amount. I believe this would be fair since the beneficiaries would be signing away the right to sue the airlines for wrongful death, malpractice, pain and suffering, unsafe conditions, and etc. If you do not have $12+ Billion, use the Minimum Wage scenario because that amount is the ¡§least any citizen could have earned¡¨: Assumption: * 20 years old would have a projected income for 45 years (to age 65) ?h Annual Minimum Wage is somewhere near $13,000 ($6.25/hr.) ?h Insurance premium (employer paid) of perhaps $.91/hour (Employee only, paid at 80% of full medical premium by employer) * Total first year income: $14,892 * .03 increase projected per year: Table shows simplified increments: 1-year (Minimum): $ 14,892 5-year: $64,175 10-year: $155,836 20-year: $385,282 30-year: $693,638 40-year: $1,108,043 45-year (Maximum): $1,365,965 In this scenario, Joe and Mary Smith¡¦s heirs would receive $1,387,276. Which, if deposited and accrued .04 interest/year, would provide $55,491 interest income a year on which to live, the equivalent of each earning $27,745.50/year. If they follow this method of preserving their award, the annual income will then be near the National Middle-Income level the first year while maintaining the original award amount. It will have allowed the beneficiaries who would otherwise not have received Worker¡¦s Compensation, Pensions, Charity Awards and Life, Medical or Disability insurances, or had the ability to sue the airlines, that extra margin of relief. If you use a formula similar to one of these ideas, drop me a line. I¡¦d like to know my idea was a good one. Thank you, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-08 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 dojW000238.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. 2001-11-08 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. Friday, December 31, 2001 1:09 PM equal access to the Victims Relief Fund for gay & lesbian victims December 31, 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 Decatur, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-31 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 dojN001257.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. 2001-12-31 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. Saturday, January 26, 2002 8:11 AM New Vote.com votes as of 08:10 AM EST on January 26th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 86 votes NO: 958 votes Group 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 dojP000147.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. 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 Hyannis, 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 dojA004443.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. 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 Croton On Hudson, NY 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 dojA004422.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 7:11 AM Subject: New Vote.com votes as of 07:10 AM EST on January 24th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 87 votes NO: 1271 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000061.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 27, 2001 7:31 PM Additional Funding This is based on my understanding of what I have read here and read/heard from media. I may be wrong, but I think you will get the idea anyway. There is a provision for funding the compensation fund other than the "taxpayer": (c) ADDITIONAL FUNDING- (1) IN GENERAL- The Attorney General is authorized to accept such amounts as may be contributed by individuals, business concerns, or other entities to carry out this title, under such terms and conditions as the Attorney General may impose. (2) USE OF SEPARATE ACCOUNT- In making payments under this section, amounts contained in any account containing funds provided under paragraph (1) shall be used prior to using appropriated amounts. There is also an estimate of the number of claimants: 5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: 5,000 claimants with an average of 6.0 hours per response. I understand that an estimate for a average payout is $1.6 Million. So I guess if all claimants went this route, you could estimate the total payout at about $8 Billion. I understand that the airlines are being "protected" by placing a limit on suits against them so that it does not exceed their liability coverage. I heard that for United, that was $1.5 Billion per attack. I'm not sure if this is one attack involving 2 planes or 2 separate attacks. But United has either $1.5B or $3B coverage. I will assume that American is in the same boat. Just to be 'nice', lets assume that 9/11 is one attack. So there is $1.5B coverage for United and $1.5B coverage for American, for a total of $3B. This is the 'obligation' of the insurance provider. I have not heard anything about the insurance providers 'being in trouble' or 'not wanting to pay'. So I think the following should be done to provide "Additional Funding" : In a perfect world there is $3B available and 5,000 claimants, that works out to $600,000 per claimant. For each claimant that files for and gets compensation from this fund, the first $600,000 for that claimant should be payable by the insurance carriers ($300,000 from the United insurance provider, $300,000 from the American provider ). The remainder of the $3B of liability coverage would stay with the airline/insurance provider for paying other suits filed (by those who did not accept this fund payment and therefore waived their right to file a separate suit, or by anyone else who wanted to). The cap would still remain - total liability limited to the coverage amount. Frankly, it seems like a win-for-everybody to me. The airlines are still protected. The insurance companies get a lot of 'warm, fuzzy' press coverage (see how patriotic they are). The taxpayer only gets stuck with the overage, not the entire amount. I am sure that between the President, Congress, Department of Justice, blah-blah-blah all parties could be convinced that this is the way to go! Since all kinds of 'special' laws/regulations have been put in effect for this event, I don't see that one more typing up all the loose ends of this type of agreement would be a problem! I would be very interested in learning why this cannot work, if that is the position of "those in charge". I would also like to suggest that you make the "additional funding" figures available to the public on this website. I would be very interested to see what is generated. I haven't heard anything about this topic in the media! I would have thought that the "Bill Gates"/"Ted Turner"/"King-or-Prince Whoever"-types would be stepping forward. I haven't seen anything about whether or not this would be considered a charitable contribution - but I think it should! Keep in touch - Individual Comment Denver, CO 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 dojN001026.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. Monday, January 14, 2002 8:41 PM Help all victims of terrorist attack 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 Tuscaloosa, AL 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 dojN001630.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 Renton, WA 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 dojA001808.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. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 6:43 PM In response to an email I received from a friend: "To protest the exclusion of gay and lesbian partners from receiving U.S.government benefits for their September 11 losses, send a brief e-mail to victimcomp.comments@usdoj.gov" I would personally like to add my opinion to this matter. These people, like any of the other family/marrige partners who lost a loved one in the tragedy, also feel the pain of loss just as deeply as anyone else. To exclude them is to show a prejudice against American citizens in a time of need. It isn't constitutional to exclude any American from the same rights that his or her countrymen benefit from. 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 dojR002415.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. Thursday, January 17, 2002 11:43 PM taxpayer=victim=no copensation why is the government being so unfair to the unemployed victims of the september 11 disater??? we are hard working,law abiding taxpaying citizens.. SO why is the goverment leaving us behind??? We need to support and maintain are families too..the economy is very weak right now and its hard to find a job that makes us live accordingly right to life..I lost that pleasure on sept. 11 and I would like to see the government help us all in re to this costly effect...I was a hotel worker and my salary was not bad at all including benefits and 401k, pension ect.. I have nothing now 1/17/02. and I did not ask for this SO PLEASE, change the rules to help us all americans of are wonderful united states as i want to see it..NOT as it is!! Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-17 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 dojN001965.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. 2002-01-17 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 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 Rio Rancho, NM 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 dojA001950.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 17, 2001 Honorable John D. Ashcroft Attorney General of the United States United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Attoney General, On September 21, the Congress passed H.R. 2926, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, ("Act"), which was signed into law by President Bush as Public Law 107-42. An important aspect of this law created a Victim Compensation Fund ("Fund"), which was designed to compensate victims of the September 11 terrorism attacks. I hope that the injured and the families of the deceased will utilize the Fund to help recover from these horrific acts, although certainly no financial award can compensate adequately for the damage done to thousands of Americans and their families. Many of us in Congress expressed serious concerns about the Fund which was enacted without being fully considered through the normal legislative process. The Act makes the Federal Government and thus American taxpayer; ultimately responsible for any awards made by the Fund. However, while Congress provided some specifics as to who is entitled to receive an award and the extent of the award, the details are to be decided by the Department of Justice and specifically by the Special Master, a position created by the Act. Thus the Special Master, Kenneth Feinberg, has enormous responsibility to balance the needs of the victims and their families with the knowledge that American taxpayers may end up footing the bill for his decisions. As you and Mr. Feinberg continue drafting regulations and procedures to administer the Fund, I also ask you to consider my thoughts on a specific issue: how charitable gifts to victims and their families should be considered as you determine appropriate awards from the Fund. Section 405(a)(6) of the Act clearly states that the Special Master "shall reduce the amount of compensation determined...by the amount of the collateral source compensation the claimant has received or is entitled to receive as a result" of the terrorist incidents. The term "collateral source" is defined in Section 402(4) as "all collateral sources including life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by Federal, State, or local governments related" to the terrorist incidents. It is was the clear intent of those who negotiated this Act and specifically this "collateral source" provision that the Special Master should give consideration to all significant collateral financial sources when determining awards. As you know, some Members of Congress and other advocacy groups have urged you to issue regulations which would exclude charitable contributions made to victims or their families from the "collateral source" provision. Such an argument flies directly in the face of the statutory language enacted by Congress and Congress's intent. The Fund was established to provide reasonable compensation to victims and their families in lieu of litigation and was certainly not meant to require taxpayers to provide awards in excess of full financial compensation. The American public has responded to the terrorist attacks with an unprecedented sense of charity. According to new accounts, various charities have received approximately $1.4 billion in contributions designated for victims compensation, including the Liberty Fund established by the Red Cross which has raised almost $550 million. In addition, local governments have established funds such as the Twin Towers Fund which has raised $113 million to be distributed solely to the families of public safety officers. Obviously the Department could rationally determine that charitable assistance below a certain de minimis level need not be disclosed as part of the claim process. However, under the Act, large financial grants given directly to victims must be considered a "collateral source" and I encourage you to issue regulations to reflect Congress's clear policy determination on this issue. In summary, you and Special Master Feinberg will be under immense pressure to expand the universe of Fund claimants and to be as generous as possible. I urge you to keep in mind that the Fund was created by Congress as a unique federal response to a situation where normal litigation may have left victims without recovery. The Fund should be administered with both the needs of the victims and taxpayers in mind and with recognition of the impressive charitable reaction of the American people. Handling this Fund properly would be yet another example of your inspirational leadership in these trying times. Sincerely, Don Nickles, United States Senate 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 dojA003635.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