1064 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. Sunday, November 25, 2001 10:37 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 I write to advocate that the definition of ?victim? be expanded. It is my understanding that the Victim Compensation Fund defines ?victim? as family members of those who died, and those who suffered physical injury as a result of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center (?WTC?) towers and the Pentagon. There is a group of people that does not qualify under this statutory definition of ?victim,? but these people were and are victims of the WTC attacks nonetheless. These were people who were present during the attacks, but suffered no obvious physical injuries, and those whose homes or businesses were damaged, or otherwise adversely affected because of their proximity to the WTC. My apartment complex is located across the street from where the WTC towers stood. I was home at the time of the attacks; outside in the courtyard at the time the first tower collapsed, and was engulfed by the wave of ash and debris. I was fortunate enough to have survived and was among the lucky ones who were evacuated across the Hudson River to New Jersey. In the days and weeks following the attacks, my building complex, because of its proximity to ?Ground Zero,? was designated part of the ?crime scene? in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and was among the last of the Battery Park City residential buildings to be able to be prepared for re-occupation. My apartment, like those of many other tenants in Battery Park City, was contaminated with dust, ash and debris. (I was fortunate here, too, as many of my neighbors? apartments were damaged by falling rubble or caught on fire when flaming debris flew across the street.) I have not been able to return to my apartment or retrieve any of my personal possessions (including clothing), however, since September 11th, because of the contamination. It is costing thousands of dollars to clean all of my clothing, linens, blankets, etc.; thousands more for the certified hazardous material abatement company to decontaminate my apartment and its contents, or safely dispose of those items that cannot be salvaged. (I don?t know yet which of my personal possessions are salvageable or which will have to be replaced.) I must also purchase air purifiers with HEPA filters in order to keep the air inside my apartment "safe." Like many of my neighbors in Battery Park City, I did not have renter?s insurance, and neither FEMA nor the Red Cross will cover these costs. There are thousands of people in similar circumstances: some, like me, are still displaced, some have returned to their apartments (and are enduring respiratory problems, nosebleeds, headaches, rashes), others will not be able to return to their homes for several more months. All have been traumatized by their experiences. Fires at Ground Zero still burn and, while the EPA has stated that the particulate matter and other substances in the air pose no long-term health risks, the air quality has certainly been compromised (for example, we have been advised that children should not exert themselves when playing outdoors). I urge that the definition of ?victim? who qualifies for compensation from the Fund be expanded to include residents who were displaced and whose homes were contaminated by the attacks, businesses that were adversely affected, and those people who were at the site during the attacks but who did not suffer apparent physical injury. (The psychological impact should not be ignored.) Thank you for this opportunity. Individual Comment New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-25 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 dojW000550.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. 2001-11-25 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 21, 2002 3:03 PM Surviving Families of Gay and Lesbian 9/11 victims Dear Mr. Zwick, I am emailing you to express my concern that the surviving families of gay and lesbian 9/11 victims will not be compensated equally, according to the most recent news reports. Family members are family members, regardless of whether it's a same-sex couple or not. Don't add insult to injury for these survivors by denying them benefits or compensation that they are entitled to. Thank you for your time, and I urge you to consider the matter most carefully. Sincerely, Individual Comment Houston, TX September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-21 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 dojR002538.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. 2002-03-21 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. December 17, 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 Eugene, OR September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005383.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 10:08 PM New Vote.com votes as of 10:08 PM EST on March 16th, 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, DOES THE GOVERNMENT'S AID PROGRAM FOR FAMILIES OF SEPT. 11 VICTIMS GO FAR ENOUGH?: YES: 3 votes NO: 0 votes Group 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 dojR001263.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, March 13, 2002 1:52 AM gays and 9/11 relief money it stinks that surviving partners of gays will not receive any relief funds. that seems like a violation of civil rights. don't let that gross oversight occur. see that justice is served and that the surviving partners of gays receive financial compensation. i am a straight married white female. age 38. thank you. Individual Comment salinas, ca September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-13 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 dojR000554.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. 2002-03-13 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, January 17, 2002 12:26 PM September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: My husband &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp was killed on September 11th, 2001. He was &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp and worked in the North Tower at the World Trade Center. I am writing to you today to express my great dissatisfaction regarding the Interim Final Rules of the proposed September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Generally speaking, I believe that these rules are a betrayal to the victims' families and that they must be rewritten to agree with the statute passed by Congress to create this fund. Following are my comments regarding specific elements of these rules: * Nothing in the statute suggests that the determination of economic loss be limited to a pre-determined amount or cap. Each case must be considered on an individual basis based on the individual circumstances of each claimant and the award be independent of any decision made for any other victim's family. I feel that these regulations must be rewritten to permit economic losses be calculated in each individual case based upon the facts and circumstances of each claim. * The regulations for economic loss also must be rewritten to ensure that calculation of economic loss takes into account ALL elements of employee compensation paid by the employer including, but not limited to, pension benefits, stock option grants, retirement programs, etc. * As far as non-economic loss is concerned, nothing in the statute allows for a pre-determined amount or cap to be placed on any non-economic loss such as losses for physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of companionship, loss of enjoyment of life, etc. It must be ensured that the proposed cap of $250,000 for pre-death pain and suffering by the victim along with $50,000 each for the spouse and dependents is eliminated and that any monetary determination for non-economic loss be solely based on the individual facts and circumstances of each claim. * Placing the burden of proof on the claimant in order to be successful in obtaining an award in excess of the pre-determined presumptive guidelines is an abuse of the power of discretion given to the Special Master of this Fund. Also, the Special Master's reliance on a claimant's ability to show extraordinary circumstances is, in fact, contrary to the direct mandate of this legislation. I think it is important to note that nowhere in the statute passed by Congress does it state that awards should be based on any limiting factor. It does require, however, that the award reflect the economic and non-economic harm suffered by the claimant. In closing, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my opinion regarding this Fund and trust that all appropriate action will be taken by your office to ensure that every victim's family affected by the horrible events of September 11, 2001 that file a claim for an award receive the individual consideration it deserves. Sincerely, Individual Comment Monroe Township, NJ 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 dojN001940.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. Monday, March 11, 2002 2:25 PM Sept 11 Discrimination To Whom It May Concern: I understand that Kenneth Feinberg has decided that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund will not give any money to gay partners of any of the victims of the 9/11 tragedies unless those victims happened to be lucky enough to live in a state which already recognizes gay relationships. I find this absolutely APPALLING! You are discriminating against a group of people who were as affected by the tragedy as any other group - a group that includes many of the heroes you tout as having saved so many lives that day (including , who helped prevent flight 93 from crashing into its intended target, which may have included all of you). I know that up until now, you have taken public input to reconsider how these benefits will be applied. Please reconsider this decision as well. Let's not make Sept. 11 about discrimination or politics. That day was a tragedy for everyone, gay and straight. You have the ability to make the situation a little bit better, rather than a whole lot worse. Thank you for your time. Yours truly, Individual Comment, taxpayer and concerned U.S. citizen South San Francisco, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-11 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 dojR000152.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. 2002-03-11 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 Hatfield, PA 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 dojA004788.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. Wednesday, December 26, 2001 12:31 PM apply basic international human rights standards December 26, 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 Nashville, TN September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-26 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 dojN000937.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. 2001-12-26 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 5, 2001 Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick Director - Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Washington, DC VIA FACSIMILE: (301) 519-5956 Dear Mr. Zwick: In response to the Justice Department's request for comments regarding the upcoming implementation regulations for the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund," I would strongly urge the Justice Department to ensure these regulations are drafted to make the proposed compensation available to ALL VICTIMS of this terrible tragedy. For the sake of fairness, and, indeed, Justice, this should include the committed partners and non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims of the September 11th tragedy. As you can imagine, the grief and suffering of the families of gay and lesbian victims is no different or less devastating than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in helping to heal the wounds of all Americans who suffered 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 Justice Department to do justice to the bonds of gay and lesbian victims, just as you would any other. Thoughtfully yours, Individual Comment Stamford, CT September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001415.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, January 18, 2002 11:30 AM Life insurance In establishing the Victims Compensation Fund Congress defines the term "collateral source" and within that definition it refers to "life insurance." There are many different kinds of life insurance. For instance, there is term insurance, which could be construed as some form of disaster insurance. This type of insurance has an associated liability stream into the future. If a victim were paid out of a term life insurance policy then he would no longer be subject to that liability stream. It makes sense to me that Congress meant to include term life insurance as a collateral source. However, I think it should be carefully considered by the Special Master as to whether Congress meant to include some other forms of life insurance which are essentially forms of investment. For instance, I am representing a victim who only owned whole life insurance policies. They were very expensive policies in which he invested large sums of money over many years until there was no future liability. There were no additional premiums due on his policies. Being compensated by these policies as a result of death should be construed as a return of invested capital. This person made a choice to invest for his retirement through the conduit of whole life insurance policies. This was not disaster insurance. If the Special Master calls paid-up whole life insurance a collateral source of income then he is implicitly telling this family that their husband and father made very bad investment choices. He should have invested his money elsewhere. When this family collects from those policies, they are not receiving a windfall from an insurance company having made a poor bet. They will largely be receiving a return of the capital that was invested in the policy. It was their capital. Offsetting an award by the proceeds of this form of policy makes no more sense than offsetting an award by the value of someone's collection of rare paintings. I hope the Special Master considers these different types of insurance policies very carefully when interpreting the intent of Congress. Respectfully submitted, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001983.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 20, 2002 7:15 PM Blatant discrimination of gay Americans Kenneth R. Feinberg 9/11 victim compensation fund John Ashcroft U S Department of IN-justice cc President George W Bush cc Senator Diane Feinstien cc Senator Barbara Boxer cc Congresswoman Lois Capps SHAME ON YOU MR FEINBERG, AND SHAME TO MR ASHCROFT FOR SUPPORTING HIS DISCRIMINATION OF GAY AMERICANS. Mr. Feinberg states: "The goal in this final rule was simply to create the best and fairest program possible within the requirements set by Congress." He then contradicts himself by excluding ten percent of the population. Congress passed this act to help ALL victims of the 9-11 attacks, not just the straight ones. The congress has entrusted Mr. Feinberg as Special Master to determine eligibility and the amount of compensation to be made. Feinberg has publicly indicated his unequivocal intent to make the Fund as accessible as possible and has said that he will take special measures to protect vulnerable claimants, including unborn children and undocumented immigrants. In fact, he has stated that John Ashcroft will not deport these illegal immigrants nor charge any employer with illegal hiring practices in order to assist these non-American victims; overlooking many federal and state laws. But when it comes to tax paying Americans who happen to be gay or lesbian, Mr. Feinberg decides to rely on individual state laws to determine eligibility, claiming the law is the law. In doing this, he has created a huge lack of uniformity in eligibility requirements, and an even greater lack of fairness and equality. It appears he took special measures to guarantee gay and lesbian victims won't be claimants at all. Early on, the Lambda Legal defense organization gave Mr. Feinberg numerous suggestions on handling gay domestic partners, citing the New York courts as an example of how partnerships can be validated, and presented several concerns about notification to reduce disputes and legal challenges. These suggestions were completely ignored. In his defense of the "Rules" that he set, Mr. Feinberg lumps lifelong partners of gay and lesbian couples with non- married straight couples and fiancées, and leaves it up to each state to decide who is eligible. What he overlooked is unlike straight couples, gay and lesbians are not allowed to be married in any state. Most states recognize straight couples who live together as common law marriages, but they have no classification for same sex couples. This is not a State compensation fund, it is a Federal fund and therefore should not rely on individual state laws. As far as I know, there is no state law which prohibits a domestic partner from being a beneficiary. There just currently isn't any law requiring this. There is no legitimate reason why the Federal government can't recognize the partners of gay and lesbian victims. Recognizing gay partners also effects the amount of the compensation that will be paid out. Because gay couples can not marry, any deceased gay victim is automatically assumed to be single. According to the compensation tables, a single person is valued significantly less than a married person because all of his income goes to supporting himself instead of a spouse. These tables ignore gay couples who depend on their partner's income just as much as straight married couples do. So even if a state does recognize a gay partner as eligible, he will not receive the same amount of compensation as a married person would. When Mr. Ashcroft was sworn into office, he promised to defend justice for ALL Americans. Where is he now? How can he sanction such blatant discrimination? It is obvious that Mr. Fienberg and Mr. Ashcroft are less interested in true fairness and equity, and more interested with pandering to their right-wing friends and upholding their intolerance and bigotry toward gay people. America justified to the rest of the world that we had to over throw the Taliban because they were dictating their religious views and oppressing the rights of their citizens. What are the people of the world thinking now when they see such hypocrisy as the American government dictates right wing religious beliefs and oppresses the rights of ten percent of it's own citizens. America is supposed to be a positive example of freedom and equality. Show the world that "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL" isn't just a catchy slogan. Change the "rules" and include ALL Americans. Individual Comment Nipomo, CA 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 dojR002421.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. Friday, December 28, 2001 1:44 PM Please Support Equal Access to Relief Benefits for Gay/Lesbian Partners December 28, 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 York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-28 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 dojN001104.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. 2001-12-28 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. Sunday, November 25, 2001 10:46 PM Comments: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Attachment 1: November 25, 2001 Dear Mr. Zwick: I lost my only son in the horrific terrorist attacks on the WTC 9/11/01. My son was also tragically taken from his wife, two sisters and six young nephews. I have great concerns over the determination and administration of the proposed legislation: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. My son as well as the majority of the other victims that day were killed in the absolute prime of their lives - doing what we as families and our nation had taught them early on in their lives to do - work hard - be responsible - be good citizens. They were at work before 9:AM in the morning, pursuing their dreams and planning for the economic futures of their families. It is painfully clear that among others sharing responsibility for those tragic events, American Airlines and United Airlines failed to provide us with even minimum security - allowing four hijackings in a matter of hours. It seems to me to be unquestionably in the best interests of the airlines, the U.S. Government, the victims, the victims families as well as all Americans to have an equitable out-of-court settlement rather than endure lengthy, painful litigation which will drag out for many years. The settlement offer, therefore, must be one that is acceptable to the victims and their families and compensates them for their losses. Following are my comments with respect to the proposed legislation: 1. The definitions, terms and provisions need to be clearly and simply stated. 2. There should be two separate procedures for filing claims. One form should be used for the surviving victims and another form should be used for families of deceased victims. 3. With respect to compensation to families of deceased victims, the formula should be simple and straightforward. (A) Economic Loss - something on the order of the average of the victim's income over the last 3 years multiplied by the number of years remaining to their retirement age. (B) Non-Economic Loss should be the same dollar amount for all victims and/or families. Pain and suffering is not measurable or distinguishable. How can it be determined that one's pain and suffering is greater than another's. (C) Collateral Sources such as life insurance, pension funds, IRA's, 40lk's and legislated tax relief should not be deducted from an individual's payments. These have been paid for by the victim, were part of their compensation package - or have been offered as a relief to families. 4. A simple to understand settlement package needs to be offered to each claimant of deceased victims. The dollar amount of the settlement needs to be provided to the claimants prior to expecting claimants to waive their rights to file civil actions. 5. Claimants of deceased families should not be expected to prove their case to a Special Master. They have already endured more than is imaginable. If the victim has been provided a "Victim Identification Number, has been issued a death certificate and can supply 3 years' tax returns, this should be sufficient for the administrators of the fund to formulate a proposed settlement package for these families. 6. Claimants want to accept a settlement package. They simply want to bring some closure to this terrible tragedy, go on with the lengthy grieving process, have some economic hope for a future without their loved ones and maintain trust and confidence in their Government. If the package is fair, claimants will accept it. If it is not, they will have no choice but to pursue other legal options available to them as Americans. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. I only hope that in the weeks ahead as you finalize this legislation you will keep the horror and magnitude of our pain and loss in your hearts and do what may be difficult - but is just and right. Respectfully, Grieving Mother Individual Comment New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-25 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 dojW000552.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. 2001-11-25 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 8:06 PM Please help ALL surviving families of 9/11 victims, including same-sex partners 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 Washington, DC 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 dojA000544.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. Friday, December 21, 2001 5:24 AM Comment on the Interim Final Rule on the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund I for one feel that the fund should be as restrictive or should attempt to minimize the amount that the government disburses to the victims as much as possible. While the incident sparking this was a horrific act, so was the Oklahoma City bombing, so was many other attacks and natural or accidental events. While the idea that the government is the life insurer of last resort in this case, allowing families of 9-11 victims to benefit excessively (once you add the charitable contributions that the rule ignores) is unfair to all those other victims from other events. Why should the family of a 9-11 victim, in addition to generous death benefits that occur in some cases (such as what I have read about NYC firefighters), and / or in addition to generous charitable contributions that will likely be disbursed, also receive hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars from the government? While no amount of money can make the family whole again due to the loss of life, it seems unjust to victims that came before and after 9-11 seem less important, it sets a bad precedent that you don't have to plan your family's finances yourself - the government will help them out, and puts an unfair burden on the citizens of the United States. I read that some families of victims that were making large incomes are upset because of a salary cap. If the victim was making millions of dollars, I would hope they put some of that away for a rainy day. The burden of their poor financial planning should NOT be borne by average Americans that can only imagine that type of lifestyle. Individual Comment Basking Ridge, NJ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000216.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, January 15, 2002 9:14 PM Victims Compensation Dear Mr. Feinberg: Re: Comments on the Interim Rule of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 I am writing to ask for your help to correct two inequities in the Department of Justice's Interim Final Rule for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 that will result in many families receiving no compensation from the fund. This is because (1) the projected economic and non-economic loss figures are unrealistically low; and (2) the Fund reduces any award by the amount of money a victim family receives from a "collateral source." When Congress passed the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act on September 22, 2001, it severely restricted September 11 victims' right to sue the airlines, which bear ultimate responsibility for the tragedy because of lax security procedures. In exchange for denying victims the right to sue, Congress provided the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. The Fund is supposed to compensate the victims' families for the types of losses that would have been recoverable in a lawsuit, but without the burden and delay of litigation. The Interim Rule/Regulation also describes the intention of the law: "The Fund is designed to provide a no-fault alternative to tort litigation for individuals who were physically injured or killed as a result of the aircraft hijackings and crashes on September 11, 2001" {Interim Rule/Regulation, Summary Paragraph A.1.}. "The attached regulations have two objectives: (1) To provide fair, predictable and consistent compensation to the victims of September 11 and their families throughout the life of the program; and (2) to do so in an expedited, efficient manner without unnecessary bureaucracy and needless demands on the victims." {Interim Rule/Regulation, Supplementary Information.}. The Interim Final Rule fails to meet the intent of Congress, however, because many victims' families will net nothing after collateral source funds are subtracted from the already undervalued economic and non-economic loss projections. The Interim Final Rule understates economic loss by underestimating the lifetime earning potential of victims at all income levels. Noted economists at the National Association of Forensic Economists showed that the Interim Final Rule uses outdated statistics and inappropriate methods to arrive at low estimates of our loved one's future earnings. An analysis done by one of these economists showed that the actual earnings growth for firefighters is 27% higher than the DOJ estimate, the actual earnings growth of all college educated workers is 30% higher than DOJ indicates, and actual earnings growth for financial professionals is more than 100% higher than the DOJ estimate. The Interim Final Rule also falls short of Congress's goals for non-economic loss. The figure for presumed non-economic loss compensation of $250,000 plus an additional $50,000 for the spouse and each dependent is rationalized as being roughly equivalent to the amounts received by public safety officers who were killed while on duty, or members of the military who are killed in the line of duty while serving our nation. With all due respect to such public safety officers and military personnel, they choose to go into harm's way and their loss is not the result of corporate negligence. On the other hand, the September 11 victims are victims of negligent airline security. Perhaps more realistic guidance as to the value of non-economic loss can be found in other air crash disaster awards. For example, non-economic losses recovered in other air crash and terrorism cases commonly result in awards of between $2 million and $5 million. A more reasonable projection of non-economic loss is probably somewhere between the current proposal and the historical litigation result. The Interim Final Rule reduces any compensation awards by the amount of any funds received from collateral sources, including life insurance. The Interim Final Rule does this because Congress included such a provision in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act. That does not make it fair; that does not make it right. In many states, the law on "the collateral source rule" has been well settled for over one hundred years. Under that rule, damages recoverable for personal injury or death, caused by the negligence of another, cannot be reduced because of compensation received by proceeds of an insurance policy. This is because the wrongdoer owes full compensation for the injuries inflicted by them and any payment by a collateral source in no way relieves the wrongdoer of their obligation. In this instance, the airlines and others at fault owe full compensation for the injuries resulting from their negligence. Any payment by a collateral source in no way relieves the airlines and others at fault of their obligation. This collateral source rule, which has been a fundamental part of tort victim compensation for over a hundred years, needs to be incorporated into the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. The Interim Final Rule needs to be adjusted to provide fair, balanced and acceptable economic and non-economic loss projections. The economic loss charts need to be increased and expanded depending upon the deceased's job field. The non-economic loss amounts also need to be increased into a range that accounts for the tragic way in which these innocent victims died and the shattered lives they left behind. Collateral source recoveries need to be excluded from consideration by the Fund. Without these changes, the intent of Congress will not be fulfilled because there will be no reason for many of the September 11 victim families to participate in the Fund. Without these changes, it will be better for many victim families to take a chance at litigation rather than sign on to a Fund through which they will receive nothing but a waiver of their right to sue. Please rectify these inequities. Give the victim families a reason to participate in this Fund rather than litigate. Change the Interim Final Rule to provide economic and non-economic amounts at fair, balanced and acceptable levels; do not offset Fund awards by collateral source recoveries; establish a fair appeal process. Finally, please include the specific calculation formulas, statistics and assumptions within the rule or the explanatory materials. Sincerely, Individual Comment Sierra Vista, AZ September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-15 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 dojN001837.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. 2002-01-15 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 30, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 December 30, 2001 Dear Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the September 11th tragedy, including the children and families of gay and lesbian Americans who perished. That you recognize the sanctity and legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families as you make these crucial decisions is imperative. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is largely unavailable, these families often find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove the legitimacy of their union. Both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. Our United States Department of Justice must follow suit. As an American, I ask you to keep in mind the gay and lesbian citizens who serve heroically as police, firefighters, soldiers, medical personnel and in other critical occupations. We also must keep in mind the gay and lesbian Americans who donated to the compensation fund trusting that their gift would be distributed without prejudice. It would be unconscionable to dispense their monies while denying the legitimacy, worth and humanity of other gay and lesbian Americans. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Middleboro, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-30 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 dojN002620.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. 2001-12-30 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. Message: Additional comments Congressman Sununu has received on The Interim Final Rule implementing PL 107-42 Dear Mr. Sununu, My friend, , died in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. I am writing to express my serious concerns and objections to the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund." The airline bailout act gave the airlines 315 billion in cash and loan guarantees and capped the airlines' liability for the September 11 crashes at the limits of their insurance coverage. Because of this cap, the damages caused by the crashes greatly exceeds the private fund available to compensate victims and their families. Thus, for the vast majority of victims and families, the cap has the effect of eliminating the right that they would otherwise have to sue the airlines. Congress set up the fund to ensure that the airline bailout would not come at the expense of the victims' families. The act mandates full and fair compensation to victims and their families for their actual economic and non-economic damages. DOJ has ignored this mandate and instead has written arbitrary regulations that will result in compensation levels far below the losses actually suffered by the victims and their families. In fact many families' total compensation from the fund and all collateral sources combined will not even fully replace lost income. In effect, these families will not receive any of the non-economic compensation required by the statue. After collateral sources are deducted, as required by the statute, some families would receive nothing from the fund under the interim final regulations. DOJ's formula allows for non-economic awards at only one tenth the level paid incomparable cases, even though Congress explicitly enumerated a broader range of non-economic damages than could be recovered in any single jurisdiction. DOJ's formula for non-economic damages is $250,000 for the person killed and 50,000 for the spouse and each dependent. In a wide variety of air crash and terrorism cases, however, judges, juries and mediators commonly have provided non-economic damage awards well into the seven figure range. Independent economists have found serious flaws in DOJ's method of calculating economic damages, including use of outdated and inapplicable worklife and life-cycle earnings data. DOJ greatly underestimates promotions and other increases in earnings for victims. It relies on civil service and military retirement system actuarial data that track federal worker incomes and pension requirements, not the higher-paying private sector career paths followed by the vast majority of victims. The interim final regulations also arbitrarily cap a victim's income at $231,000 a year. Combined with the faulty methodology described above, the income cap would result in some families receiving compensation far less than 25% of their actual economic losses. Under DOJ's rules, a family's award may be increased above the "presumptive" award only by a showing of "extraordinary circumstances" - beyond those suffered by other victims or victims' families. This high burden of proof makes a charade of the right to a hearing provided by the statute. DOJ should fulfill the act's intent by revising the rules to compensate victims and their families for the types of damages specified by Congress, at levels comparable to those provided in the court system the fund was designed to replace. While the DOJ has shown flexibility on some aspects of the rules, it is resisting the victims and families requests for significant changes. If the proposed regulations are not changed significantly, victims widows will have to sell their homes deplete their children's college funds, and give up their plans of being full-time parents while their children are young. Many families, anticipating little relief from the fund will decide to sue the airlines and others, despite the handicap of the liability limits. We do not believe these are the outcomes Congress intended. Please contact Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg and tell them of your concern that the interim final regulations fail to conform to the language and intent of the act. With the regulations soon to become final, I believe that only the swift and strong support of Congress can avert unnecessary financial and emotional damage. Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention. Sincerely, Individual Comment Merrimack, NH January 18, 2001 Congressman John Sununu Dear Congressman Sununu, My sister's husband , and father of two little girls was aboard American Airlines flight 11 when it slammed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I am writing to express my serious concerns and objections to the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) "Interim Final Regulations Governing Payments Under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund." The airline bailout act gave the airlines $15 billion in cash and loan guarantees and capped the airlines' liability for the September 11 crashes at the limits of their insurance coverage. Because of this cap, the damages caused by the crashes greatly exceeds the private fund available to compensate victims and their families. Thus, for the vast majority of victims and families, the cap has the effect of eliminating the right that they would otherwise have to sue the airlines. Congress set up the fund to ensure that the airline bailout would not come at the expense of the victims' families. The act mandates full and fair compensation to victims and their families for their actual economic and non- economic damages. DOJ has ignored this mandate and instead has written arbitrary regulations that will result in compensation levels far below the losses actually suffered by the victims and their families. In fact many families' total compensation from the fund and all collateral sources combined will not even fully replace lost income. In effect, these families will not receive any of the non-economic compensation required by the statue. After collateral sources are deducted, as required by the statute, some families would receive nothing from the fund under the interim final regulations. DOJ's formula allows for non-economic awards at only one tenth the level paid in comparable cases, even though Congress explicitly enumerated a broader range of non- economic damages than could be recovered in any single jurisdiction. DOJ's formula for non-economic damages is $250,000 for the person killed and 50,000 for the spouse and each dependent. In a wide variety of air crash and terrorism cases, however, judges, juries and mediators commonly have provided non-economic damage awards well into the seven figure range. Independent economists have found serious flaws in DOJ's method of calculating economic damages, including use of outdated and inapplicable worklife and life-cycle earnings data. DOJ greatly underestimates promotions and other increases in earnings for victims. It relies on civil service and military retirement system actuarial data that track federal worker incomes and pension requirements, not the higher-paying private sector career paths followed by the vast majority of victims. The interim final regulations also arbitrarily cap a victim's income at $231,000 a year. Combined with the faulty methodology described above, the income cap would result in some families receiving compensation far less than 25% of their actual economic losses. Under DOJ's rules, a family's award may be increased above the "presumptive" award only by a showing of "extraordinary circumstances" - beyond those suffered by other victims or victims' families. This high burden of proof makes a charade of the right to a hearing provided by the statute. DOJ should fulfill the act's intent by revising the rules to compensate victims and their families for the types of damages specified by Congress, at levels comparable to those provide in the court system the fund was designed to replace. While the DOJ has shown flexibility on some aspects of the rules, it is resisting the victims and families requests for significant changes. If the imposed regulations are not changed significantly, victims widows will have to sell their homes deplete their children's college funds, and give up their plans of being full-time parents while their children are young. Many families, anticipating little relief from the fund will decide to sue the airlines and others, despite the handicap of the liability limits. We do not believe these are the outcomes Congress intended. Please contact Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg and tell them of your concern that the interim final regulations fail to conform to the language and intent of the act. With the regulations soon to become final, I believe that only the swift and strong support of Congress can avert unnecessary financial and emotional damage. Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention. Sincerely, Individual Comment Hudson, NH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojP000115.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. 2001-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 18, 2001 11:49 PM Equal rights for all surviving 9-11 victims December 18, 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 York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002559.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18