870 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. Friday, January 04, 2002 5:32 PM compensation fund I am sure the only comments that you receive are from the people like me. I lost my mother. I am forty years old. I have two children that are finally growing up at ages 12 and 15. I was just starting to be able to spend some quality time with my mother. We had plans of travelling together and doing things together that we had dreamed about for so many years while the kids were young. My mother was so much a part of my life. She was always there for me and loved to share advice. We lived 1 1/2 hours away from each other so we enjoyed every minute that we got to spend together. She always shared her love for crafts and volunteering with me. Something I was not yet able to do. She knew she always had a home to stay at whenever she wanted to visit with us or her friends that she had moved away from when she retired. After September 11 everyone's lives changed. I feel heartsick every day thinking about the families with small children who lost a parent. It is unbearable. But I feel alone too. My mother had so many years of life left to share with so many people. For the first time in her life she didn't always worry about money and where it would come from. She decided to start doing things that she wanted to do. My Dad is left alone. I am the closest one to him. My parents lived on a small mountain road where there are few neighbors. I take a day off work each week to drive up and visit him for the day. It is so hard for me to see him so sad and not caring about life. How can anyone say that my mothers life is not worth the same as the next persons. I most certainly agree that mothers at home with young children need to be compensated. But to give someone 3-6 million dollars and my Dad 300-400 thousand dollars is a big difference. Think of how we feel when you say my mother's life is not worth nearly what the next persons is. Please explain this to me. Daughter of , killed on American Airlines flight 11 from Boston Individual Comment Bedford, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-04 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 dojN001349.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. 2002-01-04 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:07 PM Fair Distribution of Benefits December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Ojai, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004494.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, January 11, 2002 8:08 PM I am American and my life as I knew ended on 9/11/01 Dear Sir, I need to start by thanking the NYS Crime Victim's Board, Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, various other charities and the American People who showed me understanding and kindness when I turned to them for help and guidance. These organizations recognized my needs and could throughly understand my GRIEF and LOSS over my PARTNER of nearly 20 years -- all you needed to do was to just to LOOK AT ME the times I had to visit Pier 94 in NY. Because of the monies given to me and with careful budgeting, I don't have to worry this new year about losing the house we shared and I am truly, truly grateful. I am worried and concerned that I, and other same-sex devoted partners in the interim regulations have as yet not been elevated to the APPROPRIATE and meaningful stature of "SPOUSE". If you understand, sympathize with AND want to take care of a husband who's lost a wife or a wife missing her husband - then you should understand, sympathize and want to take care of me and everyone else in my situation - there is NO DIFFERENCE. and I shared our love and lives together, we had made a conscientious CHOICE TO LIVE TOGETHER FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES and to take care of one another. How is it now RIGHT that because unlike some other countries we NEVER had the option to be LEGALLY recognized (as in marriage) I am not given the right and dignity of any other surviving spouse. My EMOTIONAL as well as financial loss is as great as is any "traditional" spouse's. I am calling upon YOU to change the rules and to CLEARLY ACKNOWLEDGE and AFFORD the SAME SPOUSAL RIGHTS to ALL same-sex and heterosexual couples who can demonstrate a loving and committed relationship. Put it clearly IN WRITING. If all of these aforementioned agencies and organizations can recognize and assist then how can you turn a "BLIND EYE" and NOT RECOGNIZE AND ASSIST. I can be reached at home anytime day or night as my life has been turned upside down and I have been unable to concentrate subsequently in danger of losing my job and losing my mind in tears of grief. I have AS YET to accept what I have lost, I do not really believe I will NEVER again see or talk with for the rest of my life. Can you conceptualize the true depth of what I am feeling...think back then to the loss of your beloved mother or father or perhaps your wife - BUT now just place them at 1WTC at 8:48AM September 11 and like me see the smoke rising over NYC then, LIVE as it is happening -- watch the entire event on TV as the Towers begin to crumble.... - I remembered I screamed out her name,.. !! !!! !!!! -- Now I just cry, and cry, and in-between tears I say, , , ! I would very much appreciate an actual response not the FORM letter response I have been sent in my previous email to this site. Thank you sincerely, Individual Comment New York September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-11 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 dojN001549.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. 2002-01-11 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. Friday, November 09, 2001 12:14 PM Comments regarding Compensation for families I lost my brother in the WTC attacks. Not only that, I witnessed the entire thing. Traumatized is a mild word describing my state. Let me list the things wrong with the Bill being considered by our Congress. First of all, is there any one in our Congress who lost someone to this hideous event? If not, they are not qualified for the job. So which Marshall is qualified? Since there is no other way the families can seek justice except by filing lawsuits and making the negligable parties pay monetary, that is what we, as Americans should have the right to. 1) How can the government say that there is one person who represents the family? There are many people suffering from this loss, not just a spouse, but how about their children and their parents and siblings? I personally don't want a red cent, but I want my sister-in-law and my parents to get what they deserve! 2) How can the government say that this one representative must sign an agreement to accept a settlement before even knowing what it is, and at the same time, giving up her and the entire family's right to sue? What genius decided that? Logically, they should be told what the settlement is at the time, and then she can choose to accept it or not? What's with game playing? The families aren't going through enough, so our government has to torture us more? Is that how it works in this country? 3) Is my mother and father not entitled to sue (for reasons of attaining revenge and justice, not to get rich) for their anquish of losing a son? 4) Since I, and millions of Americans fully understand that this attack was the fault of our U.S. government, the government should do what is right by the families so we can feel some sort of justice is done. Unfortunately, the way to seek revenge and justice is through making the responsible party pay in terms of money, since we cannot send someone to jail or punish those responsible in any way. In other words, we are helpless against a GIANT beaurocratic system that we have no control over. How do you think that feels? I'll tell you why people believe this is the fault of our government. The reasons are actually obvious but I'll spell them out anyway. a) Our CIA were asleep at the wheel. Where were they? b) Our government was so concerned about who Bill Clinton's affairs, that no one paid any attention to Homeland Security. Where was everyone? Why were people allowed to walk onto our planes with knives? Why are our airport workers who have the MOST important job as far as security goes, receiving minimum wage and have criminal records? c) Where were our intelligence overseas tracking these terrorists before? Or did we not know that al-Queda wasn't planning on an attack on Americans. The list goes on and on and truth is I'm already mentally exhausted. However, I, along with 5000 other families will muster up the energy to fight. We, the "lucky" ones, who have to endure this pain forever, will have to fight in some way, whether it's through the media or other ways. We will be heard. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-09 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 dojW000286.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. 2001-11-09 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 11, 2002 5:56 PM concerns over victim compensation fund Dear Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, I am writing to express my concerns over the victim's compensation fund. Based on the current format of the distribution of the funds myself and others will be receiving minimal or no compensation from the government. It appears the guidelines of the fund takes whatever possible measures to reduce the amount of compensation awarded to the victims' families.The fund designed to compensate the families of the victims, fails to take in an adequate account for non - economical losses. Many families of victims award's are off-set by the collateral sources reduction. If the total amount of collateral sources myself and others receive is greater than the total award for the economic losses than the award for non - economic loss which is understood to be 250,000 is deducted. This is where my great concern arises. I strongly urge you to increase the non - economic damages to 1 million for all families. This fund was designed to compensate families for economic losses as well as non -economic losses such as pain and suffering, money under the current format, I will not receive. Many families are not being compensated for pain and suffering and would rather turn to the courts to get a fair compensation for non economic losses such as the loss of the enjoyment of life. If the bill pays awards next to nothing for the families it is leaving them with no other choice than to pursue in a long drawn out case against the airlines to adequately compensate for pain and suffering, doing exactly what the bill was designed to prevent. If there was an increase in the award for non - economical losses to adequately compensate for pain and suffering it would please many families and save them a long process of litigation in the courts. In addition I believe that it is only fair and equitable that families have the right to be fully informed of their compensation prior to officially waving their right to litigate. Anything other is unjust and beneficial to the airlines and the government. Mr. Feinberg I truly thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. I thank your efforts and all your work pertaining to the compensation of the families of the victims. I hope you can realize the problems of the bill that limits many families of their proper reward and be able to make amendments that benefit the victims as opposed to the airlines. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-11 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 dojN001561.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. 2002-01-11 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 9:43 PM Equal Benefits for Gay 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. 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 Austin , TX 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 dojA003840.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. Tuesday, November 27, 2001 1:11 PM WTC Attack Dear Sir/Madame: Having lived about 100 yards from the WTC, being self-employed largely working from home, having my building closed for over a month, needing to relocate and the pain, suffering, loss of income, and other related 'fallout' from this attack, I hope may entitle me for consideration under the new government compensation fund being established. If you could provide me further information on this matter, it would be most greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your attention in this matter. Sincerely, Individual Comment Philadelphia, PA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-27 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 dojA000021.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. 2001-11-27 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 6:11 PM Equal access to benefits 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 Houston, TX 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 dojA003610.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. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:20 PM In Support of Equal Access to Crisis Relieft Benefits for Surving Gay and Lesbian Partners 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. I support 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 dojA002362.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 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 6:53 AM 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 East Elmhurst, NY 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 dojN000319.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. Sunday, December 23, 2001 3:10 AM New Vote.com votes as of 03:09 AM EST on December 23rd, 2001 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: 8 votes NO: 0 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-23 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 dojN001315.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. 2001-12-23 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, November 05, 2001 3:42 PM (no subject) My name is First, I think the Government is obligated to help those people and businesses who we effected by the September 11th incidents. While we are looking at this as an act of war, I think from a point of compensation, that we should look at it as an act of "God", as we would any other "natural" disaster. No one should be able to sue the airlines or the owners of the WTC. While all these lives were lost and buildings damaged within 20 minutes, many other Americans face the same chalanges dealing with like "probems" on a daily basis. How many American's die each year tragically, and have to adapt ?? I don't think we should loose sight. I think Insurance companies should pay their fair share as they would in a natural disaster. Here is what I think we should do. 1. Death: One lump sum payment, to be determined, based on a death certificate, and crossed checked against the offical victim register. Regardless of other benifets. 2. Injury: Don't distinguish between a broken arm and more serious injury. Let the insurance company's pay as they normally would. Pay the injured person all costs above insurance, so that it doesn't cost them any money. And a lump sum payment, say 25% of a death benifet. and/or use the insurance company "policies" as a guidline. IE: so much for the loss of one eye. 3. Lost Jobs: I don't think they should be compensated. There are other taxpayer benefits that these people would be entitled to, just like any other American. 4. Business relief: Just like any other natural disaster. I think the American people are helping directly by donating hundred of millions of dollars to the relief of the victims. The governments roll should be short and sweet and NOT create a bureaucracy that will go on for years to come. The hardest part is the magnitude of the 20 minutes. And we have to keep this problem in a proper perspective. It's not my goal to make anyone a millionaire, just to help. How this problem is handled will set the precedence for future "attacks" Respectfully Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-05 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 dojW000035.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. 2001-11-05 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, December 07, 2001 5:05 PM Compensation after 9/11 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice When the DOJ begins to compensate the victims and families of the Sept. 11 events, I hope that you will consider those who are partners of Gays and Lesbians, the same as you do for married men and women. No need to continue the discriminations of the past. No where does the constitution say we should discriminate! Gays and Lesbians are no different than Heterosexuals when it comes to losing loved ones with whom they share their daily lives. Follow the example of NY's Gov. Pataki. Individual Comment Oakland, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-07 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 dojA001310.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. 2001-12-07 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, December 24, 2001 12:33 AM Please Help Stop Discrimination December 24, 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 San Diego, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-24 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 dojN000753.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. 2001-12-24 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. 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 Alameda,CA 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 dojA004755.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. Comments in Response to Notice to Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking By the US Attorney General on September 11th Victim Assistance Fund Regulations Date: 11/26/01 From: Aviation Consumer Action Project (ACAP) Organizational description: ACAP is a nonprofit public organization founded in 1971 with several thousand contributor/members to act as a voice and ear for the pubic and air travelers on major aviation issues, particularly on issues of safety, security and consumer rights. A number of its members are air disaster family members. ACAP receives no funding from the airline industry or the government. ACAP has published and distributed consumer guides for air travelers, air crash victims and the 9/11 victims. General Comments: The rules should clarify the law and make it as simple as possible for claimants to obtain prompt, just recovery. The amount of recovery should be largely predictable within a range so victims can make an informed election of remedy choice between the no fault Fund and traditional civil lawsuits in negligence. Topics #1 and #2 The claim form should be comprehensive and detailed but use plain language as well as legal terms of art whenever possible. As the law in effect provides for claimant to receive amounts of various forms of compensatory damages, directions should provide detailed explanation of the various forms of losses, especially non-economic and business related losses (e.g. loss of consortium, pain and suffering loss of society, loss of future business opportunities). The sources of such explanation would include the legal encyclopedia Am Jur and Pattern Jury instructions from jurisdiction which provide for such benefits. Likewise, collateral sources should include a specific types included and excluded, with a definition of the phrase "amounts to be received or entitled to". Filing should normally be when the claim form is received, not when it is deemed complete by the Special Master. Rather a conference should be held or notice sent to the claimant as to any omissions or deficiencies. However, if the claimant contains insufficient information or documentation to determine whether the victim is an eligible claimant under the Fund, it should not be considered as filed if it is rejected for lack of information or documentation to determine eligibility. Crime victim compensation programs often provide for a two step procedure: (a) an initial Claim Form that asks only for basic information to determine eligibility for an award only, and (b) a very detailed Claimant Affidavit which is sent after a claim form has been accepted for filing. Topic #3 It is possible for hearings to be held on thousands of claim within 120 days and for a final decision to be rendered. Assuming 6,000 claims and a minimum for 10 hours for review hearing and decisions, this is 60,000 person hours in 86 business days, (120 calendar days) requiring about 100 to 150 hearing officers/claims examiners full time or probably triple that number if part time. Claimants should be allowed to waive or extend the 120 days rule within reason, but hearing officers should not be given general authority to do so or the 120 day time frame will quickly become an empty government promise. Hearing officers are necessary and should be experienced attorney, judges, or former or retired judges with experience in wrongful death and personal injury cases. Even if no hearing is held and decision is made on papers submitted, the person deciding the claim should have the same or similar qualifications. Proceedings should be recorded, held in a convenient location for the claimant if possible, enforcement of evidentiary requests should be provided for by DOJ, and video conferences or hearings should be allowed. No attorneys for DOJ should appear or participate in the proceedings, lest the no fault process quickly become adversarial. Topic #4 Economic experts should be allowed but a grid or standard tables should also be allowed in lieu of such experts. Professional fees should be non-contingency payable at the end of the case out of the award, assuming an award is made based on a presumptive or fixed hourly rate of $180 with an overall cap of 15%. Normally fees should be 3%-10% of the total award. This will avoid the usual complications. Another alternative would be to use the Social Security systems attorney fee system with a cap of 15%. "Physical harm" should be liberally defined as physical injury and should include mental injury if it requires professional treatment and/or medication for an extended period. The "serious injury" of no fault insurance statutes is not appropriate as the intent here is to follow and mimic the most generous common law compensatory damage remedies, not to carve out an exception to the common law for a particular class of less serious injuries. "Present at" should mean within the area of destruction (for the WTC generally south of Canal Street in Manhattan, or within the boundaries of the Pentagon property). All survivors should be notified including spouse, former spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, or other next of kin or immediate family members. The Special Master should designate the personal representative unless a surrogate or probate court or other court of competent jurisdiction has already done so. In cases of dispute as who should be the personal representative, the claim should proceed with the neutral third person appointed by the Special Master as temporary personal representative, unless all disputants agree that the claim should not proceed until the dispute is resolved by the courts. The distribution of awards among family members is normally the province of the probate and surrogate courts in wrongful death settlements. Here award decision as similar to special verdict damage awards should specify the amounts being awarded for each type of compensation claimed and if appropriate to which survivor. This will earmark and should avoid any disputes in the state courts as to distribution, especially for non-economic compensation such as loss of society or grief, and would also expedite any review. The rules should make it clear that the forms of compensation explicitly mentioned in the law are available to all claimants subject to proof of the loss, and that others not explicitly mentioned are available if the victim's home state or the home state of the survivors would allow them. Otherwise the restrictive New York wrongful death law which generally does not allow for loss of society or grief or other non-pecuniary damages except for pain and suffering of the decedent, could result in dramatically different awards in non-dependency cases depending on the residency of the victim and survivors and other esoteric conflict of law rules. Topic #6 Presumptive award schedules should be published as otherwise there is no rationale way for claimants to determine whether they should elect the Fund or a traditional lawsuit, at least until a range of awards has been decided in actual claims. Many victims would probably forgo a hearing and submit claims on papers if the presumptive awards appeared acceptable to them. Some victims will want a hearing and others will want to avoid a hearing. The claimants should have the choice. A presumptive award schedule is therefore appropriate. Under the NY Crime Victims Board scheme a Board Member makes an initial decision on a claim which becomes final after a short period unless the claimant or another Board Member disagrees, in which case a hearing is held. Here a similar procedure could be followed: No hearing unless requested by the claimant or hearing officer or the Special Master. Economic loss data should be published, and economic experts should be required to meet the usual expert witness criteria. Where future lost earnings are uncertain or vary variable the standard should be the average earnings for a worker in that field and location over the victims expected life, and based on decision by the Special Master as to where the victim would fall based on the best available evidence presented by the claimant on the victim's future earning prospects. Non-economic losses should be presumptive for various classes of victims and survivors, and also include a range. Collateral Sources Charitable cash and in kind assistance and scholarships are gifts (under income tax and other law), not collateral sources and would not be considered such under the common law of most jurisdictions. Where the Fund statute is in derogation of the common law on damages, it should be construed in favor of the claimant. In general collateral sources are only those things that the victim or survivors had a legal right to and actually received or are certain to receive in the future. It should also exclude sources that are means tested. As to insurance claims proceeds the cost of the insurance premiums over the life of the policy or its predecessors should be deducted from the proceeds received and any future added insurance premium costs (e.g. health insurance) considered an economic loss. Fraud Warnings for claimants on fraud are appropriate, but the incidents of fraud where the victim was killed or physically injured in crime situations is quite rare. Comment By: Aviation Consumer Action Project Washington, DC 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 dojA000243.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:12 AM Crisis Relief for All 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 Washington, DC 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 dojA002723.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 New Britain, CT 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 dojA003995.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. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 9:47 PM Very discriminatory-Mr. Zwick, you should be ousted out of office-You overlook the clear cut illegality of aliens but choose to follow discriminatory practices against gays. It, according to your interviews, is okay to overlook that illegal aliens are not legally legitimate here, don't pay taxes, etc. but you are worried about being inconsistent with state law. This is ridiculous and blatantly a selective enforcement of the law. Are you following all the laws or just picking and choosing based on your own agenda? Do you just have a soft political spot for illegal aliens? I have a six figure job (corp. director), am ivy educated and my tax dollars pay your salary and pay for this fund. I want partners of gays to be treated the same way others have experienced a loss. Illegal aliens DON'T pay taxes and don't belong here-how could you prioritize them over partners of taxpaying gay partners. This is atrocious and I am outraged. Kenneth, you will be remembered in history for this. Most people, gay or straight, have a sense of right and wrong and fairness. This would have been your opportunity to show fairness, integrity and courage. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002278.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Thursday, December 20, 2001 6:02 PM Subject: your assistance is urgently needed December 20, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination. I wish to express my 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 Madison, WI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000069.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-20