967 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. 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 Saint Paul, Minnesota 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 dojA005496.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, March 13, 2002 7:48 PM Dear Kenneth Feinberg: Words almost fail me in trying to respond to your judgement of whether and the other gay and lesbian heroes of 9/11 should be treated the same as others, including the illegal aliens you are so kindly brushing aside U.S. law to accomodate. Your comments on "Meet The Press" illustrate without question that you do not deserve your position on the 911 fund. You are an insult to heroism. This is the only thing I can say: if you ever run for office, or are up for any future appointment, I will dedicate myself politically to opposing you. No one in their right mind supports a spineless bigot. Individual Comment 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 dojR000689.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. Friday, January 18, 2002 5:10 PM Comments of NYS Trial Lawyers Assn on 9/11 Fund January 19, 2002 Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Ashcroft: We submit these comments to you on the Interim Regulations for implementation of the "September 11th Victim Compensation Fund" (Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, Public Law 107-42) on behalf of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). The Fund was established as an alternative to bringing a civil action against any parties (other than the terrorists who perpetrated this crime) whose negligent conduct may have resulted in the failure to prevent this crime or may have worsened the harms that occurred. At NYSTLA, we are deeply and personally aware of the huge scale of the September 11th attack and its devastating effects. As we noted in our first set of comments, some members of NYSTLAs staff witnessed the World Trade Center attack and were near the towers when the attacks occurred. When the towers collapsed, we opened our doors to people who were fleeing from the dark cloud of dust, shepherding them into our legal education classroom so that they could drink some water to help recover from the smoke and try to call their loved ones. Day after day thereafter, we watched the rescue and recovery workers returning to the site to carry out their difficult and often hazardous labors. We are deeply concerned for the plight of the families and rescue workers affected by this atrocity. We believe it is critical to ensure that this program provides the full relief contemplated by Congress and includes the full range of victims of the attack for whom Congress intended to provide this relief. As you know, NYSTLA has been at the forefront of an unprecedented pro bono effort to help September 11th victims and their families. We have been working closely with the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) to make sure that any eligible person who is considering making a claim under the Fund has access to skilled, experienced, free counsel to provide advice regarding whether or not the Fund is that persons best option and free legal representation in bringing a claim under the Fund if that is the persons choice. All attorneys volunteering for this work meet strict qualifications for experience and training and have pledged not to represent any September 11th victim for a fee either in a claim against the Fund or in any lawsuit. These new comments again focus on two key questions: who is covered by the Fund, and how compensation will be determined. WHO IS COVERED BY THE FUND At the outset, we would like to express concern that the Interim Regulations and Eligibility Form require any individual who submits an eligibility form requesting advance payment to waive his or her right to bring a civil action -- before the Special Master has even determined that the person is eligible for the Fund. The statute requires such a waiver only for those claimants who apply to the fund. An eligibility form is not an application, and it is entirely unfair to require people to waive their civil justice rights even if they are found to be ineligible. This leaves the injured person with no remedy at all. We urge the Department to revise its Interim Regulations to establish that a persons civil justice rights are not waived until the person is found eligible. We also urge the Department of Justice to revise its Interim Regulations to ensure that the Fund covers: (1) all of the people who were physically injured as a result of the destructive force of the plane crashes and the collapse of the towers, and (2) the rescue and recovery workers who were injured while carrying out their heroic and difficult work. We believe that Congress intended that the Fund would cover all people who were physically injured or killed as a result of the terrorist attack. (1) Coverage of the People Who Were Outside the Towers We are pleased that the definition of "present at" includes "any area contiguous to the crash sites that the Special Master determines was sufficiently close to the site that there was a demonstrable risk of physical harm" (Section 104.2[e]). As we noted in our prior comments, because the towers were so extraordinarily tall and because the planes hit with such extreme force, the impact of debris was much more widespread than one might ordinarily assume. This definition is reasonable and appropriate. (2) Coverage of People Who Were Physically Injured Unfortunately, the Interim Regulations define "physical harm" so unreasonably that people who suffered injury may be denied relief, contrary to the plain intent of Congress. Under Section 104.2(c) of the Interim Regulations, no injured person is eligible for compensation unless the person was treated by a medical professional within 24 hours of injury or rescue. This arbitrary definition could exclude people for several reasons: - People who suffered injury may have been too concerned about the safety of their children to seek medical care for themselves, and may have gone home or to their childs school to ensure that their children were safe, putting off their own necessary medical care until the next day. - Others might simply have been in too much shock to recognize or cope with their own injury immediately. - Still others might not immediately have known that they were injured. Some medical conditions -- such as brain injuries, herniated discs and compression fractures -- may not become apparent for weeks after the injury itself occurred. Section 104.2(c) of the Interim Regulations further require that the injured person must have been hospitalized as an in-patient for at lest 24-hours, or else have suffered temporary or permanent partial or total physical disability, incapacity or disfigurement. Both requirements are inappropriate. The requirement of 24-hour hospitalization is unrealistic and out-dated, because: - many conditions today are no longer treated in hospitals but in doctors offices, clinics or other facilities; - hospitals today send people home within a few hours even after performing surgery; and - on September 11th, many hospitals were trying to clear beds in the tragically mistaken belief that they would be flooded with injured people (instead, most of the people who did not escape injury died). Unfortunately, the alternative requirement of disability, incapacity or disfigurement fails to make this Interim Regulatory provision reasonable because it is too narrow. People can suffer physical injuries that are extremely painful without being disabled, incapacitated or disfigured. It would be harsh, unfair and contrary to the intent of Congress to deny such people compensation under the Fund. The requirement that the physical injury "must be verified by contemporaneous medical records created by or at the direction of the medical professional who provided the medical care" (Sections 104.2[c][2] and 104.21[3][iv]) is unfair and unrealistic, especially under the conditions of crisis that existed on September 11th and 12th. (3) Coverage of the Rescue and Recovery Workers The statute covers those injured during the attack and in the "immediate aftermath." We all know that immediately after the attack, heroic and seemingly tireless ironworkers, firefighters, and other rescue and recovery workers rushed to the site to try to recover any surviving victims or, for the peace of mind of the bereaved families, the bodies of loved ones. This work, tragically, took much longer than most of us probably expected, in part because the site remained so hazardous for such a long period. It was, reportedly, the longest burning building in American history. Until only just a few weeks ago, the site was still hot and smoldering. The people who continued, with truly inspiring dedication, to perform that heart-breaking recovery work must not be left without compensation for harm that they suffer while performing this hazardous yet necessary task. Unfortunately, Section 104.2(b) of the regulations defines "immediate aftermath" to terminate just 96 hours after the crashes. We believe that Congress intended to include the courageous and dedicated rescue and recovery workers within the scope of the Fund. Given that Congress limited the liability of the City for injuries related to the September 11th attack, it is especially critical that the rescue works be covered by the Fund for their injuries. Our country should not abandon these heroes. HOW THE SPECIAL MASTER WILL DETERMINE COMPENSATION AND THE SCOPE OF HARMS TO BE ADDRESSED Congress clearly intended that this Fund for the victims of the September 11th attack and their families be a positive alternative to a civil action. The regulations therefore should not establish any "one-size-fits-all" list of damages. Each claimant should be treated as an individual. Those who bring claims under the Fund give up their right to access Americas judicial system to hold accountable those who failed to take reasonable (and indeed, in some instances, quite obvious) measures to help prevent those attacks; they should not be asked to give up the right to be treated as individuals in determining how they were harmed by this terrible event. The following comments address the provisions that establish how compensation will be calculated. (1) The Presumed Compensation for Noneconomic Damages Is Very Inadequate "Non-economic" damages compensate for real-life harm such as having to live with the loss of a limb, permanent disability, or disfigurement, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and grief. The plan to limit such compensation in most cases to a mere $250,000, for injured victims, would be unfair to those who are suffering the most. It is especially inadequate to compensation a person who has suffered a permanent physical disability, or an injury that will cause pain and discomfort for many years to come. Such devastating harm should not be minimized. This planned limit also is terribly unfair to the bereaved families. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, family members who are bereaved as a result of a crime rather than, for example, a death caused by a medical condition, generally suffer a broader range of emotional reactions and also remain in grief for a longer period. The families who are bereaved because of the September 11th terrorist attack have suffered a great emotional loss, compounded by the shock of having been victimized by the most terrible crime in our countrys history. These bereaved families also will be faced with repeated and often graphic visual reminders of the horrifying events of September 11th for many years to come, as this day lives on in our countrys memory and in the news media. The amount suggested as compensation to these people is completely unjust and disrespectful. As a matter of basic fairness, it is simply unreasonable to pay large economic compensation to high-earners families and low economic compensation to families of seniors or low income victims, while failing to recognize that all of them have suffered a great emotional loss. In the case of a deceased parent, moreover, limiting non-economic damages to $250,000 and $50,000 for each dependent fails to acknowledge the vital role of the parent in providing years of guidance, love and care to the child. (2) Subrogation We agree that the regulations should make it clear that any source of funds for which there is a right of subrogation not be subtracted from the damages award (Section 104.63). Otherwise, there is a danger that families could, in effect, lose that money twice -- once when the Special Master subtracts it from the award and again when a party exercises the right of subrogation to "recover" the amount from the victim or victims family. (3) Life Insurance Premiums Should Be Deducted from Life Insurance Award Life insurance, while included as a collateral source under the statute, is a privately contracted benefit for which the deceased person or the persons spouse may have paid many years of premiums. We do not believe that it was Congresss intent to penalize people for being responsible in providing for their families by, in effect, causing them to lose their premiums twice. Unfortunately, § 104.47(a) of the Interim Regulations does not yet take this concern into account. The premium payments should be deducted from the total insurance award to reflect the actual net benefit that the victims family received in order to determine the true amount of the insurance benefit before it is deducted from the compensation award. (4) Need to Clarify How Collateral Sources Will Be Deducted Only collateral sources that correspond to a particular item of damages recoverable under the Fund should be deducted, and each collateral source should be deducted only from the amount of that corresponding item of damages. Also, only future collateral sources to which the victim or personal representative has an enforceable vested or contractual right should be considered for deduction. These are general principles of common law that have been the subject of a well-developed body of case law in New York. The Interim Regulations, unfortunately, fail to state how collateral sources will be deducted. If the Fund treats collateral sources in a way that runs counter to the common law principles stated above, it will fail to carry out the intent of Congress that the Fund be a viable and attractive alternative to bringing civil actions. We therefore urge amendment of the Regulations to incorporate those principles. (5) Charitable gifts We agree that charitable gifts should not be designated as collateral sources and subtracted from the amounts granted by the Fund (Section 104.47[b][2]). Congress listed very specifically, within the statute itself, what sources would be considered collateral sources for the purposes of the Fund. At the time that they established this Fund, the members of Congress were well aware that people throughout the country were making substantial charitable contributions to help the families affected by the September 11th attack. If Congress had intended to include charities as a collateral source, it most certainly would have done so. (6) Need to Compensate for Long-term Injuries Not Yet Discovered No one yet knows what the long-term consequences will be for people who were affected by the September 11th attack. Physical injuries that have already surfaced may develop unforeseen complications. Also, people may have been exposed to harmful levels of toxic chemicals and may suffer health consequences from that exposure many years from now. The two-year deadline for submitting claims to the Fund not only is a full year shorter than the statute of limitations for most injury claims in New York State, but also is completely unreasonable if the regulations fail to allow a date-of-discovery rule, especially for toxic-substance-related injuries (such as exists under New York State law). Since the statute is intended to create a sufficient alternative to civil actions so that people will choose to access the Fund rather than bring their claim in court, the regulations will not carry out Congresss intent unless they include a "reopener" to address long-term harms that have not yet become manifest and thus, through no fault of the person bringing the claim, could not have been raised during the two years immediately following the attack. (7) Need for Oversight of Hearing Officers Decisions As a final point, we are very concerned that the Interim Regulations do not provide the Special Master with the practical and necessary authority to supervise properly the implementation of the Fund. In particular, Section 104.31should provide that: (1) Decisions of the hearing officers be subject to review by the Special Master on request by the victim or the victims personal representative; this is particularly critical because the hearing officers decisions cannot be appealed to a court even if they are inconsistent with the regulations or the statute; and, (2) The regulations should also clarify that the decisions of the hearing officers must be set forth in writing and must provide a reasoned elaboration of the decision, and a detailed explanation of the specific items included in the award and any collateral source deductions. Provisions establishing the right of review of hearing officer decisions and requiring a reasoned elaboration of the decision are essential to ensure accountability and consistency in the interpretation of the provisions of the statute and also to foster public confidence in the process. As a final note, the Interim Regulations should be revised to ensure that the information provided by undocumented aliens who were injured or bereaved by the terrorist attacks is not used against them by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) or other government agencies. It is critical to establish strict protocol to ensure that information about such victims applying to the Fund as a result of the terrorist attack is not shared by the Department of Justice or obtained and used by the INS. We thank you for your consideration of these comments and look forward to participating as volunteers in the implementation of this important Fund for the benefit of the September 11th victims and their families. With sincere regards, Comment by: New York State Trial Lawyers Association 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 dojN002008.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. Saturday, March 16, 2002 7:02 PM Exclusion of Gay Partners from Victim Compensation Fund I am disturbed to learn that the Victims' Compensation Fund is excluding gay partners/"significant others" from compensation. How can such a decision be justified when the Fund is compensating many others with even less of a claim of right to the funds such as aliens who are in this country illegally and unborn fetuses? Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001188.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. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 1:13 PM Equal Compensation for Gay Partners I am outraged to learn that gay and lesbian partners of 9/11 victims will not receive the same compensation as other victims because their state laws may not allow it. How is it that illegial aliens can be given special consideration, but the US Government will not give the same consideration to law-abiding American citizens who happen to be gay or lesbian? Please send me a clarification of how the issue of compensation for gay and lesbian victims will be addressed. Thanks for your assistance. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Individual Comment Miami, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 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 dojR000438.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. 2002-03-12 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 Mandeville,LA 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 dojA004697.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, December 04, 2001 9:51 PM Compensate ALL families, even non-traditional ones 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." Because my extended family includes a committed lesbian couple, who are co-parents to a beautiful little boy who was planned for and concieved within the committed family they created, this is an especially important issue for me. And, as a School Counselor and Psychologist, I am well aware that many other families face these issues that complicate the outcome of tragic situations such as occurred on Sept. 11th. 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 Arcata, CA 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 dojA000590.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 7:02 PM Applying human rights standards 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 Boulder, CO 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 dojA003737.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, March 19, 2002 7:56 PM Gay Victim compensation Why is it that Gays can rescue those to be rescued, put out the burning building, dig through the rubble - and DIE in service to others??? Because we are people - people that care !!! The exclusion from victim compensation of Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partners is an outrage !!!! If one can document their partnership by a Will or co-ownership of property - then they too deserve to be compensated. This sounds like nothing more than PREJUDICE !!! Individual Comment Gloucester County NJ 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 dojR002258.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. Monday, April 01, 2002 9:50 PM Unborn Victims Of 9-11 Support the Unborn Victims of 9-11! Dear Attorney General Ashcroft: First, I want to congratulate you on the way you have responded to the 9-11 terrorist attack upon our nation. You have obviously assembled a highly skilled and dedicated team in the Justice Department. We are praying for you and those in DOJ who are working so hard on our behalf during this time of national tragedy. I am aware that 18 Congressmen have recently written a letter to you asking that you include unborn babies who died in the 9-11 attack as "victims" whose surviving family members are eligible for help under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001" that is part of Public Law 107-42. You're already familiar with the story of who died with her unborn child on United Flight 93. 's husband suffered not just the loss of his wife, but of their first child during that terrible crash. Their unborn baby should be considered just as much a victim of 9-11 as and those who died in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. As you prepare regulations on implementing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001," please make sure that you add "unborn children" to the list of victims whose survivors are eligible for assistance. Thank you again for taking such an aggressive leadership role during this time of war and national instability. Our prayers are with you! Individual Comment Leavenworth, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-04-01 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 dojR002942.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. 2002-04-01 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 28, 2002 4:08 PM Compensation for gay/lesbian partners/caregivers To whom it may concern, I fully support equitable compensation for domestic partners and caregivers of gay and lesbian victims of 9/11. To not do so would be ludicrous, and in my opinion a great civil injustice. I cannot support and will avidly campaign against any elected officials who would discriminate in this way. Individual Comment West Hollywood, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-28 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 dojR002800.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. 2002-03-28 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. Monday, March 18, 2002 7:23 PM Benefits to victims of 9/11 Dear Sirs and Madams: I am outraged that gay and lesbian partners of those who died on September 11 are not automatically going to receive the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. Illegal aliens will receive benefits! So, I don't understand why American citizens who gave their lives for the country would not. Please reconsider your decision, let's not hurt or alienate any more people! GIVE ALL LOVED ONES WHO ARE COMMITTED TO EACH OTHER "SURVIVOR BENEFITS" PLEASE!!! Individual Comment W.Hollywood, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR001835.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, March 24, 2002 3:56 PM 9/11 Victims Fund to excluded gays & lesbians? Can this be true? We sent $500 to the fund. We did so without any discriminating thoughts as to how and to whom it would be disbursed. It never occurred to me that gays and lesbians would be treated as if their sorrow or loss was any loss than that of a heterosexual. If this is the case, we want our money back! Please advise. Sincerely, Individual Comment Los Angeles, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-24 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 dojR002706.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. 2002-03-24 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. Sunday, March 17, 2002 5:26 PM "9/11 Fund To Discriminate Against Gays" To Whom it May Concern, "In an appearance on the Sunday, March 10 broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg, the head of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (a fund created by Congress and run by the Department of Justice), said that gay partners of the heroes of September 11th will not necessarily be eligible for the same compensation as heterosexual family members who lost their loved ones." Commentary by If the facts are accurate as stated in the commentary that is referred to above, and that gays and lesbians will be once again marginalized and discriminated against, it is truly a sad reality that even in response to 9/11, our North American society cannot rise above the crowd and do what is right. One can only hope that you and others within your organization and within the American government have the courage to go beyond hatred and prejudice -- to truly show love, understanding, and acceptance. For all members of society - young and old - that look to you to set an example and to do what is right, I pray that you will find a way to include gays and lesbians and to treat them equally and justly. A wonderful editorial ran in our small local newspaper this week. The editor's comments started with this statement: "...Hate is evil and destructive; love is good and constructive..." When her five year old, in response to an episode of Simpsons, said "Boys can only love girls and marry girls, right momma. And boys can't love boys, and boys can't marry boys..." the mom at first thought that it was too complicated to explain to him that he wasn't right. In the end it turned out it wasn't really a complicated subject at all. Upset with her initial response to him, she revisited the situation with him and explained to her son that "...men can love men and they can live together like husband and wife. And women can love women and they can live together like they're married. Usually it's men and women who fall in love with each other and get married but it doesn't have to be. And that's just the way it is." THIS MOTHER REALIZED SHE DIDN'T NEED TO SEW THE SEEDS OF PREJUDICE IN HER CHILD. It's now that you must show that love is good and constructive, unlike the hatred that caused the evil and destruction of 9/11. Help put an end to discrimination of gays and lesbians! Help stop hatred! Find a way to honour ALL of your heroes! Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-17 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 dojR001670.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. 2002-03-17 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. Friday, December 21, 2001 1:28 PM Support equal access to crisis relief benefits December 21, 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 Holbrook, MA 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 dojN000504.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 10:57 PM I Support Equal Acces to Crisis Relief Befefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners of 9-11 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 Appleton, WI 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 dojA003885.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. Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515 January 16, 2002 Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20350 Dear Mr. Zwick, Re: "September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001" P.L. 107-42 In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of September 11th upon our nation, Congress enacted the above referenced legislation to compensate the relatives, of the victims of that brutal attack. As elected representatives of many of those relatives, it is our firm belie that the interim rules issued by the Special Master on December 20th fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation which we enacted. The legislation authorized payment for economic and non-economic loss. Economic loss was defined as "any pecuniary loss... including the loss of earnings.. to the extent recovery for such loss is allowed under applicable State law." (Sec.402(5)). Non-economic loss was defined to include among other things "physical and emotional pain, suffering...mental anguish..and loss of consortium." (Sec. 402(7)). The sole offsets to the payment for economic and non-economic loss were the "collateral sources" specified in Sec 402(4). These included "life insurance, pension funds... and payments by Federal State or local governments related to the attacks of September 11th." These were clearly intended to be the only offsets. In his proposed rules, however, the Special Master has imposed offsets which are in no way authorized by the statute. Specifically, he imposes arbitrary income limits and restricts pain and suffering awards to $250,000 - no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering may have been. The practical effect of these caps is to drastically reduce the award from what the statute intended. Relatives of the victims who were in the financial services sector or in the public service sector-such as police officers and firefighters-will suffer a particularly adverse effect. This is not only contrary to the legislation but also entirely unfair. The financial services victims were killed precisely because of the jobs they held. They personified American business and commerce. That is why they worked in the World Trade Center and that is why our enemies targeted them. The police and firefighters were killed carrying out the most successful rescue operation in the history of the United States. It is bad enough that these good people were victimized by bin Laden. We cannot allow their relatives to be victimized again. As Mayor Giulliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the people who did die... Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and in every other way that we can help and assist their families... There should be no compromise about that ever..." The Victims Compensation Fund was created as a part of a comprehensive legislative package which bailed out the airline industry and imposed restrictions on the right of the victims' relatives to recover from the airlines in court. The Fund was established to protect the rights of the victims' relatives. The Special Master cannot take it on himself to restrict those rights. Additionally, at the time the legislation was enacted, the amount of fatalities was expected to be between 6,000 and 10,000. The final number will be less than 3,500. This will result in a significant reduction in the expected expenditures and makes the Special Master's arbitrary economies even less defensible. We request therefore that the interim rules be amended and redefined to the extent that income caps be removed when computing economic loss and that each victim's case be addressed separately when computing the non-economic loss attributable to pain and suffering. Justice demands no less. Sincerely Peter King Vito Fossella John Sweeney Steve Israel Joseph Crowley Carolyn Maloney Ben Gilman Marge Roukema Jose Serrano Eliot Engel Major Owens Ed Towns Felix Grucci Carolyn McCarthy Chris Smith Gary Ackerman List of Signatures 1.Peter King(R-NY) 2.Vito Fossella(R-NY) 3.John Sweeney(R-NY) 4.Steve Israel(D-NY) 5.Joseph Crowley(D-NY) 6.Carolyn Maloney(D-NY) 7.Ben Gilman(R-NY) 8.Marge Roukema(R-NJ) 9.Jose Serrano(D-NY) 10.Eliot Engel(D-NY) 11.Major Owens(D-NY) 12.Ed Towns(D-NY) 13.Felix Grucci(R-NY) 14.Carolyn McCarthy(D-NY) 15.Chris Smith (R-NJ) 16.Gary Ackerman(D-NY) September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-16 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 dojN002425.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. 2002-01-16 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. 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 Washington, DC 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 dojA001816.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. Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 1:26 PM 9/11 Fund To Discriminate Against Gays This discrimination is despicable. Thank you! Individual Comment 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 dojR000118.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 12:45 PM Equality in Relief Funds December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, As you consider rules for administering the 911 Victims Relief fund, I urge 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. Sincerely, Individual Comment Seattle, WA 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 dojA005471.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