It seems like a simple motif for postage stamps: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, Justice Forever. So why was I so surprised when I opened a new roll of stamps and saw them? I suppose I expected wildflowers, famous Americans or Hawaiian shirts like the post card stamps.
What I saw was America distilled down to four words that we all cherish, with the caveat of Forever. Yes, this was America. Perhaps not all of us feel the totality of each of those words in our lives today, but they are the promise that America holds.
How odd it was that those four little stamps, with those four little words could make pride and patriotism bubble up inside me. I believe in those words. I work for those words. I want my neighbors to have those words.
As we come into the 2012 election cycle these four little words with their big philosophical meanings will be used repeatedly by innumerable candidates. I will, and I must, respect that those words are as important to each of them as they are to me.
I placed each of those little stamps with a little more precision than I normally do on my letters. For some reason, I wanted each of those stamps to be prominent and carry forth the message that I believed in: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, Justice…Forever!
**Feel free to copy any of the stamp images if you want to use them as profile pictures as I have done on my twitter account @insuremekevin
