In 2011, the U.S. Post Office issued a new Statue of Liberty stamp honoring the 125th Anniversary of the American symbol, which was dedicated on October 28, 1886. But the stamp’s image was not of the landmark in New York harbor. Instead, the stamp mistakenly featured a replica statue from the New York-New York Casino, which opened a little more recently in 1997 in Las Vegas.
The Statue Mix-Up
The real Statue of Liberty and the casino statue are similar. But there are some small differences between the two, including the eyes.
The Post Office subsequently reevaluated its stamp selection process, but it stuck with the Las Vegas statue. One representative said they like the stamp. The rep claimed they still would have selected this picture even if they knew it was not the real statue. Somehow, I doubt that is true. The Post Office would look worse if it intentionally selected the wrong statue for the tribute.
I was not too upset about the mix-up. It still is a nice looking stamp and nice tribute, although the error is funny. We do wish to assure Chimesfreedom readers, though, that the statue we sometimes use to promote this website is the real deal. Our new motto: “Chimesfreedom: More Authentic than the U.S. Post Office.”
The Grateful Dead’s “Liberty”
Below is something else that is the real deal. The Grateful Dead singing “Liberty,” with words by Robert Hunter and music by Jerry Garcia. “Ooo, freedom / Ooo, liberty / Ooo, leave me alone / To find my own way home.”
Like the U.S. Post Office stamp, the Grateful Dead song also indirectly raises some questions about authenticity. There is nothing wrong with the song, but such questions come up in relation to a quote connected to the song.
Walt Whitman in the Liner Notes
In David Dodd’s Annotated Grateful Dead, he wrote that in the original release of the song “Liberty,” Robert Hunter included the following alleged quote from Walt Whitman in the liner notes: “We must all be foolish at times. / It is one of the conditions of liberty.”
The Whitman quote pops up in several places around the Internet. But nobody lists the original source.
From what I can find, the quote appears in an April 21, 1888 letter from Whitman, which is included in With Walt Whitman in Camden, Volume 1, by Horace Traubel, Sculley Bradley, and Gertrude Traubel. In that letter, Whitman used the words in a parenthetical discussing another person.
Whitman’s actual language differs slightly from the Dead liner notes version, making foolishness “the one” condition instead of “one of” the conditions. Whitman really wrote, “[W]e must all be foolish at times — it is the one condition of liberty.”
Interestingly, it seems the incorrect Grateful Dead version of the quote has spread more than the correct Whitman version, with the incorrect version appearing in various valedictorian speeches posted online. Even the best of us make mistakes.
I am sure that somewhere Old Walt is smiling at the foolish mistake made by the Post Office. Me too. Have a good day.
Do you think it is a problem that the Post Office used the wrong Lady Liberty? Leave a comment.
(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)
Not wrong- Perhaps creative inspiration? Or both. The post office is operated by people and people make mistakes. Not unlikely 🙂
Possibly, and the stamp still looks great, so nobody really loses out. Thanks for the comment.