US flies the flag on 'core values' stamp

The US Postal Service has unveiled a 34c stamp displaying the American flag and the phrase United We Stand to symbolise unity and patriotism after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

"The stamp is a ballot for freedom," Postmaster-General John Potter said at post office headquarters in Washington before the stamp was unveiled yesterday.

"Every time we use this stamp, we remind ourselves, and others, that freedom and unity are core values and are unshakeable."

The stamp will go on sale next month. A Postal Service official said it would have an initial press run of 750 million. Several billion stamps would be printed over the next year.

Patriotic stamps, including Uncle Sam, the first moon landing, the Statue of Liberty, and those with images of the flag, have long been American favourites.

Within days of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the post office was besieged with public requests for an American flag stamp.

"We've already got some anecdotal evidence that people who go to the post office are looking for stamps that have a flag," a Postal Service official said.

"The majority of people who would ask for a certain design on a stamp would say the flag."

The Postal Service, like many American businesses, including airlines and hotels, was severely affected by the Federal Aviation Administration's temporary suspension of air traffic.

Mr Potter told his board yesterday that the agency had lost between $US400 million ($979 million) and $US500 million in revenue during the past three weeks as mail volume dropped nearly 1 billion pieces below forecast.

The US Senate has passed legislation for a 45c commemorative fundraising stamp in a bill introduced by Hillary Clinton, the Democrat Senator for New York and wife of former President Bill Clinton.

Eleven cents of the stamp's cost will go to a relief fund created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help families of rescue workers who died during the attacks.

- REUTERS

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