Question About the Flag Postage Stamps (Is It Okay If I...)

[GiovanniC]

Okay, you know those self-adhesive postage stamps featuring the flag on them? Those are the only kinds I ever get around here, which is fine by me. But today, while addressing and stamping my tax return, I accidentally (Freudian slip?) put the flag stamp on the envelope upside-down.

That got me thinking... that would be a nice, subtle protest to send ALL my mail out that way, with the flag upside down. Does anyone know if there's anything that says you can't put a stamp on an envelope upside down?

[trotsky]

1. Perfectly legal.

In fact, I heard that in days gone by, putting a stamp upside-down on a letter was a way to show affection to the recipient.

[scarlett1]

16. I've been putting all of my flag stamps on upside down

unless I forget

and Yes, normally putting a stamp on upside down is a message to the recipient that you love the person. Why I feel odd when I send my creditors their payments that way but I do it any way as a protest

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

2. great idea!

i've done it before and my bills always seem to get paid...

[notadmblnd]

3. I do it all the time

nt

[paineinthearse]

4. It's OK, covered by 1st amendment right to free speech and self-expression

Alternatively, put the envelope upside down and the flag right side up.

[Skidmore]

13. I do that all the time.

Those darned envelopes don't come with directions, you know.

[atreides1]

5. Nothing Illegal About It

I've been doing it since the 2000 election.

[AllegroRondo]

6. Its perfectly legal

I heard that during WW2, people would send mail to their soldiers in the war with the stamp upside down, as a subtle code for "I love you". But I dont know if this is true.

[GiovanniC]

9. HMM... Well I Don't LOVE the IRS... But It'll Have to Do

n/t

[Blue Wally]

15. I don't know about WWII, but when I was in college in the fifties......

.....the stamp upside down on a letter meant "I love you" and we used to do it all the time. Usally it was with the George Washington 3 and 4 cent stamps that 1st class cost then (USPS and their unions rip us off worse than the oil companies and oil sheiks).

There was also supposedly a code that if you sent the girl a stamp sideways with GW's nose piointing down and her return letter had GW's nose pointing up, she was ready to put out on your next date.wi

[Bethany Rockafella]

7. I've done it before. Purposely too.

[lectrobyte]

8. Don't invoke the wrath of the Stamp Police! But seriously, I don't

know of any such regulation, but they probably have one.

[yella_dawg]

10. I've been flipping them for years

every one, except for an occasional "mistake". Stamp police haven't shown up yet.

[GiovanniC]

11. Cool... I Wasn't So Much Worried About the Stamp Police Showing Up

(Maybe I should have been :) ) so much as I was worried the thing would just come back to me if I got a freeper letter carrier.

[anarchy1999]

12. Flag Etiquette

STANDARDS of RESPECT

The Flag Code, which formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used. They are:

The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.

The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard

for all the rest go here:

http://www.usflag.org/flag.etiquette.html

On edit: I forgot to add, I've done it many times the last few years. I consider us to be a nation in distress.

[catmandu57]

14. Sure I've done it for years

going back to the vietnam war and nixon. We have an uber patriot postmaster, who always hands me those flag stamps. I've asked many times for something different, but he insists, so I make a show of putting the flag on upside down just to piss him off.

[YNGW]

17. I've never attached anything political to it.

I've seen flag stamps and all sorts of stamps put on upside down. Probably done it myself when I was in a hurry. But, I've never placed any significance to it, especially political. I doubt that many people pay attention or even care. Probably like me, they just figure someone got in a hurry and threw it on, that is if they think anything about it at all.

[K-W]

18. Its a rather pointless gesture, but pefectly legal.

People often reverse stamps when applying them out of sheer accident. I would imagine there are plenty of unintentional reversed flags flying through the mail that would make any increase from political protest rather unnoticeable.

[dweller]

19. well, just don't burn it first.....

that's just going toooo far.


dp