The Flag, and Lady Liberty

I went to the post office the other day for stamps. They were out of the ones with the vegetables on them, they only had one roll of the flag/Lady Liberty ones.

The lady at the counter was around my age, so I hazarded a comment about how, since Vietnam, I've been leery of using flag stamps. She said yep she felt the same way. Her daughter and son-in-law are in the National Guard and her daughter had been called up to go to Iraq this week. Since her daughter had just given birth, her son-in-law was exercising his one time option of taking her place... I wished him safe, and said that if I get stuck with the flag stamps, I usually stick them on upside down.

She said that she's been seeing that more and more lately.

So, when did our flag, and sadly even Lady Liberty, begin to be a symbol for warmongering and deprivation rather than freedom, prosperity and opportunity? What will we have to do to reverse that?

*crossposted at The Fat Lady Sings