Death and Stamps

Effective January 1, 2007, a person need only be dead for five years, rather than the current ten years, before being eligible to appear on the face of a United States postage stamp.  See Face Can Be on Stamp Sooner After Death, FOXNews.com, Nov. 15, 2006.  This report also explains that “political leaders have been pressing for an exception to the 10-year rule for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, who died last year.”

Today’s [November 27, 2006] New York Times contains an editorial against the change.  See The Test of Time, Nov. 27, 2006.  The editorial explains that

[t]he first few years after the deaths of prominent people are rife with revelations, often unflattering. Tongues loosen. Memoirs are written, archives unsealed, letters published. The shorter the window, the more likely a regrettable choice will be made.