The Postal Service's new stamp has an image not of the statue in New York Harbor that welcomes the tempest-tost masses, but of the knockoff in Vegas, at the New York-New York casino that welcomes tourists with cash to burn. Since no one can tell the difference, the stamp will not be redesigned.
But it kind of gives me that "Dude, where's my country?" feeling to see this important symbol bowdlerized. On the other hand, the swaddled copper lady with the secular halo has not been initiating new Americans for a long time. They enter through airports, or on foot through the Mexican border.
New York-New York is probably the best example of a style of architectural obscenity that Las Vegas has pioneered: the jamming of an entire skyline into one building. The France-themed casino and the Excalibur also have kooky cosmetic projectiles. Beholding these casinos is really different than taking the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty, believe you me.
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