Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

Dev.SN ♥ developers

It's OK To Parody the NSA!

posted by Dopefish on Thursday February 20 2014, @08:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the tell-me-it's-true dept.

Gaaark writes:

"The First Amendment has been upheld in the United States!

Dan McCall has been making T-shirts and mugs that parody the National Security Agency as "the only part of government that actually listens" for over a decade. In 2011, he got a cease-and-desist letter from the NSA and from the Department of Homeland Security. Last October, McCall filed a lawsuit saying his shirts and mugs parodied the government agency and were therefore protected by the First Amendment.

'Citizens shouldn't have to worry whether criticizing government agencies will get them in trouble or not,' said Public Citizen's Paul Levy, who filed the suit on McCall's behalf. 'This settlement proves the First Amendment is there to protect citizens' rights to free speech.'

Now, the NSA has admitted: McCall is right ."

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
It's OK To Parody the NSA! | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 1000 moderator points   | 24 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by SpallsHurgenson on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:36AM

    by SpallsHurgenson (656) on Thursday February 20 2014, @10:36AM (#3456)

    I think the fact that this was even an issue shows the ever-widening gap between law enforcement and the people they are supposed to protect; increasingly it is becoming an "Us versus Them" issue. There has never been a problem taking the piss out of government agencies in this country; in many ways, it is the very thing on which this country was founded. That the NSA somehow thinks they are exempt from parody is an alarming confirmation of how out of touch they are with their primary mission.

    Every law enforcement officer - be they NSA, CIA, or the local beat cop - needs to take a refresher course as to what their job really is about and for whom they really work.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +4  
       Insightful=4, Total=4
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   5  

  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:35AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:35AM (#3509)

    "There has never been a problem taking the piss out of government agencies in this country"

    Oh? Try, less than 20 years after founding.

    http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrori sm/the-alien-and-sedition-acts.html [crf-usa.org]