Free Republic

I wrote about this incident last fall, and now the National Security Agency has folded (as has the Department of Homeland Security with regard to a similar controversy), thanks to the work of Paul Alan Levy of Public Citizen, who represented the designers. Here is the letter the NSA agreed to send Zazzle:

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the National Security Administration (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has threatened to criminally prosecute a novelty store owner for selling mugs and t-shirts that say, among other things, “Department of Homeland Stupidity” and “The NSA: The only part of government that actually listens.” The novelty items are sold online at Zazzle.com, which is operated by merchant Dan McCall. The NSA and DHS sent “cease and desist” letters to Zazzle stating that the parody products violate statutes that protect their official seals from misuse. The NSA and DHS, through the Department...