• NSA Cites 1959 Law, Claims Use of Their Seal and Name is Illegal

    September 21, 2013

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in: Democracy, Embassy/State

    The path downwards in our post-Constitutional America starts with the large failures, and will end in petty indignities. Such is the nature of a fascist state. It must crush any dissent, however pointless, and it must control everything.


    Having swept aside the Bill of Rights with ease, the NSA under the control of the White House, now descends to pettiness.


    Two days after the first revelations of NSA mendacity, an entrepreneur named Dan McCall put up a handful of T-shirts and bumper stickers for sale on the custom goods marketplace Zazzle. Each of those items had a faux NSA logo, emblazoned with the slogan “Peeping While You’re Sleeping,” plus the joke line “The only part of the government that actually listens.”

    Within an hour or two Dan received an email from Zazzle stating:

    Design contains an image or text that may infringe on intellectual property rights. We have been contacted by the intellectual property right holder and we will be removing your product from Zazzle’s Marketplace due to infringement claims. Specifically, your product contained content which infringes upon the intellectual property rights of National Security Agency. We have been contacted by legal representatives from the National Security Agency, and at their request, have removed the product from the Zazzle Marketplace.

    The NSA had stepped in, quickly enough to surmise they had been monitoring the transaction, citing Public Law 86-36, from 1959. Specifically, the NSA referenced Section 15 (a) which states in its entirety (emphasis added):

    No person may, except with the written permission of the Director of the National Security Agency, knowingly use the words ‘National Security Agency’, the initials ‘NSA’, the seal of the National Security Agency, or any colorable imitation of such words, initials, or seal in connection with any merchandise, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the National Security Agency.

    Leaving aside the reality that many others online (as well as every street vendor in Washington, DC) sells NSA gear, including Zazzle competitor Cafe Press, there is no evidence that Dan’s use of the NSA logo in any way conveys the impression that the use is approved or authorized by the NSA. Quite the opposite; his open mocking of the NSA and amended seal convey that he thinks the NSA is a bunch of bullying wankers.

    Not that any of this is new; my own former employer, the Department of State, went after me for using its seal in a piece of journalism protected by the First Amendment. In 2005 the George W. Bush White House demanded that The Onion stop using George’s seal.

    The NSA stated that “At any time that NSA is made aware that the NSA Seal is being used without our permission, we will take appropriate actions.” Well, NSA, better turn those satellite dishes and unleash the lawyers against this site, where Dan McCall is now selling his NSA faux logo gear.

    And, in fact, you better go after this blog, as well as the New York Times, Buzzfeed and a zillion other places, because we all have and continue to violate Public Law 86-36 by “knowingly us(ing) the words ‘National Security Agency’, the initials ‘NSA’, the seal of the National Security Agency.”

    So here is what in our present State passes for an act of civil disobedience:




    National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security AgencyNational Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security Agency National Security 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    • Recent Comments

    • meloveconsullongtime said...

      1

      “The path downwards in our post-Constitutional America starts with the large failures, and will end in petty indignities.”

      Chesterton said when you discard the big laws (or principles) you end up with lots of invasive, arbitrarily enforced little rules. The lawless regime of the USSR was a typical example.

      09/21/13 12:59 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      2

      McCall should exchange the eagle for Pinnochio.

      http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-calls-nsas-alexander-and-clapper-liars/

      09/21/13 1:46 PM | Comment Link

    • Kyzl Orda said...

      3

      “The only part of the government that actually listens.”

      That’s good, lol. Sad but still pathetic. If its a public office seal, not sure how that is copyright protected?

      These agencies want to look like they are accomplishing something, why not use these ‘services’ taxpayers pay for and go find real criminals? How about the PA District Attorney, Ray Gricar, who disappeared in the middle of a Jerry Sandusky investigation?? Interestingly and likely not related, Graham Spanier was hired to work as a consultant at a spy agency ‘that can’t be named’

      http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/investigation-missing-da-sandusky-case-20324816

      Gricar’s cell phone was still in the car and his laptop tossed in the Susquehanna but police fished it out

      09/21/13 1:57 PM | Comment Link

    • Kyzl Orda said...

      4

      A retired official who knew Gricar had said that Gricar was still working on the case or had gone back to working on the case when he disappeared

      09/21/13 2:01 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      5

      quote:”Having swept aside the Bill of Rights with ease, the NSA under the control of the White House, now descends to pettiness.” unquote

      Pettiness? No PVB, the NSA has descended into insanity. Alexander’s Star Trek control room with doors that go “WHOOOSH” is living proof that psychopaths are running amok at the NSA, the USG notwithstanding. After all, he even sent a letter to his..ahem..”family” reassuring them that he is not insane and all is well at the asylum. right. Meanwhile, Arthur Silber defines the true nature of these dangerous traitors.

      http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2013/09/dying-for-control-i-neurosis-and-terror.html

      On a side note, the Onion’s attorney sums up the gut splitting absurdity the NSA’s actions here…

      quote:
      “It is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal, The Onion intends to ‘convey… sponsorship or approval’ by the president,” wrote Rochelle H. Klaskin, the paper’s lawyer, who went on to note that a headline in the current issue made the point: “Bush to Appoint Someone to Be in Charge of Country.” unquote

      right. Well, since it’s now known the NSA is sucking up every phone call, email, online searches, and social commentary, I guess this is as good a place to put this as any.

      Dear General Alexander, aka Captain Kirk
      Due to the fact you have demonstrated without a doubt, you are no longer in control of that which keeps your ears separated, it behooves me to offer some advice. Perhaps your life long addiction to Synthetic Lobotomy Serum is to blame, or too many years of holding your Teddy, whatever, it doesn’t matter now. What does matter is for you to seek IMMEDIATE, serious psychiatric help before someone has you committed, as your behaviors have now become the laughing stock of the entire planet. Somewhere along the line you stepped off the reality train and took a detour to a parallel universe while watching Star Trek..and never came back. Even your closest co-conspirators are rolling on the floor in gut splitting laughter behind your back.

      And now, in light of the fact that your recent letter addressed to the NSA “family” has appeared online and has provided further evidence of your decent into fantasy land, I submit that sooner or later, you are heading for a total public meltdown of biblical proportions, the likes of which haven’t been seen since The Caine Mutiny.

      Furthermore, now that your legal council has recently added insult to injury by absurdly pursuing legal remedy to a satirical use of the NSA Seal and name on a t-shirt, I would suggest they too submit themselves to a Dumb-O-Meter test before their names also become synonymous with DIMWIT.

      In closing, it would also behoove you to stop constantly twitching those steel balls in your hands. People around you are talking about it.

      Seriously,
      One of your constitutional assault victims.

      09/21/13 2:40 PM | Comment Link

    • teri said...

      6

      The NSA; the agency that dare not speak its own name.

      09/21/13 3:54 PM | Comment Link

    • wemeantwell said...

      7

      Good to see you back with us here!

      09/21/13 4:09 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      8

      Hello PVB. Thank you. After a grueling, twice as expensive as we figured 5 day trip across the Ghosts of Tom Joad landscape we finally made it. Having spent 3 months packing and 6 days stuffing a 22′ Penske truck as tight as a grade school virgin in February, with a vehicle trailer behind, freaking out in various city traffic and getting sent up country roads with no place to turn around by virtue of an idiot co-pilot who trusted a talking vintage GPS and getting trapped in freeway adjacent gas stations that looked like Grand Central Station for traveling halfwits,.. by the time I stepped on our property I was ready for a nervous breakdown or kill an innocent bystander. Instead..after gulping down a pint of vodka and 3 beers ..voila! I collapsed into a 48 hour sleep. Geeezus did that feel good. 🙂

      But now..back to business. Looks like during my downtime, the usual suspects have been up to their typical Orwellian bullshit in spades. Time to start waging verbal war on these motherfuckers. So keep your moderation button handy as I’m fed up and itchin to verbally burn them alive.

      09/21/13 8:15 PM | Comment Link

    • wemeantwell said...

      9

      Congrats on your journey. I have tried to keep up with approving your postings from various suspect computers enroute, as each got caught anew by my NSA-approved Spam filters. Welcome home!

      09/21/13 8:18 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      10

      teri said…

      quote:”The NSA; the agency that dare not speak its own name.”unquote

      On the contrary. Alexander wants to see his and the NSA’s name on the big screen, like the opening credits to Star Wars. Visions of walking the Hollywood Red Carpet and an Academy award for Best Actor/Director/Producer and cast in a Sci Fi, accolades from the entire hollywood press, rose petals flowing while dragging women holding on to his legs…the whole Hollywood kit and kapootle trip. But mostly, he NEEDS the entire planet gushing and guffawing at his crowning military stature while collectively cheering..NSA! NSA! NSA! Hip hip HOOORAY!!!!!!!!!!.
      Meanwhile, back in reality land, the entire planet is rolling on the floor in gut splitting laughter from sea to shining see while ordering tickets for the grand finally where he is burned alive in front of the entire Congress for treason.

      youbetcha. Sooner or later this delusional schmuck is gonna fall..and hard.

      bartender..set em up..on me. I propose a toast. Here’s to the NSA..the NAUSEATING SHIT ASS of Amerika..and to ole Captain Queeg of the NSA starship himself. May his steel balls keep him occupied while he spends the rest of his miserable, pathetic life in Guantanamo or a mental institution with ME as his personal “nurse”. youbetcha. I’d trade my SS for that position. I’d take real good care of him. Yesireebob..real good care.

      09/21/13 9:02 PM | Comment Link

    • jo6pac said...

      11

      pitchfork said…

      Good to see you made it

      09/22/13 1:40 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      12

      How charming. Waking up in a new location, making coffee while turning on our recently connected TV to find any REAL news. Over 300 channels, and what do I find. Fucking ZERO. Zilch. Nada. The takeover is complete. Instead, the Digital Ministry of Truth has issued it’s Monday morning talking points, local weather and the typical local, smiling, brain dead talking head zombies masquerading as News commentators without a clue to what’s happening around them in real time. Along with all the typical
      100 channels of sports, marketing, movies, the Hollywood Kardashian/Miley Cyrus gossip bullshit, and all the typical MSM spin doctors endlessly flapping their lip synchronized, mesmerizing sickening smiles while reading off stories of US of A dimwittery and misery. Meanwhile, the Capitolist money/ad machine cranks out a years worth of income spending crap that fills the nations landfills exponentially while draining the planets resources to increase the Corporatacray’s profits for the week.

      I stare in disbelief. Meanwhile, the NYC police state is beating the shit out of those peaceful CUNY protestors who appear on campus to protest Mr. War Criminal Paetreus’s appointment as a War instructor. Not one word on 300 channels. Meanwhile, the NSA’s expanding the Surveillance State while the FBI murders people with impunity, the collecivist Gun grabbers enact unconstitutional pro King George 111 General warrants..and on and on and on..but what do we see on good ole ‘merican TV???????? Fucking zilch. No wonder ‘merica is becoming the land of brain dead zombies and home of the exponentially dimwit.

      Well..so much for new locations. Speaking of which, I moved to a little “village” in the heartland of Michigan, whereby, in an attempt to get an idea of local intellectual sophistication, was listening to a couple of locals while standing in a check out line at the towns version of the Dollar Store. It might as well been 1954. Unbelievable. In stark amazement at the subject matters being discussed, I asked one..”So..what do you all think about the NSA revelations. Blank stares came back..when one customer said to me..”NSA??? Ya mean like basketball? Well..all I can tell you is I think our team is gonna win this week. The players from our neighboring town haven’t got a chance.” Meanwhile the other customers approved in overwhelming agreement. I could only nod my head.

      Well…excuse me now. I gotta puke. Must be the coffee.

      09/23/13 2:29 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      13

      jo6pac said…
      11
      quote:”Good to see you made it”unquote

      Thanks. Trouble is..I’m not so sure I “made it”. If the last few days are any indication, feels like I time traveled to a parallel universe of the 1950’s.
      Holy mother of nightmares. And here I thought the Oregon coast was isolated and stuck in a land time forgot. geeezus. The Beaver is still a hit and the local Dairy Queen is too. Unbelievable. Only thing different is the towns Police department with TWO Army camouflaged Humvees and 6 Humvee SUV’s sitting out front. They must be expecting an insurgency of biblical proportions from a village of 760 people. Considering most of these people probably never even heard of Afghanistan..and from what my stepson told me.. the local police are sucking up every DHS grant they can while draining the Law enforcement budget to zero. Typical cops. One neuron holding their ears apart while the other one plans the next SWAT attack on Grandma Wilson for growing Zenia’s without a permit. (sighing in disbelief I’m actually stuck here now)

      So..this is Middle ‘Merica? right. someone please…shoot me.

      09/23/13 2:54 PM | Comment Link

    • meloveconsullongtime said...

      14

      pitchfork wrote, again, as usual:

      “Well…excuse me now. I gotta puke.”

      Mr Creosote? Is that YOU?:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aczPDGC3f8U

      09/23/13 4:03 PM | Comment Link

    • jo6pac said...

      15

      pitchfork said…at 13

      LOL and I’m truly sorry you had to go back to mayberry. Stay safe and close to the ground.

      09/23/13 9:43 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      16

      jo6pac said…
      quote:”LOL and I’m truly sorry you had to go back to mayberry.”unquote

      Ha! This place makes Mayberry look like St. Louis. 2 blocks long and the sidewalks come in at 4. 🙂

      09/23/13 11:51 PM | Comment Link

    • pitchfork said...

      17

      meloveconsullongtime said…

      pitchfork wrote, again, as usual:

      “Well…excuse me now. I gotta puke.”

      Mr Creosote? Is that YOU?:

      I’m sorry if I grossed you out again melove. Can’t help it. One look at what’s happening to my country today and it makes me sick. One thing stood out though. I managed to find Democracy Today out of 300 channels. The editor of the Guardian was interviewed. Best thing I’ve seen in two weeks.
      Anyway,..again..sorry. I’ll try to refrain.

      09/23/13 11:56 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      18

      File under “Boys will be boys”

      In response to reports some creepy NSA IT guys were misusing the NSA’s Domestic spy program to stalk ex-girlfriends, an NSA spokesman flatly denied it. “We’re not collecting data on American citizens.”

      Well, that was a lie.

      He then admitted, “We meant to say we are only collecting metadata on Americans.”

      Well, that was a lie.

      He then admitted, “We’re not collecting e-mail and other private Internet messages from Americans.”

      Lie.

      He then admitted, “We’re not misusing the personal data that we do collect.”

      Lie.

      “Okay, our collection of data on Americans has been abused accidentally, but never deliberately.”

      Two weeks after Obama’s national BIG LIE relations tour for the NSA, the Wall Street Journal revealed on August 23 that NSA staffers had used the databases to spy on romantic interests frequently enough to create the label “LOVEINT” for love intelligence: “National Security Agency officers on several occasions have channeled their agency’s enormous eavesdropping power to spy on love interests, U.S. officials said.”

      The privacy of Americans has been abused, the Obama administration has been forced to admit, but faced with the evidence, it claimed in statements for the Wall Street Journal story that it took place only rarely. The Wall Street Journal reported that “the practice isn’t frequent — one official estimated a handful of cases in the last decade — but it’s common enough to garner its own spycraft label: LOVEINT.”

      We are waiting for the NSA’s admission that extra cleaning crews are need to wipe the computer screens for unauthorized disseminations.

      http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/16580-the-nsa-domestic-surveillance-lie

      09/24/13 11:26 PM | Comment Link

    • wemeantwell said...

      19

      Damn Rich, that’s good. I’m gonna sit back and let you take the next couple of posts.

      09/24/13 11:51 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      20

      Pay no attention to that blogger behind the curtain–

      PVB,

      Senator Diane Feinstein says you are not a real journalist and that real Americans should only listen to real journalists…like the Times and other corporate-approved media outlets.

      http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-dianne-feinstein-congress-press-shield-law-20130913,0,5900019.story

      09/25/13 12:47 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      21

      The difference between Journalists and Bloggers is Bloggers Have Standards:

      NYT senior national correspondent Michael Grunwald has suggested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be killed in a drone strike.

      “I can’t wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out Julian Assange,” Grunwald wrote on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.

      If an asshole like Grunwald continues to get paid by Time, I would be embarrassed to tell anyone I was a junior correspondent for this rag.

      The tweet has become fill-in-the-blank “I can’t wait to write a defense of a drone strike against…” boilerplate. For example, “I can’t wait to write a defense for a drone strike against asshole Time correspondents.”

      09/25/13 1:05 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      22

      The only news that is fit to print is “America, you are so FUCKED.”

      09/25/13 1:07 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      23

      A janitor in Minnesota was caught recording college girls showering and used the NSA lame excuse that he was not going to look at the video unless someone stole items from the girl’s lockers. The judge asked him if he thought he was an idiot.

      09/25/13 6:20 PM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      24

      NSA: We don’t spy on (real) Americans.

      Someone should alert the New York Times and the other “real” media that doesn’t think NSA spying on Americans is newsworthy.

      http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2013/09/when-the-nsa-spied-on-art-buchwald.html

      09/27/13 11:14 AM | Comment Link

    • Rich Bauer said...

      25

      Diane “Dickhead” Feinstein says “stop calling NSA surveillance “surveillance” …and stop calling me a “dickhead.”

      http://news.antiwar.com/2013/09/26/sen-feinstein-press-must-stop-calling-nsa-spying-surveillance/

      Okay, grandma, we’ll stop calling you a “dickhead” when you stop acting like one. As for the NSA…

      09/27/13 11:26 AM | Comment Link

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