SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO) — When the nation’s top spy agency told him to “cease and desist,” a Sauk Rapids satirical artist told the agency where to go — court.

After a near three-year legal battle, Dan McCall has been given the green light to continue his parodies of federal agencies and their respective emblems.

The graphic artist first ran into trouble when he began selling T-shirts, coffee mugs and posters with a satirical slogan on the National Security Agency’s logo.

The case quickly snowballed into a test of the first amendment and the rights to alter government images in a satirical manner for commercial purposes.

McCall is a lot more than a talented graphic artist. He’s also a man with a message.

“When we’re laughing about something, we’re really on the same page,” McCall said.