People are under the impression that these petitions have some sort of legal effect when this is just a filter so that the White House only has to respond to citizen concerns that have lots of support.
I keep hearing about these idiotic secession petitions as if they mean something more than the petition I see over to the side at "Recent Petitions" asking the President to endorse Johnny Manziel for the Heisman Trophy. Except that the person who wrote that petition is sane and has a point and asks the President to do something he can actually do, in theory. Personally, I prefer a Presidential endorsement of Manti Te'o, but I can respect a diversity of opinion. I just can't suffer stupidity and respectfully request that the Administration do something to stop its proliferation.
Mazel tov.