The White House petition to deport Justin Bieber is more than halfway to success, surging beyond 70,000 signatures as of noon Tuesday and putting it well on pace to reach the 100,000 needed to earn an official response.
At noon, the petition had 70,702 signatures, and there are more than three weeks to go until the Feb. 22 deadline, making it almost certain the petition will be successful in earning the right to have the White House respond.
Experts have debated back and forth whether Mr. Bieber, a Canadian pop music singer, could have his visa revoked after being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in a drag race last week.
Some Americans wanted to get an answer straight from the White House, so they filed an official petition with President Obama’s “We the People” project.
“We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture,” the petition says. (https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/deport-justin-bieber-and-revoke-his-green-card/ST1yqHJL) “We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked. He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society.”
The petition was started by someone identified only as “J.A.” from Detroit, Michigan. The White House only posts initials of those who start or sign petitions.
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Another person, “H.P.” from Modesto, Calif., has launched a counter-petition saying it’s unfair to target Mr. Bieber.
“The whole idea of Justin Drew Bieber getting deported, is completely unfair. He doesn’t deserve this,” the petition says. “With your help, we can stop it. He’s human. He’s not perfect. The media sees the bad side of him. Please. He’s saved so many lives. Including mine. A lifesaver, Shouldn’t deserve this.”
That petition was started on Saturday and had fewer than 1,000 signatures as of noon Tuesday.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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