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Posts Tagged ‘We the People’

Let Them Eat Twinkies

Posted on: | by Christine Anne George |

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Back in November 2012 Hostess Brands announced it was shutting down.  While there had been fictional portrayals of a world where life’s little Twinkie gauge hits empty, it was hard to imagine a world without Twinkies. The snack not only provided (albeit questionable) sustenance, but it was a part of the pop culture and even legal lexicon. You remember the Twinkie defense?

Granted all of the hoopla and panic over the loss of the Twinkie—there was a We the People petition to nationalize the Twinkie industry—may have all been for naught. Though things looked ever so dark back in November, another company just needed to step in and buy the brand. And with that in mind, here’s today’s breaking news…

Junk food junkies of the world rejoice! Today a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, and Donnettes. The treats are expected to be back in stores this summer.

In the span of a week, the people have gotten the promise of a Veronica Mars movie and the return of Twinkies. Not bad. Now if we could only save Google Reader…

The Humor Is Strong With This One

Posted on: | by Christine Anne George |

DEATH-STAR

In the days of yore, if you had some witty commentary to share with the world, you would take to Facebook and put it as a status. But these days, it seems that all the cool kids are beyond Facebook. Why share your wit or big ideas with just your circle of friends when you can go straight to the Commander in Chief?

Those familiar with this blog know all about We the People, the White House’s petition website that brought us the people the recipe for Obama’s presidential beer. We the People has gotten quite a bit of press lately. Strangely enough, where previous petitions made much of secession, the current trend is deportation, from Piers Morgan (which the White House has responded to in the negative) to Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (which I’m told makes sense if you heard the commentary for the BCS Championship game). Clearly, people are having fun—albeit a bit mean spirited at times—with these petitions. Last week, the White House proved that it could have just as much fun.

Last November, John D started the petition to Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016. The petition has 34, 435 signatures. Since the petition surpassed the required signatures (25,000 within 30 days), the White House decided to respond. In a post titled “This Isn’t the Petition Response You’re Looking For,” Paul Shawcross explained why the Obama administration will not be pursuing plans for a Death Star. (Spoiler alert: reasons for the no center around the 852 quadrillion cost, the fact that blowing up planets is frowned upon, and the ease with which a certain Master Skywalker was able to destroy the original.)

In case you’ve been wondering, the petition for Texas to secede from the union, which reached 125,746 signatures, including both Texans and non-Texans, was also recently addressed by the White House. Invoking President Lincoln, Jon Carson wrote an eloquent response which can be summed up rather succinctly: nope.