White House press secretary Jay Carney was diplomatic in the official response to the petition to deport Piers Morgan, but he was firm: No, the Obama administration is not going to move to deport somebody because he’s in favor of gun control, even if 109,334 people want that to happen. At least, that’s how many signatures currently grace the petition started by Alex Jones, the radio host who blew up on Morgan’s show earlier this week. “Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First,” he wrote, stressing that President Barack Obama “believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms” but also that the Constitution “enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press — fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy.” At no point in the official response did he mention the words “Piers,” “Morgan,” or “deport,” but Carney wrote, “no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment — or any other matter of public concern.” He was sure a lot nicer about it than most people in this debate.
