The White House responds to the Death Star petition

[Veho]

The White House has published an official response to the petition to build the Death Star. Any petition with over 25,000 signatures gets taken into consideration. The Death Star petition collected 34,435 signatures, and received an official response. And it's chock-full of Star Wars references.

Excerpt:

Official White House Response to Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.

This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For

By Paul Shawcross

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

• The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
• The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
• Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky -- that's no Moon, it's a Space Station!

[...]


Remember, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

It seems NASA is immune to Force Suggestion.

The response goes on to mention various existing and planned space and technology projects, all interspersed with more SW references than you can shake a stick at (but no Admiral Ackbar, because that one is really old and tired).

(inb4 Spock).

 

[431unknown]

Lets start a petition to build Spaceball One instead then.

 

[FAST6191]

After the failure of Star Wars in the 1980's and the international tensions it ultimately caused are people really surprised that the concept does not want to be revisited?

 

[dgwillia]

I don't see how anyone could even be mad with such an epic response.

 

[PolloDiablo]

I found the lack of faith of american bureaucrats disturbing

I'm sure the Russian are building it in secret. I've heard that the RRA (Rusian Rebel Alliance) already stole the plans of the battlestation.

Obama stated (when he was questioned about the subject): "The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands."
but something tells me that he is wrong

 

[Its_just_Lou]

The Nixon White House would have greenlit this...probably pushed for it, even..
(He could have even served as Emperor to Reagan's Darth Vader. <shudder>)

 

[mysticwaterfall]

Was just going to post this. While we all knew that they were never going to say yes, at least they had fun with it and made a good laugh out of it, which was well, the real point of it all.

 

[Gahars]

Say what you will about Obama, but the man (or at least, the intern told to write this response) has a good sense of humor.