Piers Morgan will not be deported for his critical remarks about the U.S. Constitution, specifically the Second Amendment, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney. MSN News reports Thursday, Jan. 10. 2013, that no action will be taken on the petition submitted and signed by over 109,000 people to send the CNN host back to Great Britain.
Americans have become increasingly antagonized by Piers Morgan’s criticism of the U.S. gun laws after the school shooting at Newtown, Connecticut. He has called for changes to the United States Constitution, and he has threatened to deport himself if the changes are not made.
The White House had promised a response to petitions on its website that garnered over 25,000 signatures. Most people understood that the petitions were merely symbolic, but the White House did promise to respond.
Carney expressed the official White House response in written form, stressing that freedom of speech exists along with the right to bear arms.
"Let's not let arguments over the Constitution's Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press -- fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy," Carney writes.
There has been vigorous debate about whether the First Amendment applies to free speech by a foreign journalist. Although President Obama used the First Amendment as an explanation in this case, Forbes reports some conflicting opinion on the subject of Piers Morgan and deportation.
"Not all were satisfied with the decision. The Daily Caller’s Patrick Howley wrote that the White House “issued a factually incorrect response.” Howley argued the First Amendment does not apply to non U.S. citizens, pointing to a 1972 Supreme Court decision which ruled that the Attorney General’s refusal to allow a journalist to enter the U.S. was not a violation of the First Amendment. Howley sourced his position to a series of tweets by Wall StreetJournal columnist James Taranto who put it this way: ““Your opinion is protected, your presence in the U.S. is not.”
Many Americans are anxiously awaiting Piers Morgan to make good on his promise to deport himself. You can read about that here.
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