Here Are 12 of the Most Interesting Petitions on the White House Website

As a citizen of the United States, under the Constitution it is your First Amendment right to petition the government. The Obama administration has made this easy with a web tool -- We the People -- that helps you generate your cause for a "redress of grievances."

There are a couple signature thresholds that must be passed before the White House actually takes the time to pay attention to them. The first threshold, which will get the petition searchable on the website, is 150 signatures within 30 days. The second threshold, which will require an official response, is 25,000 signatures within 30 days.

In making petitioning the White House easier, the administration also opened up the door for a variety of, shall we just call them, interesting petitions -- some more so than others. They present a snapshot look into to what is important to Americans at the time, or at least what some people are willing to take the time to petition.

We've pulled out a few with excerpts ranging from the good, the bad an the just plain crazy:

• Death Star creation: "[...] begin construction on a Death Star by 2016. By focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense.

  Signatures:  1,600 signatures.

Death Star under construction. (Image: Wikimedia)

• Label the Tea Party a hate group: "Legally recognize the tea party as a hate group and have them all removed from office and charged with treason against The United States Of America."

  Signatures: 1,370.

Tea Party supporters Sandra Stuart (R) praises the Lord as she watches a video relay of a prayer event before the start of the Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. (Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

• Repeal the tan tax: "Please remove the 10% tan tax placed on tanning salons to pay for healthcare reform. This tax was removed from botox and plastic surgery and borders on being racist and sexist."

  Signatures: 366

Joe Bongioni works on his tan in a tanning booth in New York in March 2010. A 10 percent sales tax on indoor tanning, which takes effect this year, is helping to pay for the health care overhaul. (Photo: AP/Seth Wenig)

• Redistribute funds to develop 'Cat Girls': "The money being used to fight the drug war is effectively pointless. We could be using this money to fund other much more important things such as the genetic engineering of cat girls for domestic use. The government could then sell these genetic household workers to boost the economy and try to further decrease the national debt."

  Signatures: 843

(Image: Wikimedia)

• Require all states to allow concealed carry permits: "The current administration needs to pass a federal law requiring ALL states to allow law abiding citizens to obtain a concealed carry permit for self defense. All states need to be "shall issue" states, meaning that if the person applying for a concealed carry permit has passed a background check, that person WILL receive a permit from that state."

  Signatures: 2,742

This 2005 photo provided by Michele Bachmann shows then-state Sen. Michele Bachmann as she poses with her state permit to carry a concealed weapon nestled in a folded U.S. flag at her office in the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul. (Photo: AP/Via Sen. Michele Bachmann)

• Restore light bulb freedom of choice: "The federal government is phasing out incandescent lightbulbs by law and the last incandescent lightbulb factory in America has closed. This is not the role of the government. [...] The free market should decide which lightbulbs succeed, not the government."

  Signatures: 1,361

(Image: Wikimedia)

• Finance gender reassignment surgery: "As Americans, we deserve the same equality as those who have coverage for depression, various surgeries, and other medical expenses. What we are asking is both a emotional AND physical pain that we are forced to live with everyday of our lives due to cost. We need financial coverage and some help to get to the place that as Americans, every citizen deserves to be."

  Signatures: 8,717

Rachel Sorrow, at left, a transgender woman, attends a therapy session with Dr. Dan Karasic, a psychiatrist with the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, at San Francisco General Hospital. (Photo: AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

• Return to the gold standard: "End the Fed"

  Signatures: 3,619

Matthew Schoech of Michigan holds a sign that reads 'End the Fed' before ths start of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 27, 2012. (Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

• Require Obama to present birth and university records: "We have all seen the document produced by The White House which has been declared suspect by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, but The People request that Barack Obama authorize the State of Hawaii to release all related information concerning his birth in the State. We also request that Barack Obama authorize Occidental College and Harvard University release all records they hold in connection with The President."

  Signatures: 11,238

An example of what Sheriff Joe Arpaio's volunteer cold case posse claim are inconsistencies in President Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate is presented during a news conference Thursday, March 1, 2012. (Photo: AP/The Arizona Republic, Charlie Leight)

• Require a voter ID: "We, the undersigned do petition to have implemented into Federal Law, that all voters that participate in elections in which public officials are elected in any state or territory of the United States of America, shall present a valid government issued photo identification card to receive and submit their ballot."

  Signatures: 8,481

A voter shows his driver's license at a Madison, Miss. , precinct, Tuesday, Nov. 6. (Photo: AP/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group: "These people are responsible for hatred and harassment aimed at countless groups of people to include Military, Gays, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and America (where they live) as a whole. They picket Military funerals with complete disregard for feelings or respect to the friends, family, and people that care."

  Signatures: 17,560

Here the church was demonstrating against what it claims is a "pervert-run" school and said teachers across the country have "broken the moral compass of this generation." (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

If you're interested in learning more about filling a petition with the White House, check out the website and watch this tutorial: