Wow... I've never understood why people are so quick to sign petitions. I never, ever sign a petition that someone thrusts at me, even on the odd occasion that I think I might agree with it. If I'm interested, I go away and do my own background reading to develop a properly informed opinion and there is almost invariably much more to the story than the petitioners are telling (not that that really matters here, since almost no-one was even listening).
I guess signing a petition makes people feel special and even a little bit powerful, so they just scribble their details without even really caring what it's actually about. It reminds me of the 'petitions' to ban dihydrogen monoxide, which many people sign unquestioningly... most people just don't seem to have any ability to think even slightly critically, nor any desire to do so.