John Washington III Asks Who Gave Government the Right to Speak for Him and His Family Without Consent

John Washington III, a candidate for president in 2028, challenged the basis on which governments claim to speak for him and his family, asking, in his words, "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WITHOUT MY CONSENT?"

He wrote that he has serious questions for the United States government and every state government in America, citing the Declaration of Independence for the principle that governments get their just powers from the consent of the governed. "SO WHEN DID I GIVE MY CONSENT? WHEN DID MY FAMILY GIVE THEIRS?" he wrote.

John Washington III argued that an agreement a group makes for itself speaks for that group, not for everyone else, and that being born under a government does not mean he personally agreed to every decision it makes. He said his children and he have constitutional rights, and wrote: "GOVERNMENT MUST NOT CONFUSE LEGAL AUTHORITY WITH UNLIMITED CONTROL!"

He closed by demanding that anyone who claims to speak for him show where he agreed, show how they are representing his family, and answer to the people whose lives their decisions affect. "THAT'S THE GROUND I'M STANDING ON!" he wrote.