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

Presidential candidate John Washington III is putting a consent question to the federal government and to every state government in the country. “WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WITHOUT MY CONSENT?” John Washington III wrote in a statement, saying he has serious questions for the United States Government and every state government in America.

John Washington III grounded the challenge in the Declaration of Independence, which says governments get their just powers from the consent of the governed. “SO WHEN DID I GIVE MY CONSENT?” he wrote. “WHEN DID MY FAMILY GIVE THEIRS? WHO GAVE A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE THE AUTHORITY TO SPEAK FOR EVERY AMERICAN?”

He argued that an agreement inside a group speaks for that group, not for everyone else, and he reached for a household analogy to make the point. Look at mafia families and their own codes, he wrote, then asked: “Can one family walk into another home and declare everyone belongs to them? NO!” Being born under a government, John Washington III wrote, does not mean he personally agreed to every decision it makes.

“My children and I have constitutional rights,” John Washington III wrote. “GOVERNMENT MUST NOT CONFUSE LEGAL AUTHORITY WITH UNLIMITED CONTROL!” If officials claim to speak for him, he wrote, they should 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.