A Call for Peace and Perspective: Don’t Give Them What They Want

By Dr. Thomas Salem Moore

2025 October 17

In moments of great unrest, it’s easy for anger to feel like the only honest response. Many citizens across our nation are preparing to take to the streets, rightfully outraged by the erosion of freedoms, the abuse of executive power, and the growing shadow of authoritarianism. These frustrations are real. The reasons for protest are valid. But before the first chant is shouted or the first stone is thrown, we must remember what’s at stake — and what the government might want to happen.

When leaders fear accountability, they often look for a way to silence dissent. History shows us how: provoke chaos, label it as a threat to “national security,” and then use it as justification to suspend the very rights people are fighting to protect. It’s a playbook used by regimes throughout history — from South America to Europe to Asia — and it always begins the same way: citizens give the government the excuse it’s been waiting for.

If violence breaks out, even if it begins with government infiltration or provocation, it will not be the politicians or the oligarchs who pay the price. It will be ordinary people — the same citizens who love this country, who dream of a better future, who only want fairness and freedom.

The truth is that the person at the top is rarely the full story. While one leader may appear to hold the reins, he often serves those behind the curtain — powerful economic interests and oligarchs who manipulate policy for their own gain. The result is a puppet show: the faces change, but the hands that pull the strings remain the same. Violence in the streets doesn’t weaken that system — it strengthens it. Because fear, instability, and martial law give the ruling elite exactly what they need to tighten control.

This is why peaceful resistance has always been the most powerful weapon of the people. It exposes corruption without feeding it. It reveals truth without destroying hope. The moment a movement turns violent, it stops being a movement for justice and becomes a tool of those who crave chaos.

Now is not the time for destruction — it is the time for discipline. Protest, speak out, and organize. But above all, remain peaceful, focused, and united. The real battle is not in the streets; it is for the hearts and minds of our people — to help them see how power truly works, who truly benefits, and what must truly change.

If we lose sight of that, we will lose everything.–(Dr. Thomas S. Moore)