Does protest work?

Two ladies, who took things in to their own hands, in their own special ways, have gained some recognition in the last few days by protesting against the same subject: the Iraq war. Which makes you wonder: how effective is public protest? The First lady is the more famous of the two; Cindy Sheehan has been camping outside President Bush’s home for nearly a week. She is the mother of a US soldier killed just five days after arriving in Iraq. Her tenacious stance has won her some serious attention in the US and has made headline news across the country. So much in fact that DoubleYa, while dodging a meeting with her, was forced to comment on the matter by sharing his “grieve” with the woman (insert vomiting picture here). The second lady is Hala Faisal, originally from Syria, she took a stroll in the Washington Square Park fountain in New York naked!!! Ronda Kaysen's article is what inspired this post. BTW Hala seems to be an ex-Syrian actress and her uncle was jailed, anyone knows more about who that?

There is no doubt that it took a lot of guts for these two women to do what they did/doing. But is it anything more than attracting attention to themselves and their lost cause? If millions of people failed in 2003 why the hell would one bitter mother and one naked middle aged lady (nice body for a 45 years old ;) in fountain make a difference? Should people (especially Americans) need to be reminded of decisions that are affecting human lives? Should one not give-up even though hope has long been gone? I am not speaking from moral high-ground here I assure you. Pacifism is a trait I proudly carry on many topics, but these ladies certainly don’t carry it when it comes to circumstances that affect people’s existence, even when these people live half a globe away.

Obviously public protest has worked on some occasions; Ukraine’s Orange and Georgia’s Rose revolutions are great example of protests producing real results. Whether these results where for the better is open to interpretation especially since corruption is still rampant and democracy is nowhere to be seen in the two countries.

But I leave it to the reader(s) of my very lonely blog to judge, and I look forward to hearing some views on the subject.