But are minds really changing? Does anyone think that what's going on over there is not deplorable? As for the Lebanese bringing it upon themselves, that's a bit of an overstatement. And "the Lebanese civilians brought this on themselves"? You know they're not saying that. Hezbollah perhaps brought it on the civilians, but not even the Howard government is saying the civilians deserve it.

But I'm still unclear as to what the protesters want. I guess that's part of the reason I don't understand the protest. I mean, the Israeli violence against Lebanon is bad, but so is the fact that Hezbollah kidnapped Israelis and deliberately put their facilities in the middle of civilian areas, where it's win-win for them; either Israel doesn't attack, or they attack and kill civilians and get the media outcry. Neither side can be supported, but at the same time, asking them both to settle down and stop shooting at each other won't work either, because one is sworn to destroy the other, and the other has to let the one know that it doesn't intend to be destroyed.

It's this kind of negative outlook, I suppose, that causes the silence. I just don't see any solution.