This Article written by guest blogger Justin B.

Here is a quote from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Awarki, surrounded by dozens of fellow schoolgirls in grey uniforms and black and grey scarves over their heads, said "at least three-quarters" of her school had come to Beirut "because the Sheik invited us" - referring to Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah leader.

Nasrallah addressed the crowd from a balcony on a building facing the square.

"I ask our partners in the country or those looking at us from abroad, Are all those hundreds of thousands of people puppets? Is all this crowd agents for the Syrians and intelligence agencies?" he said.

Nasrallah directly addressed Israel, telling it to let go of "dreams for Lebanon."

"To this enemy we say again: There is no place for you here and there is no life for you among us. Death to Israel," he said.

Interesting Stuff from Hezbollah. Death to Israel sure deals with the topic at hand which is Lebanon's chance at independence.

At least one opposition leader said the pro-Syrian government pressured people to turn out and some reports said Syria had bused in people from across the border. ... Dory Chamoun, an opposition leader, dismissed Hizbollah's demonstration as "muscle-flexing."

"Yes, we all know that Hizbollah has the material capability to mobilise such large numbers of people and more," he told The Associated Press. "But the difference is that in our demonstrations, people arrive voluntarily and on foot, not in buses pushed by someone to demonstrate against something most of them don't even understand."

Let's see if I am getting the message correct here...

Bus loads of people paid for by Hezbollah going to a protest that denounces the calls of the US and UN... Oh yeah, and throw in an occasional "Death to Israel" for good measure. Sounds like a High School Pep Rally for Martyrs and Suicide Bombers. Death to Israel sure is popular, but how does "Death to Israel" relate to continued Syrian Occupation of Lebanon... Oh, that is right, Syria wants to destroy Israel. So in essence the message was, "If you want 'Death to Israel' you should support continued Syrian Occupation in Lebanon because Syria is there to help Hezbollah bring 'Death to Israel'."

Yesterday's rally is an indication of support for the destruction of the Jewish state in Israel, not for Syrian occupation. Syrian Occupation is a tolerable price to pay for the destruction of Israel. Hezbollah continues to bomb within Israel despite attempts (though we will not debate the merit of the PA's attempts for peace today) by the Palestinian Authority to achieve a lasting peace and end the Israeli occupation of the various territories.

This is again an indication of the culture of the Middle East. They are willing to tolerate totalitarian regimes because many people can be hoodwinked into thinking "Death to Israel" or occasionally "Death to the Great Satan" is more important than freedom. And these regimes have remained in power because they can turn out busses of people to say they hate Israel. Big Shock. When they have freedom and democracy, they may decide that they would rather focus their efforts on internal education and economic development instead of lining the pockets of people like Arafat and devoting their time, money, and children's lives to destroying a nation that poses no threat to them, simply over an age old hatred and religious differences.

The Bush Doctrine that a free and democratic nation is a peaceful nation seems like a much better plan than turning a blind eye to the realities of the Middle East. The Dictatorships and Monarchies are preaching "Death to Israel" and it is the rallying cry, not as some might want to claim regarding yesterday's protest that the rallying cry is "We don't want Freedom or Democracy". Yesterday was not about Freedom, but rather about Israel.

The real question is as Bill puts it, "Is this a One and Done Protest?" Several sources within Lebanon offer views such as the Barbershop Perspective.

I just returned from a visit to my barber - a young Shi'a fellow from the Hizbullah stronghold of Dhayieh in Beirut's southern suburbs. I was quite surprised to find him open on the day that Nasrallah had commanded that all his supporters (especially the ones from Dhayieh) attend the demonstration in downtown Beirut, but this guy defied orders and kept his shop open, much to the dismay of his relatives. He told me that his father was calling him every few minutes demanding that he close for his own personal safety, because Hizbullah members had been sweeping through all the Shi'a-dominated neighborhoods, forcing business owners to close up and go down to the demonstrations. Our area is mostly Sunni, by the way, but this still did not entice customers into his shop just the same. I was his first customer today, and I will probably be the only one today. His shop is within line of sight from our apartment - I can see that he is still open, even as the demonstrations have begun. Good for him.

How many times can Hezbollah demand that everyone close their businesses and take busses to hear Death to Israel? Is Death to Israel getting people jobs or sending people to college? Sure the message has a certain ring to it and fires up the masses, but in the end, it is the same tired old message and people are getting wise enough to realize that destroying Israel is not really hurting Israel... it is destroying Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and the other nations that devote their money and time to perpetuating a half century old war that was over in just six days.

Update by Bill:

Is Nasrallah's secret weapon the ability to bore his listeners death with mind numbing repitition? Lingua Frank of Rhetorical Flourishes has the skinny.