Does protesting in the streets ever work?

Does doing mass protest ever work?

On local issues I can see it working. Ie protesting against your local council or your workplace.

But on huge issue like war. Vietnam war you have demostrations after demonstations. Did that stop the war? The US only stopped when they lost the war. The iraq war protest didn't stop the war. In UK the mass protest against the ban on fox hunting didnt change anything.

Live 8 is a mass demostration by itself against the G8 summit. Does it do anything?

The media doesn't like protests, they find the nuttiest protestors and only show them, then they use them to smear the whole movement. Rioting is more effective, as it shocks the population more. Strategic riots are the way to go, and fun. I'd join the black bloc but I'm a pussy. The next step is revolution, but most people are too big of pussy's like me to make it work.