You dont have to be in Iraq to protest about it.
I suppose not. Did Rachel Corrie know trhe risks of going there? No. These professional American protesters, who apparently hold no 9-5 jobs they have to report to, and have unlimited resources to travel domestically and abroad to protest, know nothing of the risks. What are the risks of violently protesting Stateside? You get arrested, put in a bus with a bunch of groovy, fun people where you sing Imagine and Kumbaya on the way to comfy city jail, and then you get off with a small fine (worst case scenario) or nothing, usually. You make new friends along the way. It's a social situation in this cold, lonely world, don't discount that aspect. Americans know nothing of risks.