Richard
I think this needs to be separated into two audiences, if you will.
There are aviation professionals who understand exactly what Joe Sharkey has been saying, and agree with him. They would very much like to correct the multiple failings in aviation infrastructure here and know what needs to be done. However, they face a serious problem.
The public at large, fed by the sensationalist press and encouraged by self-serving politicians (I wouldn't put Demosthenes Torres in that group, BTW) who don't want to know about the problems. As you say, in the immediate aftermath the press blamed the American pilots, without the slightest shred of evidence. The official report received virtually no coverage in the general press, and so the public still believes that original impression. The politicians like to keep that going, as uncovering problems would reflect badly on their record in office.
I'm sure you saw the recent report on the promised changes at Congonhas following the TAM crash. Despite all of the wonderful promises, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has been done.
The point I'm trying to make is that if Joe Sharkey had put his ideas in a different way they would have had a wider acceptance and probably have contributed to an improvement if flight safety in Brazil.
TTFN