only to attack her for saying something derogatory about Mike Tyson's rape victim.

what she was doing. It seemed so random at the time.

I had no idea what the issue was. I think an Irish audience would have understood at the time, but this was on an American program, and it was only much later that I heard it was about child abuse by priests.

Good point!

I also admire John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry. Every once in while some people just can't stand idly by and watching other people suffer. Suffer rape, suffer slavery.

She also said that the world would be better off if everyone smoked cannabis, and I agree.

If she had only said that earlier. That her frustration was with an institution that allows and condones the abuse of children instead of taking it out on one particular individual.

its coming damn close to be.

Maybe I missed it back then, but as far as I ever knew, it was simply an insult to the Catholic faith. A little bit of info might have gotten her a little less hated.

and I knew exactly what she was protesting.

There were a few stories in the news already at that time about abuse cases in the RC Church. As well, Sinead herself had spoken up about it.
I thought at the time it was truly a brave truth-to-power moment.

Left home, left the church, never looked back.

Since she is Irish, I am sure she knows very much about the Irish Catholic Church, since the majority of Irish people identify with the Irish Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church has a lot to answer for. Not only did they protect pedophiles, they also protected murderers. If a priest committed a heinous crime, the Church would just simply move him to another parish so that he could continue his heinous behavior. However, so many of us would rather stick our heads in the sand, or stick our fingers in our ears, or cover our eyes rather than face the truth that is staring us right in the face.

I totally agree that Sinead O'Connor has been vindicated.

They didn't fall on deaf ears, they fell on arrogant ears. "There's nothing wrong with *our* church, 'the one True Church'!" They dictated what could and couldn't be shown on film so as to be "decent". I'm not feeling decency when a priest rapes a kid. That's not what comes to mind.

Now, 40ish years and thousands of victims later - from just *one* state - that arrogance is conspicuous in its absence.

So, imo, Ms. O'Connor is either prescient or is a victim. Either way, she deserves respect.

But yes, your point is cogent.