Fam--
Lots of the posters here don't seem to understand that rules are put in place to effect policies, that are supposed to reflect principles--and that when the rules are bent and discretion invoked in anything but the most extraordinary or inequitable situations, then the underlying principles are thrown out the window.
Nobody else joined my individual John Chaplin-induced boycott of USATF last year. I put my money where my mouth is. Did you boycott USATF last year as a result of the Chaplin injustices?
If if were up to me, I would permit the top performers in the past 6 months in each event to enter, in sufficient numbers to fill a predetermined number of fields. I would extend provisional invitations to a small number of athletes in each event based on times (say the 5 fastest who didn't make the cut), with the understanding that if there are any scratches in the first rounds, then they can hop in the race, in order of qualifying time.
I don't think it's equitable to reserve spots, or to use discretion to create spots, based on past international or national results. 4 years is a long time, as you know. The official benefits accruing as a result of the relevant victories should end with the glory of victory, and should not be a province of future privilege.
While I do think that there should be some minor discretion, it should only be used in the most extreme of circumstances--i.e. if an athlete was well on pace to qualify, and was fouled such that they didn't make the standard through no fault of their own...or if an athlete is so clearly jeopardizing their health or safety that they need to be pulled from contention (I have seen this, too, in PV--a guy injured his eye before a competition, and his coach somehow coerced the officials into letting him compete anyway, with disastrous results. I would have pulled him instantly, the way his eye looked).
In short, it's the put up or shut up paradigm. Run the standard, or don't. If you don't like the inequitable treatment, do something about it, actively--either terminate your association with USATF, or become very active politically.
You may have done one or both, I don't know--but I do know that I appreciate your coming on here and talking about it.
I personally was do disgusted by Chaplin's actions, and by USATF's endorsement of those actions, that I withheld my membership for one or two years, because it doesn't mean that much to me. You could have a different personal calculus.