First of all, it's not a fad. It basically taking advantage of a method that the pro's stumbled onto when they did the their whirlpool and they been doing this for decades. They had to leave the the late addition and flame out hops in contact without a boil and they got great results. It's possible to pull a lot of flavor from the hops without the beer being too bitter, that's the aim of this method. The latest addition of Zymology magazine covers this in their article on hops and bitterness and; specifically addresses whirlpool additions.
Second, every time someone challenges an orthodoxy of brewing set by either Palmer or Papazian, it's immediately dismissed because they don't endorse this new method. I doubt either of these two authors would be comfortable with this conculsion. These men are fallible and new techniques are developed all the time, it's how progress is made.
Calling me a yahoo is vain attempt to diminish my argument. It would be ideal if these ideas could be discussed in a friendly discourse without someone becoming offended or threatened by the idea. It's just a friendly chat about making beer, nothing more. If you don't agree with it, I'm okay with that and I'm sure others are as well.
By the way, I take no offense in you calling me a yahoo, there are many days I would agree with you.