1. I think that had AA's response to the very straight-forwardly worded FAQ of "Will the Confirmed Upgrade option reduce the number of premium class seats available to full-fare and AAdvantage elite customers?" been "We don't think so" or "It shouldn't" or even "Rarely, if ever", then perhaps fewer people would have interpreted it to mean "No". Instead, AA's response was "No." The fact that the "No." was followed by AA's reasoning for that "No.", doesn't change how the "No." is interpreted until events occur that make people go back and re-look at the answer (which still doesn't change the fact that the answer was "No.").
2. The fact that there are few reports, does not convince me that there have been few occurrences. It seems likely to me that, if there have been more than the reported occurrences, even those with a more sophisticated understanding of the upgrading system, could easily have missed them.
3. Did I just not notice it before or has there been a big increase in responding to posts one does not agree with by accusing the poster of being hysterical, a chicken little, or litigious? (This question is only mildly prompted by this thread.)