>do we really think its fair/appropriate/considerate to "petition" pg every time someone's submission is flummoxed //

As it appears this is the only way to appeal against what appears to be a bad algorithmic story rejection then IMO yes this is fair and appropriate.

If there were moderators or a user moderation process then these sorts of issues would get picked up there.

Of course PG is perfectly within his rights to ignore any such submission, depends on the purpose of the site really.