Besides, are you really going to argue with Satoshi?
Satoshi gave us something really fantastic and I appreciate that more than most...
...but an appeal to authority is not an argument.
Besides, no one is perfect (otherwise mining pools wouldn't exist and solo mining would be the only option).
He also said the following.
What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party.
If I have to rely on another person to provide me with the block chain data, that is clearly the need for a trusted third party.