If all they do is publish a list of Bitcoin addresses that have double-spend-proof smartcards behind their private keys, they can't lock you out of your own money [...]. This removes them from a position of power [...].
YOu're right about that as long as the smartcard behaves. Did you look at the approach that I suggested in the other thread? I'm proposing an approach that removes the 3rd party out of their position of power without requiring a smartcard.