@ Rational
Excellent posts. It’s sad they seem to have gone underappreciated.
@ et al
Regarding the question of whether or not all Gadlus / Rabbanus is local please refer to the original smicha controversy (Rivash 271).
@ YO
While there where some interesting tidbits in what you wrote that may have been worth discussing they where unfortunately lost in so much verbal vomit. I will not be troubling myself to retrieve them.
@ ZD
Surely you do know that the Rosh and Tur where Ashkenazim. Did you happen to know what the Rosh held regarding the authority of the Ba’alai Tosafot vs the Rambam? How about the authority of Ashenazi customs and scholorship vs those of his adopted land?