I take slight issue with "Let's Encrypt certificates are indeed the lowest grade of SSL certificates". Other issuers perform domain validation in the same ways

I take slight issue with "Let's Encrypt certificates are indeed the lowest grade of SSL certificates". Other issuers perform domain validation in the same ways (specific content at a specific URL, DNS records, e-mail validation, etc.) as LetsEncrypt. LE just makes it easier. And, from a technical perspective, certificate X from issuer A is no different than certificate Y from issuer B (assuming both A and B are trusted root CAs, same key length, etc.). If your issue is with DV vs. EV, yes, I agree that LE certs aren't on the same level as EV certs, but that's not the problem LE is trying to solve.