I largely agree with you. I view moving thresholds with suspicion when you're trying to report effect sizes, but sure, I mean, I don't doubt the association. I

I largely agree with you. I view moving thresholds with suspicion when you're trying to report effect sizes, but sure, I mean, I don't doubt the association. I doubt the magnitude, not the association per se. And I absolutely agree that a sort of nonparametric post hoc approach that you poo-pooed would be even more highly suspect. But I don't see the choice of thresholds as simply a reporting step that can be manipulated ad lib without adjustment of your belief in the association and magnitude of effect. (I don't mean to imply that you think that you can adjust cutoffs willy-nilly - just stating my opinion clearly here.)