Some things are like futbol - there's no instant replay. Lawyering up isn't going to impress anyone.
From the response I have received from Kaggle/GE I get the impression, under no circumstances what so ever would they go back and change the published results of this competition.
Yes. That's the purpose.
The teleology of gamified competition is toward declaring a winner. The rules are structured with that in mind. Those rules are different from the marketplace where protesting and litigation are allowed and consequently, declared winners are simply a matter of opinion, not fact.
Accepting mistakes as part of the game is sportsmanship. And it was a game. Best to move on to the next one: http://www.kaggle.com/competitions
I certainly agree with that part of your statement.
I have a hard time thinking about moving on to a new competition, this one has left such a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe time will change my mind, but certainly not happening any time soon.
A bit of my background - I referee futbol (or as we call it, soccer). Every game, I try to give my best performance to the players. Sometimes, I make bad calls. The score is still the score.
Obviously, you're pretty damn good. Your competitors deserve to compete against you. Cheating is unfair. Mistakes aren't. Play long enough and it all evens out. At least statistically.
Good luck.