Would you say the same about the BSDs, who have rewritten software because it was under the GPL?
I understand and respect their position too, and while I think it's probably a waste of time and effort, I think they're a little less misguided than the GPL group. I use both GPL and BSD tools every day, so I'm mostly indifferent.
Free software aims to safeguard the freedom and autonomy of computer users. I think these are important features.