Agree completely on all points. I've also seen the large disconnect between people who say they practice Agile and those who have actually spent time to learn it.

Regarding the Agile manifesto. It seems like it's a relic of the past and perhaps that's why it's not included directly in the Scrum Rulebook. I haven't gotten any practical use out of it, and it seems to only confuse people who do not take a minute to interpret the wording at more than a superficial level.