even if at times you've appeared to claim that the hosts file is a panacea.
I never *ONCE* have!
You don't claim that. Others have accused you of claiming that, and that's where they pick up misconceptions. The hosts file is one layer, and in-browser policy add-ons are another layer to pick up anything bad that slips past hosts.
hosts even add anonymity (vs. dns request logs)
This use of hosts essentially treats it as a DNS cache. But you still have to make DNS requests after the cache period expires to see if the record has changed. Otherwise, after the site you're trying to access has moved to a different IP address, you'll likely end up hitting the server of the attacker who has snagged that same address.