I'll sign that petition. I'd love to lop that little ponytail-lock off the back of my consular's head.

Not quite. If someone checks the node but doesn't pick up the bounty, the node gets bugged - basically, it's locked to that person, waiting until that person returns or for the next server reset before the flag clears (and the node vanishes).

I don't really see how. You're concerned that the market would suddenly be flooded by people selling untrade-able BOA goods at unprofitably low prices?

You're welcome! Trade is a bit of a timing game, yeah. You're hoping that someone that wants the item is online right then and ready to buy. I'd like to see you be able to post stuff on the GTN with a very obvious "Bind on Acquire" flag. Sure, BOA goods are likely to sell for quite a bit less than unbound items, but that's kind of the point - there's still monetary incentive to provide unbound items to the market, but the folks that are looking to sell to those in need have a method of doing so.

It's a matter of realizing goals. The only goal that can be achieved on the GTN is "sell the item." It just doesn't have allowances for anything else. If you have a goal of "sell the item to someone that needs it at a reasonable price," the GTN isn't the right forum. The trade channel will work out much better for that. You still run the risk of someone buying it to resell, but you get to decide who buys the item and who doesn't.

While I can't explain what you saw, I'll guarantee that you're wrong about the "use it or lose it" nature of the missions. I've been parked on a dark side diplomacy mission for weeks. I wish I could just make the blasted thing go away by outwaiting it.