Top Bunk Tester,
You're spot on. A number of us feel the same way. In accepting the verdict of the CM, I can only summise the utter panic going on in the flight deck.
The big 'scratch' that I can't itch, like you, is how he didn't see or notice the obstruction. It's already been mentioned that, unlike a control column, you need to make a positive effort to move your head and check the side-stick. So what!! Move your damm head then! I've had a control restriction in a FBW a/c where the controls are not immediately in your line of sight. One of the first things I did was to move my head down and look in between my legs to see if anything was blocking the controls. I then asked the other guy to do the same. My immediate and automatic response was 'what the hell is stoping the stick from moving?', and so I looked down.