[deus]

I'd agree with most of that, except to say that perhaps it is not Atkins himself who has "demonised" carbs, since he does make it clear in his books that carbs (from veg, dairy, etc.) are vital to maintaining health, his point being that overloading of certain carbs artificially raises bloodsugar, leading to overproduction of insulin, leading to fat storage (as far as I remember... it's been a while...). There isn't much to argue with in that, and of course, the sort of whole carbs on the mb diet are of the slow-release energy type, making them unlikely to cause the bloodsugar-insulin-fat storage problems identified by Atkins.
Perhaps more to blame is a fad-hungry media/populous who jump on the over-simplified precis of Atkins which runs: protein+fat=good, carbs=bad. the DIY version that says if you don't eat carbs, you can eat whatever you want, which is not at all what Dr Atkins said in his writings.
Again, I'm saying this as one who doesn't agree that Atkins' Diet is a life solution for myself personally, or for the world in terms of sustainability (excellent points about organic food, meat industry have been made), though Atkins is advertised as a weight/health issue, not a philosophical/environmental world view.
However, especially since the man is no longer around to defend himself, maybe we should argue against those who have taken his ideas and run (wild) with them, rather than blaming him personally.
v interesting discussion