Raid buffs and utility

For every class there is a cookie-cutter spec. If you like that you can use it and most of the time you will be okay with it.
Everyone can spec how they want to, they only need to spec for the role they desire in a group/raid. If, however you want to raid and have a static raidgroup, for progression, for instance, there are different specs for each role and you can free up points if the buff or utility is already filled out by a different class in your raid.

But now we aren't a progression guild, groups are mostly flung together from people "who are online at the time" - so you cannot leave out buffs/utility because you do not know what your group will have access to via other specs/classes.

And what's the point of all this: we had two Paladins in the raid last night and not one of them had Blessing of Kings. With chars in the raid who had bad blue gear and were more alts then mains, this is bad. There was no priest as well. So even worse.

This argument of "pala tanks don't need to skill BoK" is getting on my nerves. It's in the fucking Protection tree for a reason. Normally it goes like Holy Pala = skilled Blessing of Wisdom, Retribution Pala = skilled Blessing of Might and yes, Prot-Pala = BoK.

It has been a while since I played a protection Paladin, and they have changed a lot about the way Palas tank, but not taking BoK when I used to try to squeeze every bit of Stamina out of everything, these two Prot-Palas were making me angry. Not only that but they said that they had spent points in more important talents which would benefit the raid. So I had a look at their specs.

I LOL'ed.

And I LOL'ed some more about where they saw their raid utility:
Stoicism and Reckoning - good joke. I didn't know about Reckoning (because of the changes to white damage) but in my time Reckoning was something for soloplay, not for raids. More attacks against the boss --> more chance of the boss to parry (not such a good idea). And it isn't a better talent these days - as I found out by reading a very long discussion in the tankadin forum. Well, no cookie for our Pala-Tank.

And no points in Heart of the Crusader either, so much for doing something for the raid... okay, these points can be debated on. If you have an Elemental Shaman in the raid or a Retribution Pala or a Mutulate Rogue, you'll get the same buff.

It's as if there is no Mage or Druid in the raid and I wouldn't have skilled the talent for dispelling curses. Hello, Saphiron...
But as with everything, they think they know it all but really need to start thinking... and reading.