I totally agree with what you said. Maybe our lawn isn't as perfect as others, but at least we, and our pets, are healthy for not having used poisons.
I deal with the same issues of undesirable weeds in my pasture, but I'd rather pull and mow than risk poisoning.
I avoid mouse and rat poisons also... I just don't want the animals getting into the poison, or the dead rodents.
I figure at the rate humans are volunteerly spreading toxic poisons on lawns for that manicured *Desperate Housewives* neighborhood look the cancer rate in America should sky rocket very soon. Think water source, it comes from the ground or is piped in from another states ground source or lake which collects ground run offs. That's why stores discontinued flea and tick removal from lawns called Diazone(sp?)
I don't put any weed killer on my lawn either -- have a mulching mower so I don't bag grass clippings and gradually over the last few years, the grass has overtaken the weeds that were here when the house was bought several years ago. Also don't scalp my lawn so the grass is choking out the weeds. As my Dad always said -- weeds are green so just mow them off.
Only vegetation killer I used was for the poison ivy that was in the brook in the back of the property.