There's no option to whitelist in Adblock Fast, plus no other options. While it seems to work reasonably well, not having more options is a biggie for some. By the way, paying to support developers isn't a bad thing.
In regards to Crystal's deal, I have no issues with it. I've read his explanation and he's being open and transparent about it. He isn't sneaking anything in and you or other users can just opt in or out.
There could be developers out there who've already cut a deal and aren't disclosing a thing. At least this developer is being upfront about it and explaining what was done and how it will work.