Please follow the link that I provided in post #21. It is a clear (I think) statement of the FAA position. That's the source that I have been quoting in this thread. I would also argue that the text of Part 107 essentially says the same thing, but requires more patience to read.
While I'm starting to feel that I'm beating a dead horse here, I'll add a few more observations. I'm not disputing your interpretation of the model aircraft special rule - what I'm saying is that it is now subsidiary to the FAA Part 107 regulation governing UAS operations. I think that the confusion is arising because the special rule came first, and is leading to a backwards understanding of the current state of the law. Part 107 is now the FAA law on all sub-55-lbs UAS operations. As the FAA statement that I linked to clearly (IMO) states, the special rule is now a specific exemption from Part 107, but it only applies if you follow the model aircraft guidelines. It doesn't matter that those are guidelines rather than rules, laws, regulations or whatever because, if you don't follow them, you are no longer flying under the special rule, and instead are subject to the full provisions of Part 107. To put that another way, Part 107 is not a specific set of regulations that apply if you choose to fly commercially - it is the law on UAS operations unless you claim exemption under the special rule and follow the appropriate guidelines.
As I said previously - that's not some obscure interpretation that I'm making - it is spelled out in black and white by the FAA. So - if you disagree, having read the FAA interpretation that I linked to - please explain your reasoning. Simply quoting recreational guidelines does not address the overarchinbg applicability of Part 107.