That is simply untrue: at the very least, the mechanical effects ensconced in certain abilities- Protection from ________, Detect ________, Smite ________, etc.- are gone, and given the way the AEDU system constrains variety for most classes, it is not something you can easily bring back.
Absolutely true, and I don't have any objections to someone advocating a return to more mechanical connections to alignments. But that's not what the initial post itself is asking for.
Look, here are the key things I see wlmartin saying/asking for:
"Alignments were something personal, you roleplayed your alignment"
"Also, the concept of Alignment (which D&D pretty much invented) was a guideline for playing your character."
"Playing an Evil character was fun!!"
"I just yearn to be CG again"
"Chaotic Good was the best Alignment to be. It meant you didn't give a poop about the rules and law but would do the right thing. You were a renegade, a rebel!"
None of that requires a Detect Evil spell, or Holy Word, or Paladin or Bard alignment limitations. One can certainly debate over the merit or flaws of having those mechanical limitations - there are valid points to be made both for and against them - but the actual act of playing a CG character? Having alignment as a guideline for playing your character, as advice for roleplaying? The enjoyment of playing an evil character? Or 'a renegade, a rebel'?
None of that has gone away. And I honestly, genuinely, don't understand what is standing in the way of wlmartin writing down "Chaotic Good" on his character sheet, or even just leaving it blank and playing the character that way anyway.