I'm willing to soak up a bit of ill conceived torture on behalf of the part of the team that matters.
Why don't simulations matter? Uploads are as real people as real can be.
The issue isn't "status as a morally worthwhile person" but strategic position.
If there is a meaningful substrate/simulation dichotomy with all the normal hidden assumptions that go with this holding true (substrate supports the simulation with read/write editing powers over it, etc, etc) then the substrate is obviously the thing that matters because it actually does matter. Winning in one or another simulation but losing in the substrate is still losing because the simulation depends upon the substrate.
You can close your eyes and imagine a plea...
http://www.sl4.org/archive/0708/16600.html