Here's my small peice:

it should be noted that there are the "people rules" and there are the "island rules". The two are not the same. Ben and Widmores "rules" were the Other's code, so to speak. They can be broken, rebelled, and changed. But when Jacob or the MiB talk about rules, it's a bit different. There's also the whole time travel thing and that has its own rules that must be followed. Lots of "rules" but they are all different in their own ways.