So you think that the magicians in Florida and Houston with the help of seven astronauts could have "found" a way to get Columbia to the ISS by "lightening the load" enough so the available Delta V would be sufficient. That kind of magic only takes place in Hollywood or Disneyland.
The Apollo 13 team worked with what was at least theoretically possible. Getting Columbia from its planned orbit and docking it with ISS was not even theoretically possible. It is not "bull..." it's reality.