I guess it depends on what one considers "KISS".
I just don't like to have things installed that aren't necessary. If those
are necessary, I don't see any reason to remove them. I did, however, remove
ssh because I don't use it for example. For me it's a matter of simplicity.
Now, that doesn't mean that I have to go with tools different than the ones I
prefer. I like icedove because it supports torbirdy and enigmail. And I
actually like GNOME though I try to keep it "clean" of stuff I don't use. For
me that is KISS.
Thanks for the help anyway :)