I have to fundamentally disagree, in that if "the concept of academic freedom is supposed to prevent individual researchers from having to in any way pay service, even lip service, to anything not directly related to their research" then we'd have even less teaching by professors in this country. Who the heck wants to teach linear algebra for the 47th time? or worse, precalculus? oh right, that's what pays the bills.
Please be accurate about academic freedom :)