That is, I think, the widely held view. I somehow think that BF would not have advocated actual stripping of their rights. More of a social statement, such an a

That is, I think, the widely held view. I somehow think that BF would not have advocated actual stripping of their rights. More of a social statement, such an act diminishes his respect for them. I think that the motive behind it is probably the fact that practically, these rights must be asserted by enough people in order to exist in a society. Shirking this responsibility is contributing to the demise of these rights. The only thing I still disagree with you on is your use of the word 'choice.' You wouldn't say that you 'choose' to drive on the right side of the road, pay taxes or get a stamp on your passport when you visit countries, would you? I think you need to make a distinction between a choice that if free and a "choice" that isn't. Even if you don't use different words this is important because otherwise you can't really have any usable explanation of what is infringing on one's freedom.