Yes it is possible to value freedom and see Android as superior. But it's the degree of Freedom the individual is looking for. For example, Android is more free than the iPhone, but both are less than Maemo. But that doesn't make it necessarily worse, it just depends on what you want out of it.

Maemo will always have Android beat in the freedom aspect unless Nokia starts locking it down more or Google lightens up. And yes maemo is inferior in smartphone penetration.