As far as I understand it, Richard Stallman has gotten his view about linking from FSF’s lawyers, who has advised the FSF about what does and does not count as a “derived work”, in the sense of US copyright law.

If you want to argue that the FSF’s lawyers are wrong, please provide more detailed, and hopefully referenced, arguments (as opposed to plain assertions).

Not the kernel, but LGPL libraries do have relevant carveouts. And if you've ever heard RMS speak, he is extremely particular and does understand the nuances of all this.