The real logic of L3Harris protests

I had the same reaction to the opinions expressed by our candidates for city government relative to the idea of forcing L3Harris out of Northampton as did Marc Warner in his column “L3Harris protests are off-base and irresponsible,” Gazette, Sept. 4]. It makes me worry who may be making decisions for our city.

What is the premise behind the stance against having a high-tech military contractor in our city boundaries? To have a military defending the U.S., we need recruits and manpower. The members of the military need clothing and housing. They also need access to weaponry which allows them to match that of our potential adversaries.

The protesters against L3Harris are therefore taking either of two positions: they may be saying, as Mr. Warner suggested, they simply don’t want the production of some components of military hardware produced in our town (NIMBY). It is therefore fine to have that industry in someone else’s neighborhood.

The other implication of their actions is that they are actually protesting against the U.S. having any military at all. If there are no weapons, there can’t be a military. If that were said outright, I’m sure those who protest recognize that most of the community would completely dismiss their ideas as crackpot.

Several of the candidates for City Council and for mayor in the two forums expressed support for efforts to drive this company out of Northampton. Were they saying that as representatives of the citizens of Northampton that they would support disbanding the American military, or were they saying that our community is just too pristine to have an electronic manufacturer within our borders? Is this the nonsense they will bring into the city government?

It may be that those candidates were just pandering to the far left in Northampton. I would remind these candidates that are seeking to represent Northampton that there are now more unenrolled voters in Northampton than registered Democrats. Perhaps it might be wise to appeal to those voters, rather than ignoring them.

Jay Fleitman

Florence