Opponents of the Navy building an outlying airfield have been taking a different strategy these days.

It’s clear from the thousands of people who have shown up for presentations that no one wants the Navy jets practicing landings and takeoffs in their back yard.

Still, the Navy presses on and is expected to narrow its list of possible sites this week. Government officials have told supervisors that they did not intend to force any of the residents involved to host the airfield.

So to resist being “chosen” as the site, residents have taken to writing letters, e-mails, donning bumper stickers.

In short, local officials have admitted they don’t want to be perceived as the “path of least resistance.” Whether that impresses the Navy remains to be seen.