[TeMPOraL]

You answered your own question:

> You are right, JS is not needed if the site truly is static content. But if you try to make an interactive app that could be implemented client-side (AKA javascript) and attach a server to it, everybody will complain that the application doesn't respect the user's privacy, since it could be offline-only but it's not.

That's the gist of it. Don't use JS if not absolutely needed (or at the very least, don't make the site break without JS enabled). If needed, consider whether there is a valid technical reason why this should be a server-dependent web app in the first place - and if there is, consider supporting off-line mode where possible anyway.

It's a perfectly valid position to hold. It's a user-respecting and waste-minimizing view.