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Byron Edgington

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Blogs by Byron Edgington

Marriage Equality: Cleared for Takeoff
5/16/2013 5:01:59 AM

When the physical forces aline, and aircraft will fly
This may seem like a strange post on a blog about an aviation book, but there is a connection. Call it the same connection that must exist between physical forces before an aircraft of any kind will defy gravity and take to the air. We helicopter pilots know this connection, this balance only too well. It involves the opposing forces of gravity and lift. When the two forces are synchronized, an aircraft will fly. To climb or descend, a pilot uses those same physical forces to adjust altitude, either more or less, depending on what’s required. We could say gravity always wins. Aviators claim that landings are mandatory; takeoffs are optional, but gravity only wins because a pilot (and to some extent his/her fuel supply) allows it to.
What’s this got to do with marriage equality? Think of the growing acceptance in this country of civil marriage equality, so called gay marriage, as the desire for LGBT people to fly like the rest of us. The opposing force of gravity for them has been opposition from those of us who weren’t aware of the inequality for one reason or another, those who didn’t care about marriage rights (or rites), or those who actively opposed such ‘gay marriages’ on religious principles. Take Minnesota as an example. In the last day or so the legislature in Minnesota has endorsed civil marriage equality. The I-35 bridge was lit to reflect this change in state law, and soon LGBT people in Minnesota will able to marry the person they love, to take off and fly just like their straight friends and family and neighbors have been able to do forever. The physical forces have alined in Minnesota, and equality has succeeded. I flew a helicopter for a very long time, more than 12,000 hours logged time in the cockpit. Some of that time was in combat, in a war long ago and far away, attempting to share with the Vietnamese people the same equality of rights I enjoyed as an American. The trend is clear and undeniable; our gay and lesbian friends and family members will very soon have the same right to marry we take for granted. When I see fellow Americans gain their equal rights, in this case marriage rights, I know the years I spent in uniform meant something, that what I did mattered. It’s always good to see that physical forces eventually even out, allowing all of us to fly.

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More Blogs by Byron Edgington
• Off Ramp: Weekly Short for 12/01/2014 - Saturday, December 6, 2014
• Weekly Short Story - Saturday, November 15, 2014
• The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life, $1.99 for Kindle - Tuesday, November 4, 2014
• The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life, 99 cents for Kindle - Sunday, November 2, 2014
• 99 cent sale starting 11/7 - Monday, October 27, 2014
• Interview: Mike Petersen, Killer Book Marketing - Tuesday, October 14, 2014
• Audio Review_The Unheralded King - Sunday, October 5, 2014
• Audio Book Reviews - Wednesday, October 1, 2014
• SkyWriting: Essays on the Art and Craft of Aviation - Tuesday, September 16, 2014
• Silent Sky: From 9/11/202 - Thursday, September 11, 2014
• Great stories and a chance to help - Monday, August 25, 2014
• The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life, $4.95 for Kindle - Saturday, August 23, 2014
• SkyWriting: Essays on the Art and Craft of Aviation - Monday, August 11, 2014
• Book review: There I Wuz - Monday, August 4, 2014
• Lip smacking mystery - Tuesday, July 22, 2014
• Book review: The Silver Star - Saturday, July 5, 2014
• Book Review: Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses - Sunday, June 29, 2014
• Free author promo - Monday, May 19, 2014
• Looking for flying tales - Wednesday, May 14, 2014
• Nerds of Ohio unite! My review of Best of Ohio - Friday, May 2, 2014
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• Marriage Equality: Cleared for Takeoff - Thursday, May 16, 2013
• dead monk seals in Hawaii - Monday, May 13, 2013
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