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1. 04:10 PM - Right of the People (nico css)
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| Subject: | Right of the People |
I found this article by Paul Berge in Pacific Flyer (www.pacificflyer.com)
in the July 2009 edition. Paul has been my favorite aviation author for a
long time.
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They gathered in a circle beneath the hangar's dusty shop lamp. Shadows
forced Curtis to shift to keep the newspaper in the light.
"Read it again," someone asked in a soft voice. Curtis cleared his throat
before reading the newly ratified amendment to the Constitution: "A well
regulated Sky, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of
the people to keep and fly Aircraft, shall not be infringed."
"Man, that's good," Jean muttered. "And all in one sentence. Did you notice?
That's good writing. How many words in it?"
Curtiss counted and answered, "Twenty-seven." And they all stood quietly
considering the impact of those few words that seemed to guarantee their
right - not merely a privilege - to fly.
"Shall not be infringed, " Doug repeated. His voice rolled up from some deep
recess, gaining power as it left his mouth,. "That means we - the people -
got the right to fly, and no one, not even TSA, can take it away; 'bout damn
time, too."
And most of the crowd mumbled agreement, except Thomas who frowned and asked
to see the paper. He read it slowly to himself before saying, "This first
part concerns me." He tapped the paper with a finger.
"The way it starts, 'A well regulated Sky, being necessary to the security
of a free State...'"
"So what?" Doug interrupted. "Makes sense to have some rules, like we
already got for IFR, VFR, right-of-way and such..."
"Just concerns me," Thomas hesitated. "Like, maybe, the government might
point to the 'well-regulated' part whenever it wants to clamp down .."
"Shall not be infringed," Doug struck back. "That means we fly what we own,
and they got nothin' to say about it!" The vehemence with which he defended
the phrase masked an unspoken fear.
Thomas shook his head.
"Remember when TSA made us all get these silly badges just to get to our own
hangars?" He flicked the tag clipped to his overalls. "They decide what's
well regulated."
Doug slowly unclipped his security badge, smiled and tossed it to the floor.
The other stood in awe witnessing what they knew as an FAR violation.
Doug drew up his full six-foot-two-inch height and ground the offending
badge beneath his boot heel. Jean was next, and after she flung her security
badge to the oily pavement the other pilots threw theirs into a loose pile.
Only Thomas remained still wearing his badge. The clack on an air compressor
kicking on covered an uncomfortable silence.
But by the time it quit Thomas had gathered the badges and, adding his own,
dropped them into a trashcan. Once outside the hangar with the aerodrome
beacon flashing overhead, he drizzled avgas over them.
And then, before dropping a lit match, he intoned, "Shall not be infringed!"
It'd be left to future generations of pilots to decide if it was the
Constitutional amendment or the People's interpretation that saved aviation.
But on that July 4th evening a handful of rebel pilots declared independence
from tyranny.
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That about says it, Paul.
Thanks
Nico
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