Squawk 8888, I certainly do not want to get in a pissing contest with you, but we are in fact both right about launch pads on the equator. It's a circular argument (chicken and egg stuff). You've looked at from an egg's perspective, I'm from the chicken's.
Weight reduction is caused by centripetal acceleration wrt inertial space opposing earth's gravitational pull. When centripetal acceleration equals earth's gravitational acceleration then weight equals zero and an object is in orbit around the earth. So from a 'chickens' point of view to put an object in orbit we need to reduce its apparent weight to zero.
However from an 'eggs' point of view to put an object in orbit you have to increase its velocity to the escape velocity. This turns out to be the velocity where centripetal acceleration wrt inertial space equals gravitional acceleration.
So both things go hand in hand. Weight reduction occurs as orbital velocity wrt inertial space increases. And launching near the equator in an easterly direction gives both a head start due to the rotation of the earth.