English Cottage Style

As I've posted before, you fellas know that your Head Trucker gets off on looking at old house plans, and even trying to draw some of my own.  The English cottage style was way big in the 20's and 30's, and I remember as a kid I used to see a lot of old houses around town built that way - of course, being a goofy kid, I just thought they looked weird, with their narrow, pointy gables and long, long rooflines.  (I never heard anyone use the term "catslide roof" back then, but it's a great description.)

Even now, this is not a style I would ever choose for my own house - I'm a Colonial Revival man - but at this late age I can appreciate the artistry that went into them.  Here's a couple of pretty cool houses to share with you, from a 1924 Bilt-Well catalog of plans (see a lot more on the slideshow at Antique Home.)  Click to enlarge:

Dig the colored stonework around the doorways.
And notice the attached garage, a rarity at the time.

That catslide roof would have been way too tempting for a little boy who loved to climb - like yours truly.

And while we're on the subject, might as well show you Eudora Welty's Tudor-style home in Jackson, built in 1925, in which she lived until her death in 2001.

It's a very roomy, livable place.  You can see the floor plans and take a virtual tour over at the Welty House website.

And I was really amazed to learn some time ago that the architect her father (an insurance company executive) engaged to design the house is the same man - Wyatt Hedrick - who designed the awesome Art Deco Texas & Pacific buildings in downtown Fort Worth, local landmarks (my God, they're huge, you can't miss them) now turned into very high-priced condos.

They just don't build 'em like they used to, eh guys?

God Hates Olivia's Two Mommies

. . . That's the implied message Jill and Tracy Harrison got when their daughter was denied admission to St. Vincent's Cathedral School down here in Bedford, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  The school is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, which along with a handful of other dioceses and parishes across the country, seceded from The Episcopal Church in 2008 specifically over the consecration of gay bishops and the growing acceptance of gays and lesbians in the national church.  The diocese is now a leading member of the breakaway Anglican Church in North America, but has not changed its name.

The Anglican Church in North America is not part of the Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  But it is in full communion with, among others, the Anglican Churches of Nigeria and of Uganda - which as you all know, have been promoting imprisonment and even execution of gays in those countries. 



The school has refunded the $100 application fee, and the Harrisons have placed Olivia in another private school which has no problem with Olivia's moms, who were married in Canada in 2006.

This being Texas, the comments on the local NBC affiliate's website run overwhelmingly like this:

• Hah - I think they did do the right thing (the church school)- it's the two "mothers" who forced the issue - you want to get in everyone's face -
• This being the 21st century, and all, why can't Jill get it through her head that the Episcopal church is based on theology that contradicts her lifestyle choices? This smells like another attempt by the gay community to play the victim
• The tolerance that they enjoy in this and other western societies is a direct product of Christian culture. Don't believe me? Let them vacation openly in most Islamic or other non-Christian cultures, then get back to me on that.
• Private school, private values, don't agree go somewhere else.
• If they wanted their child to be offered an education then they could have taken her to a public school system. How in the world can this combo of church/school begin to tell their students that same sex marriage is wrong if you have a child in the school who currently lives in it? Regardless whether we as a society think its right or wrong, the bible and God says its wrong.
• Poor, mistreated gays. Wah, Wah, Wah. Play the "victim" card. There are PLENTY of other places their child can get an education. To expect a Christian school with Christian beliefs to compromise their teachings so this couple can flaunt their lifestyle is nonsense.
• I homeschool, and belong to a homeschool academic co-op. Our group publishes a "statement of faith" and anyone that wishes to join has to believe in that statement. We wouldn't let a lesbian "family" join.

You see the kind of world I'm living in down here, fellas?  But this one takes the cake:

• Equal rights will be the downfall of this once great nation. Just because you are equal under the law doesn't mean you are right.

What I Say:  Much as I sympathize with the Harrisons' frustration, and the little girl's disappointment, the parents do seem to have been, um, pretty clueless about what they were doing.  Obviously, they are not Episcopalians or they would have known gayness is the big, hairy hot-button issue for that diocese.

But it's too damn easy nowadays to do a little background research on things:  look before you leap, ya know?  If it had served a worthwhile purpose as some form of protest or whatever, that would be one thing.  But by all accounts, the parents were totally surprised that the school barred their little girl.

But I'm sure Olivia will be truly much happier at her new school, instead of lumped in with the homophobes at St. Vincent's.

Cowtown Clash over LGBT Rights

Christianists got in teh gays' faces during protests yesterday at the Fort Worth City Hall.  Mike Lee reports in the Star-Telegram:

The City Council voted 6-3 late Tuesday to expand its anti-discrimination ordinance to include transgender people, capping a marathon debate over a series of gay-rights proposals that were forwarded after a controversial inspection of a gay bar.

A majority of council members spoke in favor of the proposal when it was introduced last week.  The inspection at the Rainbow Lounge in June left a man injured and sparked protests in the city.  Fort Worth officials appointed a task force to recommend ways to mend fences with the gay community shortly afterward.  The vote dealt only with one facet of the proposals: expanding the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to include transgender people. The ordinance already prevented discrimination based on race, sex, religion or sexual orientation.

A lot of the debate, though, centered on broader proposals, some of which the council has already tacitly approved. City staffers will be trained on dealing with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and the Police Department has appointed a liaison to the community. Other recommendations will require further study, including offering domestic-partner benefits and expanding the city health insurance plan to cover gender reassignment procedures, including sex changes.

Very amusing video report here for all you big confused, effeminate, hellbound sissy sodomites:

Fort Worth Cops Get Off Easy

An official apology:  Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead admits that his officers "violated the trust of the GLBT community" during a bar raid at the Rainbow Lounge last June that was "perceived to be aggressive, rude, and unprofessional" and left one patron hospitalized with a serious head injury.  Although the officers admittedly created an atmostphere of "fear and confusion," yet "It was very clear from this inquiry that there was no malice or ill will on the part of any officers who entered the Rainbow Lounge," he said.

Video of Chief Halstead's remarks and a response from Fairness Fort Worth as well as bar manager Randy Norman here.

Fort Worth Police released the final report of their internal investigation yesterday:  three officers were given a one or three days' unpaid suspension for not following proper procedures.  Norman calls the light disciplinary actions "a joke, a slap on the hand."  Fairness Fort Worth is calling for an independent investigation of the incident, as are city council members Joel Burns and Kathleen Hicks.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which fired two agents for misconduct during the raid, also released their report (pdf), which nevertheless concluded "no evidence agents used excessive force" although two patrons were injured and six arrested for "public intoxication."

Question:  Is there any other state besides Texas where people are routinely arrested for "intoxication" while in a licensed bar or nightclub?  Because cops barge in and "smell alcohol" on people's breath?  Read the FWPD report (pdf) - I'm not making this up.

How fucked up is this?  Let me know if that happens where you live, guys.