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Robert Draper

Features

“I Think We Got Blown Up for Nothing”

What happened to the brave men of Bravo Troop is everything, writ small, that’s gone wrong in our nearly-five-year fiasco of a war in Iraq. January 2008

The Evolver

“All you’ve got is a famous name,” a Republican operative told George W. Bush. But six years later he was governor, and six years after that he was president. And six years after that, his place in history—not to mention the fate of the world—is a little uncertain. October 2007

Made in America

A generation after he crossed the border to work for my family, Vicente Martinez is the foreman of a ranch in the Hill Country, not far from his kids and grandkids. And yes, they all have their papers. This is an immigration story with a happy ending. May 2007

Wheel in the Sky

For the residents of a tiny Panhandle town, a horrific accident at the State Fair fifty years ago reverberates still—and will haunt them forever. October 2005

Truth, Justice, and the (Un)American Way

Everyone expected Clark Kent Ervin to parlay his loyal Bush Republicanism into big things in Washington. Which is why his sudden exit from the Department of Homeland Security was so surprising. April 2005

Clifford’s Blues

Up on federal drug charges for the second time in fifteen years, the impresario of Antone’s nightclub in Austin may finally have to face the music. October 1997

My Favorite Marfa

It’s still the best little town in Texas. October 1997

Soldiers of Misfortune

The killing of Ezequiel Hernandez, Jr., by a U.S. Marine in the tiny town of Redford raises many questions—most troubling of all, Why are armed soldiers patrolling the border? August 1997

Happy Doomsday

In the wake of Heaven’s Gate, the media marched en masse to Abilene, the home base of the House of Yahweh, whose charismatic leader, Yisrayl Hawkins, was supposed to be the next David Koresh. Not even close. July 1997

Big Fish

Galveston native Tilman Fertitta made his share of enemies when he was building his seafood empire in the eighties. These days, though, he’s winning over his hometown, and he’s doing it by taking on the island’s most influential family. May 1997

The Crossing

If U.S. officials put an end to illegal trips across the Rio Grande at Boquillas, the enchanting border town will find itself caught between countries and cultures. Of course, that’s where it has always been. April 1997

A Shrimp Tale

After nearly fifty years of working Matagorda Bay, Vernon Bates could soon watch his business shut down for good—and so could the thousands of other shrimpers who make their living on the Gulf Coast. October 1996

Literature • Mary Karr

Form follows dysfunction. September 1996

State Politics • Dan Morales

Courting controversy. September 1996

The Last Refuge

For years the dusty outpost of Terlingua has been a magnet for renegades and loners looking for a haven from the modern world. No wonder the brother of the suspected Unabomber holed up there. June 1996

The Great Texas Prison Mess

Something stinks in the Department of Criminal Justice, and it’s a lot more than VitaPro. A special report on the worst state scandal in decades. May 1996

The Horse Killers

The shocking and sad story of the East Texas kids who beat a horse to death just for the thrill of it. March 1996

Spoils Sports

Oilers owner Bud Adams is hightailing it to Nashville; Drayton McLane may move the Astros too—or sell. In Houston and across the country, rooting for the home team is quickly becoming a thing of the past. January 1996

Texas Twenty: Richard Linklater

Hollywood’s busiest slacker. September 1995

Rudy Awakening

As Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich is discovering, it's one thing to win the MBA title—and quite another to play like champions. March 1995

The Sheriff Who Went to Pot

Brig Marmolejo may have been convicted of bribery, but he is more than just another crooked cop in South Texas. His is the story of borders easily crossed—the ageless parable of the Rio Grande Valley. December 1994

Charles Hurwitz

A true post-boom-and-burst CEO. September 1994

The Capital Call Girls

The shocking story of Austin’s underworld, and how a state bureaucrat got in too deep. August 1994

Nouveau Grub

Around the state, a smorgasbord of stylish new restaurants defines the Texas bitegeist. May 1994

The Twilight of the Texas Rangers

Are the legendary lawmen necessary? Yes, but their inability to grapple with the modern world threatens to make them irrelevant. February 1994

The Great Defenders

Who cares if they dress differently, act differently, and spell their names differently? Brother Dick DeGuerin and Mike DeGeurin are two of the best attorneys in Texas, and for that they can thank their mentor, legal legend Percy Foreman. January 1994

Manhunt at Menard Creek

The death of a thief in the Big Thicket has federal officials probing the conduct of local lawmen—and local lawmen complaining about a federal vendetta against the Texas prison system. October 1993

O Janis

Janis Joplin’s life was about music, rebellion, and excess—but she was influenced most by her tormented relationship with the people and spirit of Port Arthur. October 1992

Lyle’s Style

Nothing about Lyle Lovett suggests he’d ever make it big. That’s precisely why he did. October 1992

Elephant Walk Visit

Jim Baker’s boyhood home, take in Robert Mosbacher’s old stomping grounds, and see the Houstonian suite where George Bush slept! August 1992

The Blood of the Farentholds

Sissy Farenthold’s family has long battled with its capacity for self-destruction. With the disappearance of her youngest son, the battle is once again joined. April 1992

Beware the Grace of God

Troubled boys at this Baptist youth home had to eat soap if they said the wrong thing. And that was one of the milder punishments. January 1992

Dan Rather Is a Good Ol’ Boy

But he’d rather not leave CBS to return to Texas, at least not yet. November 1991

A Guard In Gangland

Never before had a correctional officer been tried for the murder of an inmate—and never before had such chilling details been revealed about how our prisons really work. August 1991

Poor Willie

When the IRS seized all that Willie Nelson had, it was a case of the man who can’t say no meeting the men who won’t take no for an answer. May 1991

Columns | Miscellany

State of the Reunion

It was strange enough that I returned to my hated Houston high school after twenty years—but stranger still, I enjoyed it. October 1996

Tough Love Story

How tough should our response to juvenile crime be? No less tough than it is now—but no tougher either. October 1996

Death of a Fixer

November 1992

The Invisible Man

El Paso author Cormac McCarthy has always shunned fame, but his latest novel may nally force him into the spotlight. July 1992

Mr. Malcontent

More Lenny Bruce than Jerry Seinfeld, Hicks wins fans by showing them his dark side. June 1992

Reporter

Colonel of Truth

My grandfather's Watergate. November 2003

Cell-Out

A little-known financial institution could be the future of the war on poverty in Texas. June 1997

Donkey Business

Small-town Texas gets a taste of national politics up close. October 1992