August 1992 Issue

Features
A System Gone Bad
Kenneth McDuff is just one among hundreds of violent criminals who never should have been paroled—but they were.

Nice Guys Finish Last
A pivotal loss in the 1970 Senate race shaped George Bush’s future. An excerpt from a new book on the 1988 presidential campaign.
Elephant Walk
Jim Baker’s boyhood home, take in Robert Mosbacher’s old stomping grounds, and see the Houstonian suite where George Bush slept!
“Read My Lips: No New Texas”
George H. W. Bush has given Texas the Republican convention—and little else.
Masquerader of The Lost Ark
Who came first—Indiana Jones of Hollywood or Vendyl Jones of Arlington, the archaeologist who has spent years trying to dig up the fabled Ark of the Covenant?
Miscellany
Rodeo Reliquary, 1991
After a visit abroad in 1987, Sean Earley transformed his art. He returned steeped in Italy’s ubiquitous religious imagery, eager to paint the icons of his home state’s country and western myths (see “Earley Texas,” TM, December 1990). In this memorial scene, the Rodeo Queen presides over ascending contestants. Set
State Fare
Treebeards does lunch. Not the hasty post-modern “Let’s do lunch” but the leisurely traditional “Will you join me for lunch?” Inside the flagship Market Square location (315 Travis) in Houston, ceiling fans waft a breeze across baskets of fresh produce while customers queue up to peruse the possibilities: shrimp étouffée,
Columns
A Goode Idea
How the owner of Goode Company in Houston took the three basic Texas food groups—barbecue, Tex-Mex, and burgers—and built an empire.
Threat or Menace?
Ross Perot is a candidate for president because a lot of people want him to be. He has acted in a very clever, innovative way to arouse and build that support, but the support truly did arise and grow. That means that Perot’s campaign is a pure expression of democracy.
Food Get Your Goat
Juan Espinoza’s classy cabrito puts Johnny’s restaurant in front of the herd.
Sibling Revelry
Austin film-maker Robert Rodriguez has joined the growing list of up-and-coming minority directors.
Reporter
The Puffy Taco
HIS HEAD IS A TOMATO CHUNK. HIS tortilla shell is surprisingly furry. His feet look like jalapeño peppers. And when kids tackle him during the sixth-inning footrace at the San Antonio Missions’ home games at V. J. Keefe Field, they sometimes send his shredded lettuce and grated cheese flying. What’s
Cattle Recall
John L. Guldemann scorns claims that Longhorns damage the natural area.
Web
Cajun Gumbo
Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo2/3 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup flour 2 cups each chopped white onion and bell pepper 1 1⁄2 cups chopped celery 1/2 teaspoon each salt, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon each filé powder, poultry seasoning, and beef base (or 1 bouillon cube) 2 bay leaves
Jalapeño Cornbread
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 5 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 1 pound) 5 cups yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 cups creamed corn 1/2 cup chopped white onion 1/3 cup sliced jalapeño peppers 6 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs 2 1/3 cups milkPreheat oven to