The Texanist
March 31, 2012
The Texanist: Are “Truck Nuts” Appropriate?
How to respond to those weird bumper testicles, pledge allegiance to the flag, ask to see the top of someone’s boots, and decide between sweet and dill.
Columns
The Texanist
March 1, 2012
The Texanist: Can I Discipline My Niece Over Spilt Dr. Pepper?
Disciplining a wayward niece, care packages for Texas soldiers, revisiting South Padre, and the truth about raccoon penis bones.
Politics & Policy
March 1, 2012
Power Trio
In this excerpt from Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency, letters, interviews, and historic documents offer a revealing glimpse into the stormy relationship between Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedys.
Border & Immigration
March 1, 2012
Home Run
A jogging path along the Rio Grande was a treasured, secret place—until it became part of the front lines in a war I still don’t understand.
Behind the Lines
March 1, 2012
Class Warfare
Since 1984, the State of Texas has battled one school finance lawsuit after another. In nearly every case, the system has been ruled unequal, unfair, and unconstitutional—yet it remains largely unchanged. Will this time be any different?
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2012
Mappily Ever After
Once again, redistricting has devolved into a bitter, partisan, confusing, chaotic mess. But take heart, voters! There is a better way.
The Texanist
February 1, 2012
The Texanist: When Can Non-Native Texans Start Saying Y’all?
Learning to speak Texan, postprandial bed-sharing, how to start a fire, and a barber shop conundrum.
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2012
The Swan Song of Ron
This year’s Republican primary will most likely be Ron Paul’s final run for office. And to the surprise of a political establishment that long ago wrote him off, he’s going out on a high note.
Letter From Ingleside on the Bay
February 1, 2012
His Town
In 2004, after Marty Rathbun left the Church of Scientology and settled on the Texas Gulf Coast, he thought he had put his difficult past behind him. Then the Squirrel Busters showed up.
Hunting
January 1, 2012
The Bucks Stop Here
East Texas deer breeder Billy Powell flouted the laws against importing live whitetails, emailing photos of his illegally obtained animals to prospective customers. Then Texas Parks and Wildlife came calling.
Denton Cooley
January 1, 2012
Two Hearts
Conducting the country’s first successful heart transplant and the world’s first artificial heart transplant made Denton Cooley a household name—and turned one of his closest colleagues against him.
The Texanist
January 1, 2012
The Texanist: How Do I Get Out of a Wedding on Super Bowl Sunday?
Watching the Super Bowl on the sly, meeting the Hill Country neighbors, sharing a bed with man and dog, and smoking grapevine.
Business
December 1, 2011
Enron Ever After
Ten years ago this month, the company that once dominated Houston collapsed in a cloud of debt. But its ghost still haunts the city—and America.
The Texanist
December 1, 2011
The Texanist: Can I Teach My Neighbors Gravel-Road Etiquette?
Enforcing gravel-road etiquette, contemplating “turkey bacon,” reconsidering the bolo tie, and sussing out the true meaning of “goat roper.”
Music
December 1, 2011
The Keys to My Heart
For decades, I had an on-again, off-again love affair with the piano. Today, my ardor is once more in bloom—to the envy of even my husband.
The Texanist
October 31, 2011
The Texanist: If I Hit a Deer With My Car, is It Legal to Harvest and Eat It?
Our advice columnist on roadkill cuisine, zip-up “cowboy boots,” people we may or may not hate, a proud “fourth- or sixth-generation” Texan, and the best place to propose.
Hunting
October 31, 2011
Eat, Prey, Love
For decades, a treasured plot of Hill Country land meant one thing to the men in my family: a chance to kill lots of deer. Today, it means something different.
Letter from San Antonio
October 31, 2011
Dogs of War
Why did the world’s most high-tech military bring along a dog when it raided Osama bin Laden’s compound? A visit to Lackland Air Force Base’s canine training school, in San Antonio, provides a few answers.
Politics & Policy
October 31, 2011
Left Behind
Rick Perry’s stumbles on the national stage have inadvertently highlighted the weakness of his opposition back home—Texas Democrats.
Politics & Policy
September 30, 2011
Pioneer Up
The roots of Rick Perry’s frontier style.
The Texanist
September 30, 2011
The Texanist: How Do I Explain Topless Sunbathing in Austin to My Children?
How do I explain topless sunbathing in Austin to my children? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: I was in Austin visiting my brother recently, and he took me and my kids, a nine-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy, to Barton Springs Pool to go swimming.
Energy
September 30, 2011
Here’s the Drill
As hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking) has unlocked untold reserves of natural gas, it has also unleashed a wave of concerns about pollution and, for one family in the Barnett Shale, a long nightmare.
The Culture
September 30, 2011
Neighborhood Association
Why would anybody take a charming place like Highland Park, tear down the nice old homes, build new fortresses, gradually drain the neighborly spirit, and call that progress? Don’t ask me. I don’t get it either.
Politics & Policy
August 31, 2011
Big D-Vide
Another South Dallas politician is under investigation for corruption. Why can’t the city seem to change its script?
The Texanist
August 31, 2011
The Texanist: How Do I Introduce My Yankee Girlfriend to My Dad’s Trophy Room?
Taxidermy and relationships, school colors abroad, and the proper terminology for a small piece of property.
Letter From Juarez
August 31, 2011
The Missing
For the women of Juárez, the terror of kidnapping—and worse—has never ended. Will it ever?
Letter From Midland
August 31, 2011
Blame It on No Rain
As the drought tightens its grip on Texas, its effects are being felt everywhere, from rivers to reservoirs to the formerly verdant lawns of Midland.
Politics & Policy
July 31, 2011
Dear Yankee
You didn’t ask, but here’s some free advice for you and the rest of the national press corps as you prepare to write about Rick Perry.
The Texanist
July 31, 2011
The Texanist: Has the Quinceañera Tradition Been Americanized Away?
Expensive quinceañeras, dangerous toys, lawn-watering etiquette, and seasonal restrictions on chili consumption.
Border & Immigration
July 31, 2011
Minor Emergency
Drug gangs in Mexico are increasingly turning to American teenagers to smuggle their loads across the border. What can be done?
The Texanist
June 30, 2011
The Texanist: Can I Make My Husband Stop Using Dip?
Spousal adjustments, fly abatement, soccer parenting, and the truth about creased jeans.
Politics & Policy
June 30, 2011
Capitol Affair
How architecture changed the balance of power at the Legislature and other observations from my three decades covering Texas politics.
Letter From Cleveland
June 30, 2011
The Worst Hard Time
My hometown of Cleveland has become the most disgraced community in America because of a brutal, unspeakable crime that has set everyone against one another.
Sarah Bird
June 30, 2011
Sink or Swim
In an excerpt from Sarah Bird's new novel The Gap Year, a single mom prepares to send her only daughter off to college. Guess which one is a wreck.
Behind the Lines
May 31, 2011
Out of Beach?
Whose coastline is it anyway? How the state Supreme Court may be undermining decades of unlimited public access to the sand and surf.
The Texanist
May 31, 2011
The Texanist: What Do I Do When I’m Stuck Behind a Tractor?
Passing a tractor, building a barbecue pit, luxury pickups, and the trials of a Canadian Texan Down Under.
Letter From Joshua
May 31, 2011
Playground Rules
The suicides of four Texas teens who were brutally bullied have prompted cries for new legislation. But one lawyer has a different plan: Sue the school districts.
Music
May 31, 2011
The Apprentice
Carrying on the legacy of the legendary musician Steve Jordan isn’t easy, especially when you’re only 22 years old and blind. But Juanito Castillo is too busy reinventing the conjunto accordion to care.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2011
Less Than Hero
The worst deficit facing Texas right now is not the one in our budget: it’s the leadership deficit.
The Texanist
April 30, 2011
The Texanist: Can You Pick a Bluebonnet?
Picking bluebonnets, pastry terminology, angling laws, and the best way to respond to a speeding ticket.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2011
No Peña, No Gain
Was Aaron Peña’s defection to the Republican party a quixotic move that will cost him his political career or the start of a bad trend for Democrats?
Mimi Swartz
April 30, 2011
Oil Night Long
Amid all the drink tickets, bikini-clad hostesses, and outrageous displays of wealth at the world’s largest expo for independent oilmen, I was determined to get some answers about the future of the business.
The Texanist
March 31, 2011
Offering fine advice since 2007
Nicknames, parental discretion, summer camp, and the best way to talk about breast enlargement.
Politics & Policy
March 31, 2011
Old College Try
Rick Perry's quiet war on higher ed.
The Culture
March 31, 2011
My E-piphany
If Tahitian sailors could find Hawaii using only their testicles, I ought to be able to survive the modern world without a computer. But, hell, it looks like I can't.
The Culture
March 1, 2011
The Texanist: Is the Rodeo Really Cruel?
Animal cruelty, greasy handshakes, offerings of meat, and Texas toasts—the spoken kind.
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2011
Who’s the Boss?
The Speaker’s race in the Texas House wasn’t just about Joe Straus. It was about two competing visions of democracy.
The Texanist
January 1, 2011
The Texanist: Can I Have School Spirit for a School I Didn’t Attend?
School colors, wedding music, spare-ticket reimbursement, and why not to plant a mesquite for dear old granddad.
Rick Bass
January 1, 2011
Stuck Truck
The mud was deep and wet and cold and there was nothing to do but dig. And dig. And dig.
True Crime
January 1, 2011
Rich Man, Poor Man
The tragic culture clash that led to the murder of a governor’s son.