“We have nothing to fear, but fear itself” – FDR

Fear is an incredibly powerful motivator. Fear can influence the decisions we make, even if it makes little sense.

Fear is also a powerful tool in politics. Take two recent examples; Campus Carry and the city of Houston’s embattled equal rights ordinance.

When Campus Carry was being debated in the hallowed halls of the Texas legislature, both sides brought fear into the equation. Those in favor of Campus Carry pointed out that allowing CHL holders to bring a gun into a classroom would make it safer by discouraging anyone from going “postal” while opponents warned it would spark violence during an heated open discourse when opposing views were being discussed.

In reality, neither argument really carries much weight. If someone is set on doing harm, they are not going to worry about a law, or that there may be a person who would be able to stop them. These types of killers seem to relish going out in a blaze of glory. If another student/teacher were to have a concealed handgun, they might be in a position to reduce the carnage, but it also opens up a slew of other questions such as are they trained to react in that type of situation and how will police officers know the difference between the good guys and the bad guys.

Which leads us to equal rights ordinance. Opponents have started running a television ad showing a little girl entering a bathroom stall and about to be attacked by a male. He is presumably in the women’s bathroom thanks to the ordinance. One cannot imagine a more frightening scenario, but how likely would that be?

Do we think this will open the door (sorry) to males having an easier access to assaulting women? Similar ordinances have been passed in Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio with no reported problems. Are we afraid Houston would be different?

And is this just about bathrooms? What about the pregnant women, the disabled, minorities, military veterans and others in this community who may be victims of discrimination? Do we want to have a conversation about that, or is that not scary enough.

I do find it interesting no one seems concerned about a women using a men’s bathroom. I remember during a recent visit to Sienna, Italy, I went to use a public restroom (and yes, it was the men’s room). In many European cities, women act as washroom attendants, making sure the facility is kept clean which in my view is much appreciated. There is usually a plate of coins by the door to tip them for their service.

Some other American tourists came in to the men’s room and were taken back by the fact there was a lady in there. One even commented he had “performance anxiety” and couldn’t go. I hope he still had the decency to tip her.

Here is my fear with this bathroom issue. When I’m at sporting events and other large venues, the line to the women’s room is always ten times longer than the men’s room. I’m afraid women are going to start “identifying” themselves as men just to take advantage of the shorter line and make me wait longer.

There was an interesting study recently conducted in the Lone Star State.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Texas Lyceum found many familiar answers, including Texans’ identification of immigration as the most important issue facing the state and strong support for children playing football.

But the poll also showed that in a state led by Republicans who oppose gay marriage, 49 percent of Texans support allowing same-sex couples the right to marry legally, as provided by this summer’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That is up from 25 percent in 2009.

To no one’s surprise, gay marriage is more divided between the major parties, with 69 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans showing support for it. Still, the issue is not as black and white as it seems.

The poll also found that 46 percent of Texans support legalizing the use of marijuana, up by 13 percentage points since 2011. Of those who oppose legalization, 57 percent support decriminalization.

Those kind of numbers don’t make Texas a blue state, but it also doesn’t’ make it as red as some people might think. So why do conservatives hold such sway? Two words: voter turnout.

Only 28.5 percent of Texans eligible to vote did so in the 2014 November elections, the second lowest percentage in the country behind Indiana. 32.1 percent voted in 2010, the last time Texas voted for a governor.

There are many reasons why people in Texas don’t vote. Some Democrats blame the new voter ID law. Another thought is that the when one party dominates, there is no real driving need to vote and there is the issue of carving up voting districts by gerrymandering.

Whatever the reason is, I just wish politicians would stop saying “the people of Texas have spoken”. Only the people who bothered to vote spoke. Good for them; shame on the rest.

The poll surveyed 1,000 adult Texans Sept. 8-21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Texas can be a conundrum. Politicians fight to keep marriage between one man and one woman, yet the citizens elect an openly gay mayor to manage its largest city. The governor will sue the federal government at the drop of hat citing the need for local control, then over-turn a local community’s voter approved ban on fracking saying they must abide by Austin rules.

So it might surprise people to know that when it comes to honoring the Civil War, Texas is unexpectedly quiet. Yes, you will find your various statues of Civil War “heroes” along with streets, lakes and parks bearing the name of confederate soldiers, but when it comes to the rebel flag, Texas would rather say no thank you.

For years, the state of Texas has refused to put the rebel flag on its license plates. This caused such a contention among confederate groups that the issue made it all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled that Texas did not violate the First Amendment when it refused to allow the specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag. The court ruled the plates were the government’s speech and are thus immune from First Amendment attacks.

Nine states currently let drivers choose specialty license plates featuring the Confederate battle flag and honoring the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which says it seeks to celebrate Southern heritage (although that could change following the recent events in Charleston). But Texas refused to allow the group’s plates, saying the flag was offensive.

Texas, it seems, has always followed its own path. Before the war broke out, Sam Houston said “I will endeavor to say a few words in behalf of the Union, and the necessity of union to preserve it, which I trust will not fall unheeded.”  Not exactly a ringing endorsement of breaking away from the north, but then again, not all Texans felt the same as Houston did.

More Texans care about the Alamo than any Civil War battle and Juneteenth (the day when Texas slaves learned they were free) is celebrated with more gusto than any Civil War remembrance, which again goes to the case that Texas can be a very tough state to figure out.