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.

I have often been called a “tool”, but Mary Hammer Menzel, who regularly volunteers to lead the prayer prior to Montgomery County Commissioner Court meetings, took it to another level by declaring that anyone opposed to the proposed transportation bond is “a tool of Satan” during her prayer.

Most of the attendees quickly distanced themselves from those comments, but Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said Menzel should not be criticized.

“She does a great job when she is called on,” said Meador. “To criticize a personal prayer is wrong; it’s offensive.”

And we certainly don’t want to offend anyone do we?

That’s their problem, not mine,” Menzel said of those offended. “I like to exercise my rights as a Christian.”

County Judge Craig Doyal said he was surprised by Menzel’s prayer. He added that the county may look at a different system to find volunteers for future meetings.

Ya think?

It’s been an interesting week in Austin. The locals like to quip that the circus is in town when the Texas Legislature is in session.

In todays’ uber-modern world, all the committee meetings and sessions are a mouse click away, allowing ordinary citizens to “watch the sausage being made” and much like the cliché, there some real funk in the air.

I have been watching/listening to the Senate Education Committee discuss school vouchers. Both sides have good points to debate, but many of the testimony in favor of vouchers talk about how dangerous public schools are, or poorly they perform. Proponents want to have a choice for their children, and it’s hard to argue with that.

What I find interesting is that no one is asking the question why public education is such a mess. Isn’t the legislature responsible for doing all it can to create a public education that provides a safe learning environment? If so, they appear to admit they are not doing a very good job and so we’re going to let families have the choice to get vouchers for private, for-profit institutes.

It was also interesting to hear two pastors who have private schools at their churches against vouchers because they don’t believe any religion, or faith-based organization receive money from the government even though they would stand to profit from the decision. Now that is standing on your conviction.