Texas is not alone in having a state pledge of allegiance. Apparently, they are fairly common. A collection of them can be found at http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/us-state.html. Others, including Oklahoma, have something called a "salute to the flag."
As Gordon notes, I would take loyalty oaths such as California's (Texas has one for candidates for public office) as rather more serious than these patriotic flag pledges, and they clearly do not contemplate any conflict between bearing "true faith and allegiance" to both the U.S. and the state (perhaps in keeping with the Supreme Court's view in Texas v. White). Undoubtedly, if a genuine conflict arose, and anyone cared, a new pledge would be requested. keith Keith E. Whittington Associate Professor of Politics Director of the Undergraduate Program Corwin Hall Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 www.princeton.edu/~kewhitt
