People
There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable.
— Howard Zinn
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The flag stands for national pride used to defend harmful actions. The speaker argues that it can't hide the shame of killing innocent people for an unreachable goal. Making the flag impossibly large stresses how inadequate that defense would still be.
Context reviewed