A rumpled red cloth drapes over a cracked stone block against a muted gray-brown background.

Original artwork, not a still

Howard Zinn

There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable.

Behind the line

What it means

Our 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.

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