BLOOD SACRIFICE & THE NATION: TOTEM RITUALS & THE AMERICAN FLAG
Carolyn Marvin and David W. Ingle
 

"The creation of sentiments strong enough to hold the group together periodically requires the willing deaths of a significant portion of its members. The lifeblood of these members is shed by means of a ritual in whihc designated victims become outsiders and cross the boundary of the living group into death."