A Few Good Men is 1992 military/law drama about two Marines who murder a fellow Marine and stand trial for their actions. While the actions of the characters in this movie are dishonorable and of course illegal, I would like to share my thoughts on a the infamous speech by Jack Nicholson’s character Col. Nathan Jessep. Again, so we’re clear and I don’t get comments accusing me of condoning what they did, what his character ordered, the murder of a subordinate Marine, was immoral and illegal. The speech about doing a job most individuals couldn’t handle hit hard with me recently.
Today’s political atmosphere is torn between the left and the right. Both sides have the ultra-extremists who believe whole-heartily in their sides view and find it hard to come to the middle and see each others view points. I’m often met with an assault on my intellect for having a difference of opinion. Rather then having a healthy and intelligent debate, both sides attack the other side with immature name calling, attacks on religious and personal beliefs and rarely ever get to the question behind the question.
Torture has been a hot topic recently with the release of documents by the Obama Administration that catalogs the methods our country uses to extract information from suspected terrorists. Both sides of the argument have completely opposite views on torture. The left says it’s completely wrong, it should never be used and it never actually provides useful information to stop terrorism. The right says that it is a necessary and vital interrogation method that has, in fact, stopped other “911 style attacks”.
Who is right? I don’t know. What I do know is that torture, for any reason is inhumane. Has it stopped other attacks in our country? I’m not one to say, “well, they say it has, so I’m fine with that”, but I haven’t seen or heard of anymore planes flying into landmark buildings in metropolitan areas, killing thousands of innocent and unsuspecting civilians. So whether you believe the attacks on 911 were perpetrated by racial Islamists or a self-inflicted attack by our own government, I don’t think you can ignore the hard decisions that have been made by this President or Presidents in the past to ensure our safety.
Col. Nathan Jessep’s speech from “A Few Good Men”:
Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know — that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall — you need me on that wall.
We use words like “honor,” “code,” “loyalty.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.
I would rather that you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand the post. Either way, I don’t give a DAMN what you think you’re entitled to!
Powerful words, I think. Maybe it’s because I did my time in the Armed Services. I understand that there are certain things that have to be done in order to keep a nation of people, however ungrateful they are for that very security, safe. There are decisions being made on our behalf by those individuals we elected to represent us that are not easy ones. People on both sides of the argument spit out opinions of how they think it should be done, yet it stops there for most of them.
During the Bush Adminstration liberals, conservatives, republicans and democrats all in some form or fashion united against his policies and in their eyes they were patriots. They used catch phrases like “Dissent is not disloyality”. Now these same people, less convervative, point the finger at the people that once agreed with them and call them hypocrites and right-wing nut jobs because they’re doing the exact same thing with the current adminstration.
Why is that when someone has an opposite view from your own, the first thing people tend to do is attack the intelligence of that person or group? Are we so uncomfortable with healthy, polite and intelligent debate that we must resort to pety name-calling and personal attacks.
Sad thing is, I’m not saying anything new. This goes on and will continue to go on until we can come together and realize, whether you believe in it or not, we are one nation under god, indivisible. *GASP* Now I’m talking politics and religion. I await your insults on that 
Thanks for your time and your opinions. They’re always welcomed here, unless you use a fake name and insult my intelligence
Photo credit: Alex E. Proimos
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