This is what Actor Jack Nicholson, playing a fictional character, Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, said on the witness stand in A Few Good Men: 

We live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who is gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you can imagine. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. You don't want the truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, and you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code and loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a weapon and man the post.  [Courtesy Chief Wiggles]

Interesting indeed.  This quote, as well as the entire colloquy between Nicholson and Tom Cruise is the stuff of legend. 

Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup): You want answers?
Tom Cruise (Kaffee): I think I'm entitled.
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup): You want answers?
Tom Cruise (Kaffee): I want the truth!
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup): You can't handle the truth!

Dear reader, if you can handle the truth read on.  Unlike the foregoing dialogue between two fictional characters written on a Hollywood sound stage, the following is a comment by a real marine who fought in Vietnam, was wounded in the Tet Offensive, who has real sons in harms way today, responding to a conservative blowhard who undoubtedly gets a hardon every time he hears Jack threaten to "tear off your head and shit down your neck."

From Terry Kindlon, criminal defense attorney and former U.S. Marine Sergeant who fought in Vietnam, responds to one of TalkLeft's conservative commentators:

Whenever I read one of your comments in support of "the war" I truly wonder what planet you're living on. As a former Marine Sergeant who was seriously wounded during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and as the father of one son who's an active duty Marine Captain, and another son who's worked for the UN in both Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two years, it is my opinion that you don't have the slightest idea of what you're saying. If you had ever seen the smashed body of a decapitated little civilian girl, or carried the still warm dead body of an 18 year old Marine in your arms, as have I, you would know better than to stand on the sidelines yakking about statistics and cheering while my Marine Corps, the best military force this country has ever assembled, is consistently misused by a delusional civilian administration for highly questionable purposes of very questionable morality.

It is at times like these that I want to say to guys like you that if you love the small of napalm in the morning (you wouldn't, incidentally, because it stinks) and if you think this war is such a great idea, why don't you go fight in it! If you're too old, or too scared, send your son. They have lots of openings, and I'll be happy to cook you up a nice, warm cassarole. Semper fi, pal...Terry Kindlon

Striking in the similarity of the two challenges laid out and the diametrically opposed viewpoint they challenge, no?  Do read the comments to Terry's statement at TalkLeft.

Thank you Terry, and your boys for their service as well.  Tell them to keep their heads down.  The neo-con's Hollywood version of reality won last Tuesday, but the reality based community will keep watching your back.