Popping up amidst tales of destruction, loss of lives, and heroic rescues in Houston was a contemptible crack that appeared in a Twitter feed about how red state Trump supporters deserved what they got. In addition to this was another smear that sneaked into the news while Houston was plunged into the agonies of enduring Hurricane Harvey.

It seems a newsletter entitled “Social Justice Collective Weekly” posted its concerns about those who have served in the military, suggesting that veterans should not be allowed to attend college. Naturally, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where the posting took place, reacted with enough politically correct shibboleths to paper over any inconveniently provocative comments, and denounced discrimination on the basis of every standard imaginable, including race, ethnicity, gender, “gender expression,” gender identity,“ "sexual orientation,” and so forth, along with a few political things here and there.

Which covered sexual offenses several times over, but what exactly did the SJWs find troubling about veterans? In the post’s words, “Many veterans openly mock the ideas of diversity and safe spaces for vulnerable members of society.” This comes naturally, because of veterans’ “socialization into the military culture” which is “that of a white supremacist organization” that leaves them “permanently tainted.” Moreover, “many students are frightened by … veterans’ overwhelming presence in the classroom, which can distract other students. This is usually true for vulnerable individual such as LGBTQQI2SAA, who have been known to be the butt of insensitive jokes made by veterans.”

Certainly, we can’t have people be the butt of jokes — least of all LGBTQQI2SAA — but apparently this is a real danger from those who served, because also “veterans usually are associated with extremists right-wing groups such as the tea party and the NRA. In order to provide a safe place for all students, extremist right-wing groups must be suppressed on campus. This would include their followers: veterans.”

A number of veterans reacted strongly to this claptrap, and to the university’s credit, the Chancellor took their side. Still, this little contretemps brings to mind one of the best speeches ever made about the role of the military in defending American citizens, including, yes, even the country’s snowflakes and their LGBTQQI2SAA wards. The fact that it was delivered by a fictional character doesn’t diminish its effectiveness. Or its power. The entire exchange, involving Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Kaffee and the incomparable Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessup in “A Few Good Men,” is worth quoting in full:

Col. Jessup: You want answers?

Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to.

Col. Jessup: You want answers?

Kaffee: I WANT THE TRUTH!

Col. Jessup: YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

[pauses]

Col. Jessup: 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, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you could 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 punchline. 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 you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

The crowning achievement in this exchange is captured by Colonel Jessup’s unanswerable proclamation: “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” He is absolutely right, regardless of the wrong decision he made in the case of Private Santiago in this fictional representation of a tragic incident in the Marine Corps. There’s no question that Colonel Jessup is rude, crude, arrogant, and profane, that he was responsible for Santiago’s death, and that he tried to cover it up. Unfortunately, such behavior does not make him unique in military history. Actions that are tolerated or overlooked during wartime are unconscionable during times of peace. It’s also true that he devoted his life to a righteous cause, which invariably entailed making life or death decisions under conditions of extraordinary stress.

That’s what commanders do. Indeed, anyone familiar with military history understands how many lives have been lost — sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands — from tragically mistaken command decisions. The role of the Colonel Jessups in our history, as this scene reminds us, is to keep such decisions to a minimum; in short, in spite of everything, to save as many lives as possible. That is the truth that snowflakes can’t handle.

The movie comes to a close with Lieutenant Kaffee calling Colonel Jessup a son of a b—ch to his face. Probably he is right. Still, who would you want to defend our country, the Lieutenant Kaffees or the Colonel Jessups? Or, worst of all, our incredibly sensitive snowflakes? My vote goes for Colonel Jessup, every time.