To the editor:

In his column supporting the U.S. military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, (Journal-World, Dec. 7) “Uncle” Cal Thomas displays his penchant to erga dissimulo incommodus verum: IGNORE INCONVENIENT FACTS.

Here are some incommodus verum that Uncle Cal chose to ignore:

1. Most western military forces have now removed policies excluding non-heterosexual individuals from service.
2. Of the 26 countries that participate militarily in NATO 22 permit gay people to serve.
3. The United States and China are the only members of the United Nations Security Council to restrict gays from serving openly in their military. China’s human rights record is not illustrious.
4. The Israeli military has a reputation as one of the most tested and successful armies in the world. Israel, a country about which Uncle Cal virtually never finds fault, has for decades permitted gays to serve openly in its military.

But then, Uncle Cal is a columnist, so he has a license to ignore inconvenient facts.