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HYPOCRISY WATCH: Scott Brown, Brian Bilbray Attack DREAM

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Updated 3:50 pm EST.

Several politicians are already making outrageous claims about the DREAM Act, trying to defend their votes against taking up the common-sense measure as part of the annual Defense Re-authorization Bill.

Via Culture Kitchen’s Liza Sabater, Massachussetts Senator Scott Brown has come out with an ugly attack on the DREAM Act, attempting to smear Harvard University’s President for her support of the measure. Of course, the irony is thick: according to a Harvard alum, the reason that ROTC was banned from Harvard’s campus was that the program is not open to all students — specifically, LGBT students are not able to participate.

I received this email from Harvard alum Jeff Hauser, which refers to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), the repeal of which had also been attached to Tuesday’s procedural motion:

I helped end Harvard funding of ROTC as an undergrad because ROTC is discriminatory (DADT) and not all students had equal access.

Scott Brown voted against ending discrimination in the military (DADT).

Senator Scott Brown was one of several self-proclaimed “moderates” who voted to keep Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal and the DREAM Act from even being taken up with the Defense bill this week.

Liza argues:

This is the allegedly moderate but Tea Party backed Republican US Senator from Massachussetts showing his true colors: From Brown: Harvard Has Its Priorities Upside Down – News – Scott Brown:

I am extremely disappointed to learn of Harvard University’s decision to continue to ban ROTC from its campus. It is incomprehensible to me that Harvard does not allow ROTC to use its facilities, but welcomes students who are in this country illegally. Harvard President Faust has been lobbying on Capitol Hill in support of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants attending college. Harvard has its priorities upside down. They should embrace young people who want to serve their country at a time of war, rather than promoting a plan that provides amnesty to students who are in this country illegally.

Sounds pretty slick. Except Brown just voted to keep more patriotic Americans OUT of the military. The DREAM Act would allow American-raised immigrant youth to serve their country, part of the reason it is in the DOD strategic plan for 2010-12:

According to the Department of Defense’s FY2010-12 Strategic Plan, the DREAM Act is recommended by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to help the military “shape and maintain a mission-ready All Volunteer Force.”  [See page 8 in the plan.]  

Margaret Stock, a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve (retired), former professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, has argued:

“Potential DREAM Act beneficiaries are also likely to be a military recruiter’s dream candidates for enlistment …  In a time when qualified recruits—particularly ones with foreign language skills and foreign cultural awareness – are in short supply, enforcing deportation laws against these young people makes no sense. Americans who care about our national security should encourage Congress to pass the DREAM Act.” 

As sad as it is to see, Senator Brown is not alone in his hypocritical attacks.