Ball on “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
-
- May
- 27
State Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, weighed in on the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it comes to gays serving in the military. His impetus was Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a pilot who was facing a discharge because he is gay.
STATEMENT FROMASSEMBLYMAN GREG BALL
ON LT. COL. VICTOR FEHRENBACH
The recent report of Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, among other less publicized
accounts, has made many realize that the current policy of “don’t ask, don’t
tell” needs to be thoroughly reviewed.Lt. Col. Fehrenbach has flown numerous combat missions and has been
decorated for heroism.As an Air Force Academy graduate and former ranking member of the New York
State Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, I believe strongly that it is
time for the current administration to consider putting a moratorium on the
current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy affecting our military, until its
impacts can be thoroughly reviewed.As a veteran and member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, I will give
serious consideration to urging my legislative colleagues to express our
shared concerns with the current policy that forces the involuntary
discharge of American heroes like Lt. Col Fehrenbach.
That earned him kudos from the Log Cabin Republicans of New York.
LOG CABIN COMMENDS ASSEMBLYMAN GREG BALL ON CALL FOR “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” REVIEWUrges President Obama to follow-through on campaign promise of repeal.
ALBANY, NEW YORK—Log Cabin Republicans of New York today commended Republican New York State Assemblyman Greg Ball for calling for a review of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy toward gay servicemen and servicewomen.
“As an Air Force Academy graduate and former ranking member of the New York State Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, I believe strongly that it is time for the current administration to consider putting a moratorium on the current ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy affecting our military, until its impacts can be thoroughly reviewed,” Ball said, taking a stand following the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach.
“We are encouraged by Assemblyman Ball’s declaration,” said Log Cabin Republicans of New York Chairman Gregory T. Angelo. “It is our hope that others in government and the military will follow the Assemblyman’s lead and call for a review of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and its discriminatory consequences.”
“With President Obama stalling on his campaign promise to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ we are pleased that another key Republican is helping to move this fight forward,” said Log Cabin Republicans National Chairman Terry Hamilton. “Log Cabin has been actively engaged for several years in a suit against the federal government to repeal this harmful legislation. Together with our members, the many military veterans in Log Cabin Republicans and allies such as Assemblyman Greg Ball, we know this is a fight we will win.”
About Log Cabin Republicans: Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s only organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom, and equality for gay and lesbian Americans. Log Cabin has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, D.C., a federal political action committee and state political action committees.
The national LCRs have called for President Obama to carry through with a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am by Mike Risinit.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
| 
Email This
“As an Air Force Academy graduate and former ranking member of the New York State Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee” Ball should explain why he never finished his committment to the Air Force and why his service was shortened.
It has led to much speculation and Ball could clear things up if he would just explain why.
Here comes the slander brigade. Can’t take it, but they can dish it out.
Everyone read the article about force shaping, Ball and thousands of other Air Force officers and enlisted were let go early, honorably. It’s been explained a million times and done nothing but swell Ball’s ranks with veterans.
Greg has explained why his tour was shortened ad nauseum
Degnan was embarassed by the failure to back up his
claim and so will Hall if he goes the same route…
and by the way did Hall serve at all?
To the consultant:
You are incorrect, sir, in that Greg Ball has given a pretty convenient excuse for why his service commitment (not tour – he never served in combat) was shortened but he never has fully explained why.
Firstly, he hasn’t explained how an academy grad ends up doing ROTC recruitment in Philadelphia. A position typically filled by enlisted personnel or ROTC grads. Not a brand new, fresh academy commissioned officer.
He also hasn’t explained the details of an incident involving a female Major and the disciplinary hearing that caused his transfer from Philadelphia to D.C.
And, perhaps most importantly, he still has not explained if his 2003 “junket” to Jerusalem (where he stalked a former girlfriend) was funded by the United States Air Force. It’s believed that Ball lied on voucher forms for the trip, claiming he was traveling as part of his planning for the 2003 Global Air Chief’s Conference. When the DC Metropolitan Police contacted the Air Force to inform them that, while on duty, then 1st Lt. Ball was accused of stalking and harassing a former girlfriend, he was arrested by the MP’s upon his return to Bolling AFB and turned over to the DC Metro Police. A Judge granted the victim’s request for a restraining order and Ball was placed under investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). Whatever AFOSI found by the time their investigation concluded sometime in 2004 was not flattering towards the 1st Lieutenant and he was out of the service a few months later.
His discharge on his DD-214 is indeed honorable but the stated reason for separation is listed as “Miscellaneous Reasons” which is not standard protocol. It’s believed that a high-ranking Air Force official offered Ball a deal that would avoid a court-martial but would remove him [the problem] from the Air Force without further incident and embarrassment. These deals, unfortunately, occur all too often. Ball was discharged with the rank of Captain and, this is where it gets interesting, he was put into the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) – almost unheard of for a young officer and someone who had not fully completed their service commitment. Typically, even with this sort of deal in place, Ball would have been put into the Ready Reserve where he would have been given a unit and required to drill regularly and would still be considered eligible to be recalled to Active Duty as many Ready Reservists have been since 9/11. Instead, the IRR has no unit, no drills and it’s extremely rare that they would ever be called up again to Active Duty. The latter is where Ball landed. Suspicious? You bet!
Now, Ball can counter this all by saying whatever he wants. We all know he’s a masterful speaker and slick as a snake can be, but if he truly wants to prove that he has nothing to hide he should sign a Standard Form (SF) 180.
By signing an SF 180 Ball will authorize the military to release any and all records related to his term of service. From his time at the academy up until his discharge. This would allow individuals to read about the disciplinary hearings and anything else in his file, for themselves, and judge, for themselves, whether or not it’s of concern to them when deciding their vote. There are provisions for medical privacy and things along those lines so that we don’t have to read about his self-described STDs, etcetera.
If Ball truly had nothing to hide, he would sign an SF 180 and put this all to bed. By not signing the form, it simply confirms that his military record is blemished and he is hiding from his past.
in a run for congress I am sure his opponent will ask
him to do just that…its a request that cannot be
refused in a federal race unlike in a state race …because
federal races raise the possibility that the elected
congress person may serve in some intelligence capacity
and therefore any service record is germain….so although
it has been explained locally to the satisfaction of the
constituents in his assembly district, clearly a further
explanation must be forthcoming…I would also suggest
that John Hall may be in a position as a present member
of the congress to find out exactly the reason for
the discharge if there is any beyond what has been
stated publicly by ball..something to consider before
one declares for the US congress officially …
This is all certainly interesting, but certainly no surprise. Ball so thoroughly misrepresents the plain record – personal, military and legislative – that anything coming out of his mouth easily qualifies as world class in the category of scurrility.
if he is misrepresenting that will come out in a congressional contest..if he is not misrepresenting
that will also come out
What an interesting story posted here about Ball and his departure from military. How come when he ran the other times, this version NEVER was told like this? This is the first mension that I can remember of a form no. 180 that Ball can sign to release info.
If everything Ball has said is true, he should be begging to sign this form and put this military issue to rest. If Ball refuses to release this info than it must be true.
Here you all go again. Ball has signed every form to relinquish his records, and even posted them online. Not only was he not discharged, he was PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN in 2005. You people are all sick.
Watch the explanation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t77Gh_Cn6H4
The consultant should do some homework, and get out of lower Westchester.
WHAT A FAIRY TALE!
Firstly, he hasn’t explained how an academy grad ends up doing ROTC recruitment in Philadelphia. 60 TOP ACADEMY GRADS ARE CHOSEN EVERY YEAR TO TAKE PART IN A PRESTIGIOUS PROGRAM CALLED ‘GOLD BAR’, BALL WAS ONE OF 60
He also hasn’t explained the details of an incident involving a female Major and the disciplinary hearing that caused his transfer from Philadelphia to D.C. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE
And, perhaps most importantly, he still has not explained if his 2003 “junket” to Jerusalem (where he stalked a former girlfriend) was funded by the United States Air Force. It’s believed that Ball lied on voucher forms for the trip, claiming he was traveling as part of his planning for the 2003 Global Air Chief’s Conference. ONCE AGAIN, UNTRUE
He was arrested by the MP’s upon his return to Bolling AFB and turned over to the DC Metro Police. BALL WAS NEVER ARRESTED FOR ANYTHING, ANYWHERE
A Judge granted the victim’s request for a restraining order
UNTRUE, THERE WAS NEVER A RESTRAINING ORDER, EVER
and Ball was placed under investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE
Whatever AFOSI found by the time their investigation concluded sometime in 2004 was not flattering towards the 1st Lieutenant and he was out of the service a few months later. UNTRUE, THERE NEVER WAS AN INVESTIGATION, AND BALL WAS PROMOTED A YEAR LATER TO CAPTAIN
His discharge on his DD-214 is indeed honorable but the stated reason for separation is listed as “Miscellaneous Reasons” UNTRUE, THE DISCHARGE WAS STANDARD AND HONORABLE, FORCESHAPING IS LISTED AS MISC BEING A TEMP PROGRAM, HUNDREDS LIKE BALL WERE PART OF FORCE SHAPING
which is not standard protocol. It’s believed that a high-ranking Air Force official offered Ball a deal that would avoid a court-martial but would remove him [the problem] from the Air Force without further incident and embarrassment. HA, THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER, UNTRUE
Ball was discharged with the rank of Captain and, this is where it gets interesting, he was put into the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) – MILLIONS LIKE BALL ARE IN THE IRR
if ball was promoted to captain clearly the military did
not have a problem with whatever it was that he did…
you do not promote anyone you have a problem with especially
the us military so i would caution anyone not to assume
that ball did anything untoward
“A Fairy Tale” is so obviously Greg Ball posting in his own desperate defense.
He answered all points made by “Full Bird now Snow Bird” (if calling something untrue without substantiation can be considered an answer) except on the signing of that 180 form.
Mr. Ball, we know it’s you posting. Just please answer the question… Why won’t you sign the form 180?
A SF 180 does not authorize the military to release your records, which proves that the above poster has no clue what they are talking about, and therefor, is not a real full bird, or even a vet, and that would disqualify everything else they’ve spuriously eschewed.
A SF 180 is a form you use to request your DD-214 from HRC, and as we know Ball has already posted his DD-214 on the internet (and the ‘miscellaneous’ code that is continually referenced by the evil crowd from Brewster, is ‘FORCE SHAPING’).
AFOSI investigates counterterrorism and drug cartels. Not officers. Greg Ball was never arrested as per News 12. He was discharged in 2005, two years after the alleged incident. If you do get in trouble in the military, they plug a ‘suspense of favorable action’ flag on you—he would never have been promoted to Captain if ANY of this were even the slightest bit true.
You would think that the Journal News would be policing this type of slander.
people are out to discredit greg..this may be a function
of the registration in the 20th CD..on the numbers
greg wins…considering Obama now owns AIG and GM
the people of that district might have a problem
sending a liberal democrat back to DC…
To “the consultant”: how many years did you serve in the military, sir, specifically in the United States Air Force?
If you did not serve, I’m not disparaging your decision. I am simply pointing out that your opinion of how promotions work in the Armed Forces of the United States does not necessarily jive with practical application and “disciplinary deal making” as I like to call it.
At the time of my retirement, at the rank of Colonel, I had over 31 years of service under my belt and so I feel, at least on these matters, I’m slightly more qualified than the layperson to explain what’s going on.
The Air Force wanted Ball out, for one reason or another. And so they cut a deal. Part of that deal ensured that he would be promoted to a higher pay-grade (O-2 to O-3) for pension benefits, etcetera, provided that he met all standard criteria. He then would be immediately discharged. That was what happened in this case and many other “disciplinary deal making” discharges. Ask Mr. Ball how many days he served as a Captain before his discharge. I’d bet it was less than a month or two, if that long at all.
The poster using the pseudonym “A Fairy Tale” seems to think that what I posted is untrue. As the previous poster pointed out, no specific information is mentioned to refute my claims or the facts that I set forth.
I, too, have reason to believe this poster is none other than Greg Ball defending himself and so I say to Mr. Ball: please put this issue to bed. If you truly did nothing wrong and you have nothing to hide, please, I implore you, sir, sign a Standard Form (SF) 180 and allow the public to review your military records.
If you do not sign this form and do not allow for thorough review of your records then it should be assumed that you are hiding something.
The people who hate Greg are even coming here, PRETENDING TO BE GREG BALL and his campaign bashing his own former opponents, to stir up trouble. These people sick!!!
For the record, Mike Edelman served honorably in the military, Full Bird, AKA Fake Bird.
A SF 180 has nothing to do with what you claim it does, which proves that you’re not actually a veteran.
A reminder that the terms of service state ‘It is a condition of your use of the comment features associated with the blogs that you do not: Use the site to post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane or indecent information of any kind, including without limitation any transmissions constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international law. You alone are responsible for the material you post or send.’
Seeing as you already stated Greg was arrested and investigated by AFOSI, both of which are patent lies, and therefor, defamation, I would tread carefully before posting again as I imagine your IP address will be recorded and duly reported.
“OIF Vet”: your service to the United States during Operation Iraqi Freedom is appreciated and honored. But I fear I must correct you when it comes to SF 180.
Right now, Mr. Ball is the gatekeeper to his military records. He determines who can and cannot see them. Accessing these records without permission from Ball or orders from a federal judge is a federal crime.
However, if Ball executes Standard Form 180, he would no longer be the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper would be the U.S. military.
This would then allow reporters or anyone else to easily obtain all of Ball’s military records from DoD via a simple FOIL request.
So, I’ll repeat my question: why is Mr. Ball refusing to sign the SF 180? What is he hiding?
just looked into the claims of full bird and oif vet and it looks like full bird knows his s#it.
a quick google search reveals that this sf 180 form does do exactly what full bird says. it makes all of ball’s records public, allowing them to see the light of day.
apparently… also accoridng to a google search… this is the same form the swift vets pressured kerry into signing during the 2004 campaign.
so i hope we settled that one.
Sorry independent research, you didn’t look hard enough.
“The Washington Times says that even after signing the SF 180 form, Kerry need not release his military records to the public:
[I]t could be a cold day in Hell before all or any of it gets released to the media. In fact, Kerry could argue that signing it was all he agreed to do. When, he could say, did I commit to sending it to the Navy? You FOOLS! Mwa-HAHAHAHA!
All kidding aside, Kerry only agreed to sign off on the SF-180. He didn’t agree to release every document that results from that request. The SF-180 will only release the information to Kerry, who can then cull the material for anything embarrassing before making it public.”
Per the DoD:
The SF 180, although not mandatory, is the recommended method to send a request for military service information. This form captures all the necessary information to locate a record. Provide as much information on the form as possible and send copies of any service documents that you may have. Requests may also be submitted as a letter, containing the basic information listed above.
Mail the completed SF 180, or the signed written request to:
The National Personnel Records Center
(Military Personnel Records)
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION SHEET FOR SF 180, REQUEST PERTAINING TO MILITARY RECORDS
1. General Information. The Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records (SF180) is used to request information from
military records. Certain identifying information is necessary to determine the location of an individual’s record of military service. Please
try to answer each item on the SF 180. If you do not have and cannot obtain the information for an item, show “NA,” meaning the
information is “not available.” Include as much of the requested information as you can. To determine where to mail this request see Page 2
of the SF180 for record locations and facility addresses.
IF THIS FORM RELEASES ALL MILITARY RECORDS IT IS SUSPICIOUS IF GREG BALL WILL NOT SIGN IT.
IT DOES RAISE THE QUESTION “WHAT IS HE AFRAID OF?”
AS EDELMAN (THE CONSULTANT) PREVIOUSLY WROTE:
“…its a request that cannot be refused in a federal race unlike in a state race…because federal races raise the possibility that the elected congress person may serve in some intelligence capacity and therefore any service record is germain….so although it has been explained locally to the satisfaction of the constituents in his assembly district, clearly a further explanation must be forthcoming…”
BALL MUST SIGN SF180. IF I WERE A REPUBLICAN I WOULD REQUEST THAT MY POTENTIAL NOMINEE FOR CONGRESS RELEASE HIS QUESTIONABLE MILITARY RECORDS SO THEY CAN BE REVIEWED BEFORE IT BECOMES AN ISSUE IN OCT. 2010 AND BALL LOSES THE RACE.
This is becoming a tempest in a teapot. Does form 180 release all of Greg Ball’s military records or not? If not, what form will?
And will Greg Ball agree to sign form 180 or any other form that releases his military records? Or, easier yet, will he just willingly release all of his military records to the public? He has a pretty snazzy website. I’m sure he could post everything on there.
I’m not a vet or anything like that but I do think Ball should have to release his military records. Especially if there’s controversy surrounding his service. Just seems like a no-brainier.
I served in the United States Army reserves…5 years
on call for active dutra…i was a qualified medic..i did
not see active duty in vietnam..but i did not avoid service
however i agree.that if greg is running for the US congress
as i did..he needs to resolve any outstanding issue before
the campaign gets underway..so he has a clear unobstructed
shot to beat Hall
Tim Russert always knew what he was talking about and was well researched. He wouldn’t have asked the question of Senator Kerry if there was no significance to Form 180.
—-
Transcript from Jan 30, 2005 Meet the Press, Tim Russert interview with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Excerpt about Form 180:
MR. RUSSERT: Many people who’ve been criticizing you have said: Senator, if you would just do one thing and that is sign Form 180, which would allow historians and journalists complete access to all your military records. Thus far, you have gotten the records, released them through your campaign. They say you should not be the filter. Sign Form 180 and let the historians…
SEN. KERRY: I’d be happy to put the records out. We put all the records out that I had been sent by the military. Then at the last moment, they sent some more stuff, which had some things that weren’t even relevant to the record. So when we get—I’m going to sit down with them and make sure that they are clear and I am clear as to what is in the record and what isn’t in the record and we’ll put it out. I have no problem with that.
MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?
SEN. KERRY: But everything, Tim…
MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?
SEN. KERRY: Yes, I will…
I agree sign the form
Ball has come under fire in the past over his military service. He has been the filter, releasing his DD214 but what about the full records? If he would just sign the form 180 to allow journalists and the public full access to his military records we could settle this.
Why won’t Ball sign the form? What is he hiding?
The people do not want to be misled or lied to and Greg Ball has already done plenty of that. This will already compound a negative public perception that he is not being honest and has mounds of skeletons in his closet.
He needs to sign the form or this is going to sink his campaign just like the swifties helped sink John Kerry’s campaign.
ball is all smoke & mirrors. he has not one positive accomplishment, his legislative record sucks, he’s not raising the money needed to be competitive, he’s a big time flip flopper just like john kerry and mitt romney (see how that worked for them) and he has more baggage than paris hilton on the riviera…
the gop can put all their hopes and dreams into this loser but they should be prepared for the disapointment of the decade. by the time this race is over, ball will leave the gop brand in the hudson valley so sullied it’ll be amazing if a republican is able to win anywhere.
i just can’t wait until hall opens up a 20 pt. lead on this loser and everyone stops talking about him.
Assemblyman Greg Ball’s time in the military is facing fresh scrutiny. Ball can easily answer the claims that he was disciplined multiple times by commanding officers, that he falsified details of his service and that he was released early for behavioral problems: He should sign the Pentagon’s Standard Form 180 to assure his military records are fully public. Total transparency would help voters decide if Ball should become their Congressman.
Additionally, Ball should do this as soon as possible. Why wait? Before his campaign begins he needs to instruct the Air Force to release his complete and unaltered military records. He should permit the people of the 19th congressional district the opportunity to assess his military performance upon the record, and not upon campaign rhetoric.
Anything less than that will reflect poorly on him and his campaign. And rightfully so.
Ball needs to Sign Standard Form 180.
Just sign this form and put the info out there. It will show if Ball has been honest in the past about his military departure or side stepped the truth to the voters in the 99th assembly district. Voters in the new congressional race need the truth whether good or bad and Ball needs to provide that if he wants to be an effective representative of the people. There has been so much debate as to Balls military time and Ball has defended his departure as on the up and up. Let’s hear the truth and resolve all the questions.
The article was about The Assemblyman’s sudden love for people who are gay. Where did this “out of the blue” (pun intended) concern for the rights of gays come from – oh yeah, he needs to run for Congress in a district slightly bigger and more diverse then “good old” Republician Putnam and Northern Westchester.
The Assemblyman is a fake and fraud – who cares why he was asked to leave the Air Force.
Greg will never sign the forms to release his military records.
Heck, he has not even filed a campaign committee. he ignored the FEC financial disclousure.
More recently, he completely ignored the “personal” financial disclousure required of all federal candidates.
He will never open his military records in a million years. Since he violates compliance laws – it is up to the press to hold him accountable and demand he file.
It makes no sense. Ball adamantly defends his military record on the campaign trail and labels any questioning of it as “slander”, yet when people ask him to release all of his military records so that we can make a decision for ourselves – he refuses.
that dog won’t hunt in a congressional campaign where
you have the DNC involved ..they know and have access to
information that a local assembly campaign could not
possibly imagine..that is why it is better to get the
information out early..see how it plays..instead of
risking a situation where decisions are made involuntarily
greg’s explanation was fine for the district he won..it
may not be fine for a CD seat…between the press and
the washington blogosphere and well as the campaign
publications no congressional candidate can afford
a question mark when challenging an incumbant
If a candidate cannot afford a single question mark when running for Congress then perhaps Ball should not run at all. His past is full of question marks and, as one previous poster accurately (and humorously) noted, “he has more baggage than Paris Hilton on the Riviera.”
It would appear that his unwillingness to sign the SF-180 is indicative of something much larger. Something we have yet to learn about.
Perhaps its his braggadocio that convinces him that his past will never catch up. We all know it will; it always does. And when it does Ball will be finished.
Greg Ball sure does make headlines…
LAWMAKER IN ‘STALK,’ VD SHOCK
(NY POST)
Upstate assemblyman Greg Ball accused of stalking former girlfriend
(DAILY NEWS)
***‘DIRTY DIALING’ POL HAD VOTERS HOUND ME: RIVAL***
(NY POST)
Full articles to follow…
Greg Ball sure does make headlines…
LAWMAKER IN ‘STALK,’ VD SHOCK
NEW YORK POST By DAVID K. LI
A suburban assemblyman yesterday defended himself against an “embarrassing” relic of his romantic past that threatens his re-election bid.
Republican Greg Ball spoke out after the Putnam County Times published a 2003 temporary restraining order obtained by his then-girlfriend, who accused him of stalking her and carrying a sexually transmitted disease.
During a press conference called, Ball showed reporters documents that he filed seeking a restraining order against CNN producer Linda Fern Roth four days after she got an order of protection against him.
“These things that have come out, I’m embarrassed, but I’m not ashamed of anything,” Ball, who represents parts of Westchester and Putnam counties, told The Post.
“It was a tough breakup. I was head over heels in love.”
Ball conceded that he had followed Roth to Israel, where she was on assignment, in a last-ditch bid to save their relationship, but denied that he was stalking her.
The embattled lawmaker also denied having a sexually transmitted disease. “It’s absolutely untrue, it’s absolutely untrue,” he said.
The assemblyman is locked in a bitter GOP primary against former Brewster Mayor John Degnan.
Ball said he’s a victim of Degnan’s dirt-digging.
“This is absolutely disgusting. They have sent PIs into every facet of my personal life,” he said.
He said he and his ex will make a joint statement later this week about their former romance.
STILL WAITING FOR THAT JOINT STATEMENT, MR. BALL
“This was the only private [embarrassing secret of my] life. In a way, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” he said.
Degnan denied any role in making the story public.
Greg Ball sure does make headlines…
Upstate assemblyman Greg Ball accused of stalking former girlfriend
By GLENN BLAIN
Daily News Albany Bureau
The ex-girlfriend of Westchester and Putnam county Assemblyman Greg Ball put out a restraining order on him and has accused him of stalking and threatening her.
The ex-girlfriend of Westchester and Putnam county Assemblyman Greg Ball put out a restraining order on him and has accused him of stalking and threatening her.
ALBANY – Old skeletons are about to burst out of the closet of an incumbent Assemblyman in the heat of a bitter re-election fight, the Daily News has learned.
A CNN producer and former girlfriend of Republican Assemblyman Greg Ball of Westchester and Putnam counties got a temporary protective order against him on grounds he stalked her and threatened to destroy her career.
The order sought by Linda Fern Roth – a copy of which was obtained Monday by the Daily News – also contended Ball even told her he had a transmittable sexual disease that he had never told her about.
Contacted by The News on Monday, Ball, a first-term Assemblyman locked in a heated GOP primary with former Brewster Mayor John Degnan, denied that a restraining order was ever issued. He also blamed his opponent for orchestrating a smear campaign.
“This was not a criminal matter and there were never any allegations of violence,” Ball said an email sent to the Daily News early Tuesday.
“It was just a heartfelt breakup where both parties jointly requested a ‘cooling off’ period, and the entire matter was mutually dismissed. My life is an open book, and always has been.”
Ball’s lawyer, William Francis Xavier Becker, also told the Daily News Monday evening there were no “no findings of fact” in the case and that both sides decided to drop the matter.
Leah Gurowitz, a spokeswoman, for the Washington, D.C., court system confirmed to The News that a temporary restraining order was issued in July of 2003.
No permanent restraining was ever issued and the matter was ultimately dismissed in November of that year, she said.
Roth got the order after complaining to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia’s Domestic Violence Unit that Ball repeatedly showed up at her home and called her friends and workplace in a bid to locate her. He even showed up at CNN’s Jerusalem bureau looking for Roth.
At the time, Roth was the senior producer for CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and had recently returned from an assignment in Iraq. A little more than a year later, she married a U.S. Marine she met while on that assignment.
At the time, Ball, was in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.
In her complaint, Roth also claimed that Ball “threatened to destroy her career and reputation” and Ball told her he had a “sexually transmitted disease but has been keeping it to himself.”
Roth did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Ball held a press conference on the issue early Tuesday afternoon, in which he acknowledged the order, but denied telling Roth he ever had a sexually transmitted disease.
Greg Ball sure does make headlines…
DIRTY DIALING POL HAD VOTERS HOUND ME: RIVAL
NEW YORK POST By MAGGIE HABERMAN
First, he was accused of stalking an old girlfriend. Now, it’s a political rival.
Embattled Putnam County Assemblyman Greg Ball – who was slapped with a temporary restraining order years ago for allegedly harassing his CNN-producer gal pal – orchestrated a “telephone stalking” campaign against state Sen. Vincent Leibell, the senator claimed yesterday.
Leibell said sheriff’s deputies have been guarding his home because he has received hundreds of phone calls to his private number – spurred by a massive robo-dialer recorded-message campaign from Ball that urged residents to annoy the senator at home, he said.
“Do me a favor, call state Sen. Leibell today at his home, at (845) 878-3270, and tell Sen. Leibell that we’re better than this,” said Ball’s message, alluding to claims that the senator has been pulling dirty political tricks on him. The number has since been changed.
“It’s a form of telephone stalking,” Leibell said. “It’s meant to intimidate.”
Leibell said he was also furious that some voters reported that their caller-ID readout displayed his wife’s phone number.
“He’s taking somebody else’s identity, in this case my wife, and using her name and home phone number,” Leibell said. “I would not wish to see this happen to anyone, and I would like to apologize to all the people who received calls.”
Leibell said he’s eyeing legal action.
Ball insisted he made the move after what he dubbed a “smear” campaign against him that he thinks was paid for by Leibell – a claim the senator has denied.
Ball was referring to ads that compare him to Adolf Hitler and claim to be paid for by John Degnan, a Republican running against Ball in a primary contest next week.
Leibell has supported Degnan in the past. Ball said he never meant for the calls to appear as if they came from the Leibells, and insisted his message included his own phone number.
Ball told The Post he was calling a press conference to announce that the FBI is probing his claims that Leibell was part of a large smear campaign that involved a former staffer in the assemblyman’s office.
FBI officials would not confirm an investigation.
Ball’s re-election bid exploded into the headlines a few weeks ago after it emerged that his ex-girlfriend, CNN producer Linda Fern Roth, sought a restraining order against him in 2003.
Roth complained to a Washington, DC, court that Ball kept showing up at her house and her office, and that he “threatened to destroy her career and reputation.”
At the time, she was working for CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Ball was in the Air Force.
Roth also claimed Ball told her he had a sexually transmitted disease that he’d been keeping private.
After the revelations, Ball held a press conference to acknowledge the restraining order, but called it part of a heartfelt and painful breakup. He denied the part about the STD.
someone with this much baggage never makes
a good candidate.. it came out during the
last campaign and that is good to a certain
extent but it will still hurt him in the
house race… he better not have anymore
skeletons in the closet or this will be
over before it began..
THIS stuff about Ball and a former girlfriend is horrible. Is this really true?
I just searched the FEC site for Ball’s financial disclosures; both for his committee and his personal disclosure. Neither have been filed as required. The Journal News first questioned this discrepancy over two months ago. Without doubt, this is now a clear attempt by Ball to flout federal election law. One would hope that the intrepid reporters at the Journal News would look into and report on this matter. Perhaps Ball’s opponents should file a complaint with the FEC so he can get fined up the wazoo for his illegal and unethical behavior.
On another note, it’s been reported around town that Ball has been making phone calls to local party leaders and activists. Those who have received the calls describe Ball as acting out of “sheer desperation.” He’s practically begging for money, I’ve been told, and Ball is informing folks that he is trying to file with over $100k but isn’t close “because of the economy.” Apparently he’s really trying to pressure people into attending his upcoming golf outing. I’d agree with Ball that filing with anything under $100,000 would be pathetic. Especially because, according to his e-mails, he’s been trying to raise that amount since mid-February. Perhaps he’s waiting until after the golf shindig and to collect whatever money that may bring in to file with the FEC.
Unfortunately for Ball, that’s not how the law works. He doesn’t get to make the rules. This isn’t Putnam County. I’m most certain that there will be consequences for Ball’s continued illegal and unethical behavior.
greg ball knows his own personal history. he knows if the skeletons in his closet are big or small and he knows if there is more for the public learn about his past..his handlers ought to advise him to tread lightly on this congressional bid. if the potential for the emergence of embarrassing or career-wrecking details is greater than 1% ball should revisit whether or not he’s fit to go up against hall, the dccc and the washington smear machine and that will chew him up and spit him out before he can even get a word in edgewise… ball may not just lose a congressional campaign by the time the dust settles. he may have to resign an assembly seat….
On the financial filing stuff, after looking at ny on the ball, it looks like money raised from campaigning, besides paying Balls bills, large chunks have gone to ball as repayment of loans. Ball makes money being Assemblyman and campaign donations go to pay him back. Is this why campaign has no dollars? Because Ball takes it back himself?
Another question, if Ball runs for congress, he will be out campaigning during his Assembly term…getting nothing done. His assembly term would be up the end of 2010. If Ball loses to congress wouldn’t he be out of Assembly term as well? In other words, unemployed?
People are mis-representing what Form 180 is and what signing it would do.
1. SF-180 is a request for military records. Anyone can fill it out and send it in for records of any US serviceman. This is allowed under the Freedom of Information Act.
2. For complete access to most military records the individual submitting form 180 MUST HAVE THE AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE OF THE VETERAN. If you do not have authorized signature then you can receive only limited information.
Therefore there is no magic form Greg Ball could sign for all media and voters to access his info. Instead he would have to sign EVERY SF-180 for all who were requesting it.
So if Greg Ball concedes to one media request to sign Form 180 then he will have to sign all of them and it will just create a circus.
For whoever brought up Tim Russert and John Kerry understand that the Swift boat vets were asking Kerry to sign THEIR SF-180 not some blanket SF-180 for everyone.
The problem is that Greg has adequately explained his service and anyone who understands much about the military knows that the Conspiracy Theory forwarded by the Brewster crowd is illogical as Greg was too decorated to have been a disciplinary case. Plus I know of several people who have been discharged in similar manners and it is not uncommon.
A release of his military records will not stop the madness and everyone knows this. The groups against Ball are so convinced that he did something illegal in the military that no amount of proof against them will persuade them otherwise. They will keep digging and spinning until they can find something else to cling onto etc. Even if his military records are perfectly clean it will not stop the conspiracy stories.
To this day the Brewster crowd has continuously lied and spun the “Girlfriend” story away from the truth and they will never reasonably explain what actually happened even though it has been reported in print with proof. They just keep saying he is a stalker and hope the slander sticks…
If anyone thinks a release of Gregs records will solve anything think again. Obama had to release his Birth Certificate TWICE and yet there are still no end to the number of wackos who fabricating forgery lies. Obama did release his documents and all it did was make the conspiracy theories even worse.
Ball will gain little from releasing his military records and lets not forget we are all entitled to some levels of privacy. Degnan and Stephens were the ones who assualted Ball’s service record. They should be carrying the burden of proof. Not Greg Ball.
So I say to those who cry foul over his record. You provide the proof that something illicit went on then I will join you in the cry for him to sign a SF-180 for a media institution. So far all we have are unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and misrepresentations.
I have spoken to several of my friends in the USAF and none have found anything wrong with the conditions of greg’s discharge or found anything odd about what he said of it.
Full Bird’s entire position is speculative with absolutely no fact.
willis stephens screwed up and thought DD on the DD-214 meant Dishonorable discharge. Thus began his failed military debate. degnan tried as well because he brought nothing to the table yet he implied greg was hiding something. now the conspiracy has grown to great lengths of military deals, hidden records, and lies. sounds like a dan brown novel. the COnspiracy grows!
Ball got called out by a local Democrat on misuseing quotes from an article. The newspaper in DC talks about many of the issues discussed here. This is what he wrote:
This week, you included a “message from Greg Ball” which was really just a desperate plea for money surrounded by quotes. Ball cherry picked quotes like he was creating an ad for an upcoming bad movie. Many of the quotes were from an article that appeared in Roll Call newspaper. Roll Call is a political insider newspaper. I think in fairness people should be able to read the entire article (which I have attached below). This article reflects how many people in Washington see Greg Ball. Thank you. – Darren Rigger
Politics & Poker: Ball Invites Scrutiny With ‘Google Me!’
May 12, 2009
By Josh Kurtz
Roll Call Staff ————————————————————————————————————————“Google me!”
New York Assemblyman Greg Ball says this more than a few times in a recent conversation with writers and editors from Roll Call and the Rothenberg Political Report.
Ball, the likely Republican nominee against Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) — and a top recruit in the eyes of the National Republican Congressional Committee — is defiant as he invokes the G-word. Yeah, there’s a lot of crazy stuff out there, he concedes. But it’s also, he argues, a sign of how thoroughly battle-tested he is.
“Google me!”
The taunt has echoes of Gary Hart in 1987: “Follow me around.” Hart, in an interview with the New York Times Magazine that sure seems creepy in retrospect, was trying to debunk persistent rumors about his womanizing.
Little did he know that the very day those words were printed, a reporter from the Miami Herald, acting on a tip, was doing just that, turning up in the bargain a tasty morsel named Donna Rice. So much for Hart’s frontrunning presidential campaign.
“Google me!”
For his history-altering scoop, the Herald’s hardworking Tom Fiedler flew to Washington, D.C., hid in bushes, conducted round-the-clock surveillance and then confronted the principals. But in the 21st century, our “investigation” demands just a few strokes of the computer keys.
So we Googled Greg Ball. He’s right, there’s an awful lot out there. For a guy who is just 31 years old and in his third year in the Legislature, there are already 267 footnotes on his Wikipedia entry — that says something about the kind of passions he inflames.
“There’s controversy surrounding him in the past and there’s going to be controversy around him going forward,” says Michael Edelman, a Republican consultant and commentator in Westchester County, one of the five counties in the Hudson Valley district Ball is hoping to represent.
What kind of stories does Google reveal?
Well, for starters, Ball was accused of stalking a former girlfriend, who got a temporary order of protection against him. He’s been accused of posting on the Web misleading photographs of an encampment of illegal immigrants in his legislative district. A dead goat was found recently in his front yard — the work, Ball believes, of Salvadoran gangs who oppose his tough anti-immigration stance — and he’s been sleeping with a 12-gauge shotgun under his bed ever since. And until recently he has been in a vicious blood feud with his political enemies — who by the way, happen to be fellow Republicans.
Oh yes, Ball was also accused of sexually harassing a former Assembly aide. Details of this are scant on the Web, but in his conversation with Roll Call, which borders on the surreal at times, Ball dutifully provides some. The woman, he says, was put up to it by the establishment Republicans who were waging jihad against him. And the bottom line, from his point of view, is that the Assembly Standing Committee on Ethics and Guidance “cleared” him.
Which is technically true. On Oct. 20, 2008, the committee issued a letter — which is available online — saying an investigation into the accusation found that a violation of the Assembly’s Sexual Harassment/Retaliation Policy “was not established.” The committee also makes it a point to say that the statute of limitations on the woman’s accusations had run out, so the Assembly couldn’t have taken any action anyway.
A clean exoneration? Ball likes to think so. Google him — and judge for yourself.
It’s worth noting that additional dirt about Ball exists in the political ether that surpasses some of things that are out there in cyberworld. The point here is not to titillate, or to sling mud. The point is to ask, is this guy really viable?
Ball has many admirable qualities and an interesting story to tell. The son of blue-collar workers, he got a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy and worked a bunch of policy jobs in Washington, D.C., after his discharge. Since launching his political career, he’s been a ferocious reformer, unafraid to take on the entrenched interests of his party and the Democrats who run Albany.
Ball is handsome, driven and indefatigable, and he has advanced a populist political agenda that’s appealing and hard to pinpoint on the ideological spectrum.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport, and I am in this fight not to tear down the incumbent, but to restore America’s promise to the Hudson Valley,” Ball said during the formal announcement of his Congressional bid Saturday. “Blue-collar folks like my family and friends feel shafted by elitist politicians on both sides of the aisle. The unsustainable spending, the bailouts, the corporate welfare, the runaway defense contracts; all of this must stop and we must refocus our priorities in this time of crisis.”
Ball is reminiscent of a young Rahm Emanuel. He’s got a sharp political mind and an intense focus. And you get the sense that he’s got the 19th Congressional district, with its wealthy suburbs and rural areas, blue-collar precincts and liberal enclaves, wired. He’s studied the place since he was a kid, and he knows where his voters are and how to reach them.
With all due respect to the incumbent, it’s a sure bet that Ball will outwork John Hall in the 18 months between now and Election Day 2010.
What’s more, in the post-Clinton era, politicians can weather all manner of sex scandals. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), after all, appears on his way to re-election, despite being linked to a D.C. prostitution ring.
But it’s a little trickier to survive this kind of stuff when you’re a fresh face, trying to introduce yourself to voters. Just ask Mike Erickson, the businessman who was the Republican nominee the past two cycles in Oregon’s 5th district. His candidacy was undone last year by reports that despite his opposition to abortion rights, he had driven a pregnant ex-girlfriend to a medical clinic to get an abortion. Erickson had an explanation, and maybe it seemed plausible to him — but it didn’t wash with the voters.
Alex Coronado®, a local school board member, was waging what seemed like an earnest, appealing long-shot challenge to Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) in 2004. But in a conversation with Roll Call that was every bit as surreal as the one we had with Ball, Coronado started talking, unprovoked, about the man who was stalking her and her teenage daughter. She lost by 20 points.
That same year, Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino® seemed like a leading candidate for an open House seat in Colorado’s 3rd district, until he became undone by multiple sex scandals involving his office.
Greg Ball is a talented guy. But he seems to be the opposite of teflon. Just the other day, the local media were raising questions about the paperwork for his declaration of candidacy. A small matter, perhaps, but emblematic of something bigger.
Greg Ball may take comfort in knowing what’s out there when people Google him. But he’s never faced attacks like the kind the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and liberal interest groups are going to throw his way. It’s all too easy to see the 30-second ads with the words “stalker” and “sexual harassment” in them.
“John Hall is not going to mess around with him,” Edelman predicts.
And that alone may be enough for Hudson Valley voters to conclude that Hall is “still the one” in 2010.
The poster(s) SR & Yellow Snow are Greg Ball or a close Ball associate (Chris Arnold?) posting in defense of the indefensible. Ball is not entitled to his own set of facts, neither is “Full Bird” or anyone else for that matter.
That is why it’s so important that Ball sign the SF-180 and fully release his military records. I’m sure if he signs an SF-180 for the Journal News they’ll post Ball’s full records to the Data Central section of this website where anyone (including other media sources) can have full access the unaltered records. Failure to do so on the part of Ball simply lends credibility to the claims that he is hiding something in his past.
He must sign the SF-180 for a CREDIBLE paper, such as the Journal News, who will guarantee to publish the records in full.
RE: SR on June 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
“So if Greg Ball concedes to one media request to sign Form 180 then he will have to sign all of them and it will just create a circus.”
No, Ball can sign one Form 180 for the Journal News who will publish the unaltered documents to the Data Central section of this website. No need to create a circus
“The problem is that Greg has adequately explained his service and anyone who understands much about the military knows that the Conspiracy Theory forwarded by the Brewster crowd is illogical as Greg was too decorated to have been a disciplinary case. Plus I know of several people who have been discharged in similar manners and it is not uncommon.”
That’s your opinion. There are many who do not believe that Ball has adequately explained his service record and who suspect that he has been less than honest about some other parts. This is why signing SF-180 will either dispel or confirm these so-called rumors
“To this day the Brewster crowd has continuously lied and spun the “Girlfriend” story away from the truth and they will never reasonably explain what actually happened even though it has been reported in print with proof. They just keep saying he is a stalker and hope the slander sticks…”
The New York Post and Daily News both called Ball a stalker. Who is this ‘Brewster Crowd’ you keep speaking of? Sound pretty paranoid to me
“Ball will gain little from releasing his military records…”
Perhaps that’s why he’s hesitant to release them. Was this a Freudian slip? Remember, this isn’t about Ball gaining or losing something, this is about the truth
”...and lets not forget we are all entitled to some levels of privacy.”
Not once you enter public life and want to run for federal office and requests are made of your records from prior public service, including military service
“So I say to those who cry foul over his record. You provide the proof that something illicit went on then I will join you in the cry for him to sign a SF-180 for a media institution. So far all we have are unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and misrepresentations.”
That’s not how it works. This reeks of a guilty conscience. Besides, since when does Greg Ball care about proving conspiracy theories and misrepresentations? How about that nonsense he made up about Sen. Leibell? No proof there. How about his attacks on Degnan for ‘supporting’ an illegal alien workstation when in fact Degnan killed the plan? No worry about misrepresentation then. Talk about a double-standard
“I have spoken to several of my friends in the USAF and none have found anything wrong with the conditions of greg’s discharge or found anything odd about what he said of it.”
Happy to hear that your pals in the Air Force THINK Ball’s discharge was normal. I want to KNOW that his discharge and military career was normal. Ball must sign the SF-180 or he risks confirming all of the rumors out there about his military record. What is he afraid of? What is he hiding? Sign the form, Greg
“No, Ball can sign one Form 180 for the Journal News who will publish the unaltered documents to the Data Central section of this website. No need to create a circus”
Publish what unaltered documents? Military records are military records. A bunch of administration forms and files. Is the Journal really going to print dozens of pages of monotonous forms about Greg Ball? Absolutely not. So I guarantee you even if the Journal publishes that they found nothing, it won’t matter. People still will believe this nonsense.
That’s your opinion. There are many who do not believe that Ball has adequately explained his service record and who suspect that he has been less than honest about some other parts. This is why signing SF-180 will either dispel or confirm these so-called rumors
Who’s fault is that though? It’s not Greg Ball’s fault people are so jaded that they refuse to believe logic. As I said before no one has offered any proof that what Greg says is inadequate. All they are offering is speculation which seems a pretty poor reason to respond to something.
If politicians had to respond to every ridiculous rumor about them than they would get even less accomplished than they do. For instance I get accused of being Greg Ball every time I post hear as though it’s virtually impossible for someone other than Greg Ball to post in defense of him. I am not going to substantiate my identity on this site because someone accuses me of nonsense.
The New York Post and Daily News both called Ball a stalker. Who is this ‘Brewster Crowd’ you keep speaking of? Sound pretty paranoid to me
No, they didn’t. They printed that he was “ACCUSED of stalking”. There is a big difference. The Brewster crowd have resorted to calling him a stalker as though it is definitive despite the fact the charges were dropped further proving that Mike Santos and company do not care about the rule of law, just slander.
Perhaps that’s why he’s hesitant to release them. Was this a Freudian slip? Remember, this isn’t about Ball gaining or losing something, this is about the truth
Ball has released actual court and legal documents regarding the situation with his ex and his military service. Just because you choose to ignore them, the logic of them, in exchange for a wild conspiracy theory does not justify your quest for “truth.”
Where does it end? When the debate about Greg’s military service started it was over him being Dishonorably discharged. Now it has evolved into this elaborate deal between Greg and the USAF to Discharge him when he was secretly a disciplinary case. Heck Snow Bird’s own Speculations are full of errors, misleading or incorrect statements, and probably lies. If I were Greg, why should I have to waste my time responding to someone who has to blatantly lie or make things up? I’m not going to waste my time because if I do then I have to do it for every other wacko out there.
Not once you enter public life and want to run for federal office and requests are made of your records from prior public service, including military service
This is not true at all. A public official still has certain rights to privacy. Just because you run for public office does not mean private information must be released. The SF-180 was brought up because both Clinton and Bush signed them prior to running for office as did several other candidates. However it is optional. Obama has not opted to let some of his school records be released and so what.
This is why I brought up Obama’s birth certificate debacle. It is a prime example of how a conspiracy theory got completely out of hand for a public official. A group seeking to prove that Obama’s middle name was Mohammed attempted to track down all of his public records. They got everything except his BC because in Hawaii you need to be immediate family to see those records. Since none of Obama’s public records had the name Mohammed on them this group began drumming up a conspiracy that his Birth Cert. was hidden because Obama was scared of what it said. They tried this same smear campaign that he was hiding something and afraid of the truth. Then Obama releases a photo of his BC and the next thing you have two people with hidden identities writing all these internet blogs about how the image was a fake and forged. Then image specialists from NASA and Microsoft go over both reports saying that the anonymous posters were using faulty credentials and were misleading and basically lying about what the image was.
But still Obama decides to release new photos and then even let some see the paper document to prove it is not fake. Still more anonymous reports surfaced about a grand conspiracy and how these images were faked too etc…
It was such a stupid circus that still will not die. Obama’s camp should never have substantiated those bogus rumors by posting more pictures. Greg Ball has answered the questions of his military service. If you are still not convinced it is YOUR DUTY to find proof that something is wrong. If you cannot find that proof well too bad. That’s your problem.
That’s not how it works. This reeks of a guilty conscience. Besides, since when does Greg Ball care about proving conspiracy theories and misrepresentations? How about that nonsense he made up about Sen. Leibell? No proof there. How about his attacks on Degnan for ‘supporting’ an illegal alien workstation when in fact Degnan killed the plan? No worry about misrepresentation then. Talk about a double-standard
You mean the tape recorded conversation of his aide claiming to be working for Leibell to get back at Greg? You mean the E-mails to Degnan and Liebell’s offices regarding Greg’s campaign activity? Or do you mean the Immigrant Workstation that Degnan tried to get started back up after it was initially voted down. You know the one that he vowed to revisit. Greg submitted evidence (e-mails, phone calls, letters, media, etc) for many of his charges against Liebell and Degnan. So far no evidence has been presented that his military record is anything other than what he said it was.
Happy to hear that your pals in the Air Force THINK Ball’s discharge was normal. I want to KNOW that his discharge and military career was normal. Ball must sign the SF-180 or he risks confirming all of the rumors out there about his military record. What is he afraid of? What is he hiding? Sign the form, Greg
Then again there is no need for Rule of Law anymore. Guilty until proven innocent for all. I will call you a rapist. Now prove me wrong. I will just keep calling you dirty things and force you to prove that you are not that.
You have no evidence that Greg lied about his military service and I doubt you ever will. Numerous superior officers of Greg’s in the USAF have written glowing endorsements and praise for Greg’s service and character.
Mike Santos and his crowd are defeated. They have nothing but wild speculation, lies, and slander. Pathetic.
As Mike Edelman pointed out in an earlier post about Ball’s refusal to sign the Pentagon’s Standard Form 180:
“Its a request that cannot be refused in a federal race unlike in a state race because federal races raise the possibility that the elected congress person may serve in some intelligence capacity and therefore any service record is germain…”
”...although it has been explained locally to the satisfaction of the constituents in his assembly district, clearly a further explanation must be forthcoming…”
I agree with Edelman. Ball must sign the form. Unless he is hiding something, there is no good reason or acceptable excuse for him to not sign SF-180.
No amount of spinning on the part of Greg Ball and his cronies is going to make this request disappear. This issue is not going away It’s going to spread from this blog and Ball will be brought down by his lack of transparency and honesty. (See: Kerry, John F.)
For the last time.
WHAT PROOF DOES THE ANTI-BALL GROUP HAVE THAT MAKES GREG SIGNING A SF-180 NECESSARY???
So far it is nada, zip, bubkiss, and lies.
And no just because he runs for Federal Office he does not have to sign that form for ANYONE! All that concerns anyone on this issue is that Greg received an Honorable Discharge from the USAF. Thousands received discharges in similar manners and have come forth acknowledging that there is no difference.
All of this “Disciplinary Stuff” is irrelevant and unfounded. The joke is that Mike Santos and his Jeff Greens etc, all seem to claim that Greg had all of this Disciplinary issues in the Air Force but then cry that they need him to sign SF-180 to prove it. What a joke. How do you know these things if you have no proof? Simple, they procured it from their rear end and now are trying to put the pressure on Greg to respond. If he does respond then they just shift the attention and claim that his response shows there is something wrong.
Trust me, the US Military branches are not in the habit of promoting Disciplinary cases to Captains and then Honorably Discharging them as the result of back room deals. And even if this were the case, as ridiculous as it would be, what would be in his military records to prove it?
Do you honestly think the USAF is going to have a well documented back room deal between them and Greg Ball about promoting and Honorably Discharging a guy who apparently was a real pain in the butt?
So just like Willis Stephens and John Degnan Mike Santos and his crew are not only insulting Greg’s service to the US and all Veterans like him, they are also insulting the USAF and the Military in general by insinuating that the Air Force conspired to “cut Greg a deal” and that “unfortunately these deals happen all the time.”
Nevermind that Mike Santos has no proof of such actions nor can anyone bring them. They just lie and slander at will and then claim the onus is on Greg Ball to defend himself. Guilty until proven innocent.
What is the final laugh on the military issue is that over the past couple years how the Conspiracy Theory has grown so elaborately. It started with Stephens refusing to take Greg Ball seriously in his re-election campaign and when he finally did he chose to only point out that Greg did not finish his full Military term, insinuating something was wrong but never elaborating. All this did was see Stephens lose by a landslide. Then, not wanting to look like any less of a putz, Degnan took the same route but this time, along with Santos, claimed Greg not only never finished his term but was Dishonorably Discharged. A mistake that was obviously a result of them misunderstanding what the DD in DD-214 stood for. In both cases the attacks on Greg were insulting. The veterans community supported him and many of Greg’s superiors during his service wrote very positive remarks about him and his service to the USAF. More importantly his DD-214 was authentic and available to anyone who wanted to see it.
but clearly Santos and co. had a problem. The evidence was not good enough because in their eyes Greg needs to be destroyed. So whats the next logical step? Insinuate conspiracy. They foster this hold garbage scenario that some magical military record tells of how awful greg really is and that it would destroy his reputation even though he was Honorably Discharged. The entire case is made through speculation and without proof but regardless the Anti-Greg crowd will join in the cheers, thus giving it some credibility right???
Sorry, not buying it. When Santos first brought Greg Ball to my attention 2 years ago and told me of his bad military record, it got me to investigate. So far no proof has been brought to the table to substantiate anything Santos says and if this were brought into a court of law a judge would through this out so fast it would make your head spin.
I remember about a year ago that Santos, Green, and whoever else were loudly proclaiming that they had some very solid and very serious proof of Greg Balls indiscretion and that they were going to release that proof over time. So far nothing of any substance has come out and all that ever happened was the bogus Perreault charges and the evidence that she agreed to “Embellish” charges. Other than that Santos has brought nothing to the table, no substance, no credible witness or piece of evidence. Yet we are to believe that Greg should just acknowledge this wacko who has never been truthful about anything he has said?
So far Santos has called Greg a Stalker, a sexist, a homo-phobe, a racist, etc, etc, etc. Santos has offered no credible discourse and no respect. On what level of reality does Greg Ball owe him anything?
I mean this is a group that has raised several hundred thousand dollars to destroy Greg’s reputation and to do nothing but run a negative campaign against him and they have yet to file a single financial report and claim they don’t have to, but then turn around and bash Greg for being late on his reports, etc…
Santos and his pals are worse than the demonized version of Greg they peddle to the public. They are hypocrites and liars. They will slander anyone to get their way. I have yet to see a single, credible, real piece of evidence backing up anything they say about Greg Ball and this is why I will point out their hypocrisy and lies wherever I see it. 2 years ago I had no idea who Greg Ball was but thanks to Mike Santos and his insulting propaganda he has generated a strong supporter of the Assemblyman.
And to those who think “This issue is not going away”, think again. the worst thing in the world for John Hall would be to attack Greg’s military service. Hall has no service of any kind and it would bring serious backlash to his campaign to attack a veteran like that. Even worse if he brings the attack and Greg does publicize his records it would win Greg serious points.
No, Hall will probably be smarter than that and attack Greg’s Assembly record and the problems with his staff. Those are Greg’s weaknesses. Not this far fetched military conspiracy.
sounds like ball is terrified of his military records every seeing the light of day. very suspicious.
if i were ball and i had nothing to hide, i would sign the form and shut this conversation down. not doing so does raise even more suspicion and curiosity over what he (ball) is hiding.
this cannot be chalked up to a privacy matter. keeping his military records private after he’s received so much criticism over them is not a smart move for ball and it will be one of the many things that ultimately sinks his candidacy.
the gop thinks they have a top-notch recruit in ball but what they really have is a snake oil salesman who has just been found out!
Rarro.
There is no question over his military record except with Mike Santos and on this blog. Honestly no one else is talking about it. It’s the same posters over and over using different names dragging the conversation out and they HAVE NO PROOF there is anything wrong.
Greg has no need to respond because beyond Santos and a few of his lackeys there is no one asking questions.
I’ve read most of these postings and I have not seen a good excuse for Ball not to sign the forms. Providing the public with a transparent view of your history when standing for election is never a bad thing.
There’s just no good excuse for Ball to not release these records.
(continued)
Wven if there was no controversy surrounding Ball’s military service, it would still be important for him to release these records.
The public has a right to know whether or not someone who has the potential to serve on an intelligence, military affairs or other important oversight committee has questionable information in their past.
That begs another question to me then.
Has every elected official, or a large majority of them, signed a SF-180 form before seeking election???
My guess would be no since the majority of elected officials who serve on intelligence committees have never served in the armed forces at all.
And if Greg ball had questionable information regarding his past then wouldn’t there already be proof of that out there or worse, wouldn’t he have been Dishonorably Discharged???
What you are missing is that there is only unfounded speculation driving this issue. In other words there is no proof there was anything different than what Greg says went on.
Just because Greg is a public official does not mean he has to answer too every mike Santos out there who only exist to give him a hard time.
Be aware that Mike Santos doesn’t care about the truth. He just wants to make life difficult for Greg. If Santos cared about truth he would have retracted his claims that Greg is a Stalker, was dishonorably discharged from the USAF, lied about his voting records, etc. I have heard no such admission from Santos and his crew regarding the blatant lies and mistakes they spread about Greg.
So forgive me if I don’t buy all this “quest for the truth” garbage. Honestly I have been on this forum to know that virtually know one here is at all interested in what is in Greg’s files. If Ball released those files to the media and nothing is found, Santos and everyone here will just keep slandering and spinning it more and more.
They have not been able to make anything stick to Greg yet they keep on throwing the junk.
PS. When John Kerry was harrassed to sign a SF-180 for the media it raised a similar debate and when Kerry did actually sign the form and his records were released to the press, little reporting was done to point out that his records merely showed he was telling the truth.
In other words all the sensationalism was in the possibility that his records were hiding something but when they proved his story the Swift Boat vets ignored it and kept on slandering.
The same will be true of Ball on a less grand scale. Releasing his docs won’t stop this madness.
Kerry made a big mistake by not signing the SF-180 until after the presidential election and then when he finally signed the release it was to his liberal home-town paper, the Boston Globe, who still has not published the records in full. So nothing has changed on the Kerry SF-180 front lending more credibility to the claims he was hiding something. Kerry botched this one big time. If anything, Ball should learn from his mistakes.
But Ball, if he ever releases his SF-180, will probably try to pull the same stunt. He’ll sign the form but for some friendly outlet that will protect him.
Ball needs to sign the form for the Journal News with the understanding that they’ll post the full, unaltered documents to the data central section of this website. This paper has no problem posting gun records, salary data, home values, etc… so they should have no problem with this.
Ball needs to release his records to a credible paper ASAP and if nothing is found in his record this entire debate will be put to bed.
Big Mistakes post is exactly why this is pointless. Even if Greg signs an SF-180 Santos will just cry that it was a deal, or a compromise, or incomplete, etc,etc,etc. Understand that John Kerry signed 3 SF-180’s for three publications. None of those publications published his records because there is no possible way to do it.
Do you honestly think the Journal News is going to post dozens if not hundreds of pages of forms, fitness reports, etc??? I sincerely doubt it. All they will do is have someone look over the docs and see if there is anything out of place. Then they will post a small article or blog on it and then Santos and Co. will just cry that this person was a sympathizer and that the docs need to be made public, or he will cry that we need his medical records and his grammar school files, etc…
Kerry didn’t lose the election because of the Swift Boat Vets. He lost because he was an empty suit and an obvious political opportunist. Swift Vets had virtually no impact on Kerry’s numbers according to polling so how not signing SF-180 cost him anything is beyond me.
Kerry spoke candidly about the SF-180 and how it was for O’Neill, a guy who like Santos has done nothing but personally attack and slander Kerry for years.
I do not see what Greg Ball owes Mike Santos at all. He already released his DD-214 which proved that Santos was wrong when he said Greg was Dishonorably Discharged. Santos refuses to admit he was wrong and LIED about Gregs service. Instead he spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep lying!
Look at how this BS developed.
1. Stephens and Santos claim Greg was Dishonorably Discharged from the USAF because of assumptions based on him not fulfilling his full term and misunderstanding what DD in the DD-214 meant.
2. Greg produces a DD-214 as well as recommendations from several commanding officers which prove he was Honorably Discharged and his service was good.
3. Stephens loses by a landslide.
4. Santos and Degnan keep insinuating Greg’s service was dishonorable because he was released early and beg greg to come clean.
5. Greg again shows DD-214 and explains Force Shaping.
6. John Degnan beaten handily in both Primary and General Elections.
7. Santos and co. continue to insinuate dishonorable service despite no evidence. now it has mutated into a grand story of indiscretion and secret back room military deals, involuntary discharges, unfounded allegations of incidents, unfounded allegations of misuse of public funds, etc…
8. no credible news source or individual has asked for an SF-180 from Greg nor has anyone attempted to obtain records through the use of FOI measures that were used for John Kerry.
There is no need for Greg to now, after years of slander, continue to respond to Mike Santos. It is clear Santos will not stop harassing Greg regardless of what the evidence shows. Santos will just continue to speculate and make up more ridiculous claims.
Ball gains nothing from published military reports. People who don’t believe the Assemblyman now will not vote for him even if the reports prove he is telling the truth. The majority of the District believes Ball and doesn’t care. Only thing released records will do is give more ammo to concoct more conspiracies.
Let’s forget about Ball and all this truths/non truths/half truths. Ball is a typical politician and they all have skeletons in their closets. If you dont like him, dont vote for him. He’s just a politician like the rest of them.
Lets get something new to discuss and forget about Ball.