Posted on 11/10/2004 8:49:24 AM PST by Doomonyou
SRJC teacher found dead
Instructor's 'kill the president' e-mail assignment controversial
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Michael H. Ballou, a Santa Rosa Junior College instructor questioned last year by the Secret Service over a controversial assignment involving President Bush, has died, the Sonoma County coroner said Tuesday.
The 49-year-old political science instructor died Saturday at his Guerneville home where he lived alone, Sheriff's Sgt. Will Wallman said.
The cause of his death is under investigation, but detectives have ruled out homicide, Wallman said. "There's nothing to say he died at the hands of another, but, otherwise, the book is wide open."
He said an autopsy has been conducted and authorities await the results of toxicology and microscopic tissue tests.
A neighbor discovered the body.
Ballou, who also spelled his name Ballow, was a part-time teacher at the junior college's Petaluma campus and had been on the faculty since 1990.
Ballou was born in Ogden, Utah. He had a master's degree from Brigham Young University and a bachelor's degree from Weber State College, an SRJC spokeswoman said.
He became embroiled in controversy in the summer of 2003 when he assigned students to compose an e-mail with the words "kill the president" in the body of the text.
Ballou said he was trying to demonstrate to students' fear of government and the "growing police state."
Although he said students were instructed not to send the message, one e-mailed it to the Washington office of Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena. Within days, Secret Service agents arrived to question Ballou .
Ballou defended his lesson, saying he meant no harm to the president. In a newspaper column, Ballou said the response proved his point.
Students supported him, saying it was a valuable experience. But faculty, administrators and parents weren't impressed. Robert Agrella, the college president, said he was "ashamed and embarrassed," and fellow teachers wrote letters to the editor, calling the assignment irresponsible. However, administrators stopped short of disciplinary action.
"He was a pretty controversial guy," Agrella said Tuesday.
The conspiracy theories will grow like weeds.
Bush did it. With the help of Diebold's CEO.
</sarc>
Hundreds of young minds will be less polluted as a result of this very timely death.
Karma is a vicious hctib.
Bets on how fast Snopes.com adds this creep to the Bush Body Count?
Yes, but I can never be happy at the dead of another human being. Nor do I ever want to be.
Reeping what you sow?
The Tin-foil hat crowd is gonna have a field day with this one. In the next day or two, the wingnuts are going to report they saw black helicopters around this guys house.
Even Yasser Arafat?
Could it be divine retribution? Seems like one of the Herods were taken out by the Lord awhile back. I'm not sure I'd feel sorry for him, either.
clintoons' drug buddies did it.
Death by election win.
If he had retired to become a beekeeper or something, I'd be just as pleased.
Just damn.
If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
S'alright... I'll be twice as happy for you.
I like it when people I don't like die. My death will probably make someone happy as well...
They have a Bush Body Count? After all the grief they give us over the Clinton Body Count?
Second suicide by a RAT this week is my bet.
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Exactly what did he "sow"? An ill advised but ultimately harmless lesson that showed students that they are not moving through the world unobserved? In your book that warrants death? Unbelievable.
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