SRJC teacher found dead - Instructor's 'kill the president' e-mail assignment controversial

The Press Democrap ^ | 11-10-04 | By PAUL PAYNE

[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.

[Don Simmons]

"...we do have our share of mouthbreathing freepers around here, and this death strikes me as awfully suspicious."


It certainly wasn't me. IF...I stress IF...I were to ever commit such an act of patriotism and goodwill toward mankind, it would likely be classified as a "Missing Persons" case.

:-)