The journal of Albert Kehoe
7 July 2008
Hey me again... Here you find me getting back into the swing of this journal writing. I received your letter from the CRESP Durland Alternatives Library, today and was glad to hear from you guys. I'm not sure who it was that wrote, kinda looks like Steve's writing from the book room, but whomever Greg got to jot down the note thanks a lot! It gave me a lil push of motivation to be able to slip out of the funk that it's so easy to fall into inside these walls. It was especially appreciated because I know that the amount of mail you guys get has got to be staggering and for you to take the time to have a few kind words for one person, that's cool. I'm going on my 12th year locked up, (this time) and it's pretty much all about 'look out for #1 in here so when one sees these acts of encouragement it's something that doesn't happen every day...
I'm glad that Greg liked what I wrote, I try to think of ways that I can share the prison experience for those who are on the outside looking in from side, while doing it in a way that will not have the "big bad man who runs this show" all down my neck for what I put to paper HA! But this is all so new to me, I've got friends how have told me before that writing has helped them expand their mind and put their thoughts in order, but since I haven't been at it too long, I guess I'm a lil self-conscious as to whether or not what I write is any good. So it is good to know that someone out there found something good in it. How about that creative writing project that I signed up for last year? I wonder the status of the piece that I submitted to enter. Hopefully I'll hear back from the woman that was running that program.
When I read you guys letter today and began to think about writing something I realized that there were a few topics that I could write on so as they say "no better time than the present!" Right?! I'm going to renew my efforts that I kinda let slip away last December to write at least once a week.
Well as I mentioned before in one of my entries; I came up for parole in May of this year and last month sometime got their response: a 2-year set-off. My 3rd two year set off since I first came up for parole in 2004. Always using the same reasons more or less. But it's not really a surprise to me. I just feel bad for my folks. It's funny how these people make a person out to be violent, security threat group, and stick us in 6x9 cells for 22-23 hours a day alone, "labeled" as the 'worst of the worst', when the reality of it is that there are many like myself, who have not one violent disciplinary cause of assault or fighting on his record. We are simply here because the system decided this or that and that's that. Here in Texas as with most states the prison system is not held accountable for placing someone in control unit type segregation. And so there we sit. I didn't get to get my parole package ready in time, but my Dad says he also wants to hire a parole attorney to go in front of the board on my behalf. I'm not sure if I want them to or not, a part of me feels that they may just be wasting their money, then again that guy went home from back here in segregation after 19 years on parole, so I guess its not unthinkable... plus I really don't want to take away any hope my Mom and Dad may have at trying to help me get out and back at home where I belong. Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint, that's for sure, but almost all of my arrests and troubles out there in so-called society came as a direct result of my fondness for the partying lifestyle, in short, my powers that be now a days that would take dudes like me and just throw away the keys! Oh well...
Mom wrote a couple weeks ago to say that their garden wasn't doing so good. Hardly any of the beggies they had planted were coming up, most of them had been eaten up by worms, so they decided to go and get a bunch of fruit trees instead. Plum, Fig, Orange, mango, and many other kinds of fruit trees. I'm not sure if they were babies or what but hopefully they'll do better than their garden at any rate...
My brother Andre has written twice and sent me a few bucks to help me out in here, so needless to say I'm glad to say that things seem to be looking up where he's concerned. I'm looking forward to a visit from him when he's due to come & spend time here in Texas, at a reunion my Dad has planned for August. Signing off
25 July 2008
Hey, it's me again! Let's see, last time I was talking about a visit I was expecting from my brother Andre, its cause my grandpa turns 90 in a couple weeks the first week or so of August and my Dad has a family reunion planned that Andre had told me he was gonna come to Texas to attend and told me that he would come to see me when he was in town if it was the last thing he did! (smile) It's because we haven't seen each other since the month of January 2004, so we're both looking forward to seeing each other!!! Before these two letters he wrote since Jan this year he'd only wrote twice in the last six or seven years, so it made me feel good that he is starting to want to keep a lil in touch. He told me that he felt bad that he hadn't been writing more over the years but that he didn't want me to feel that it was because of me but that he was so busy just out there living his life which I understand totally so I will use this opportunity to get to know him better as long as!
we can find the time to correspond.
I was listening to the prison radio show tonight that airs on that local radio station and they said that the Wynee Unit was closed to visits this weekend, & that at least 200 inmates here on the unit have come down with some kind of a virus and they don't even know what type of virus it is but it's causing people to throw up and get diarrhea and since they don't know what it is or how people contagious it is they cancelled all visits tomorrow (well today as its past 12:00 midnight 7/26/08 already) and Sunday! Come to think of it, I have been seeing guys throw up and say that they're sick with the diarrhea but we pretty much just figured it was just a flu bug going around. But we hear on the radio that the whole unit has an epidemic that the state prison medical personnel and the public health folks don't know which virus it even is, much less treat it!
26 July 2008
Man! Last night as I was writing the guards came around & were taking those on my wing that were sick giving them a shot of some kind and some pills so I decided to go, even though I wasn't sick yet I figured that if I went and got whatever it was that they were giving the guys going then if I was to come down sick, it would be easier for my body to fight off whatever it was that everybody around here had, right? So I go and it's a RN nurse she was giving us a shot of something for nausea, and pills for diarrhea. Whatever it was in that shot she gave it to me in the muscle of my biceps and it burned! When I came back I started to write more on my entry here but my arms and legs were getting heavy and I knocked out big time!!! Didn't' wake up to go to shower or anything!!! They had already cancelled visitations this weekend, and today did not even run recreation. They said that they had a bunch of guys come to the building from out at the trusty camp and the medical people quarantined them all to the gym until get a handle on what it is they're dealing with. It's crazy, but it kinda sounds like what my Grandmother caught that killed her, it was E-COLI virus. You get it from eating ground meat not cooked properly or of not washing produce properly. The class of food over here had not been good so long now that it coulda been anything at all that they fed us. I kinda would rather it be something like that because if it's something else that's really contagious that's scary as hell. The environment we're all in here on an 1100 man unit who knows how they'll get it under control! I guess the only god thing I can say from my standpoint is that at least I'm back here in segregation and not in general population where they had a bunch of guys walking down the hallways throwing up all over the halls, walls and everything and everyone! Sheesh! I'll bet the orderlies that had to clean all that up, kinda wished they'd had other jobs don't cha think?!! !
I hope that nobody came to visit me this weekend, or else it was a wasted trip for them! Well, guess this is all for this entry. I received your art pkg. and the history package on barbarian; invasions that was some interesting reading! I do want to say that for my part that I'll do my best to figure which 2 or more questions to send in comments on along with whatever entries I have by then. And yes it's fine that you print them on your website so that others on the outside will see them. Do you also put my name and address along with them, so that if they wish to correspond with me they'll be able to? Just wondering, I sent in a profile for pen pals but never heard from anyone did they get placed on you alls websites? I know you've got plenty to do so understand if ya weren't able to... Alright then till next time signing off...
4 August 2008
Hello there! It's me again. Well, let's see the last I wrote, we had just found out about the quarantine we had been placed upon due to a flue type virus that they didn't know the name of, well; we're still on quarantine but at least the lab results have come in as of last Monday and it's the Noro-virus that we have all been exposed to here on the Wynne Unit. They (the prison administrators) would have us believe that it was caused by 'stagnant' water, that had been left standing too long.
The only problem with their theory is that we saw in the USA TODAY newspaper and also a friend downloaded some information on the Noro-virus and the eating food prepared by infected people. Don't sound much like 'stagnant' water to me! Plus like a week and " before everyone started getting sick, the unit switched over from the unit well water to the city of Huntsville water and had to cut the water off for a time to get it set up, and when the maintenance workers turned it back on they did it all at once, instead of lil busted pipes in the sewage areas and down on 1-row it was flooded for 3 to 4 days while they tried over and over to turn it back on and finally in about six days or so they got it right but I'm thinking that somehow they messed up and let raw sewage into our water supply! But will they admit to doing wrong?!? Heck no!! They'd much rather put it off on some other thing that caused the problem Ha! Earlier today I was told that the warden had issued a IOC (inter-office-communication) stating that we were to remain on quarantined status until it has been 30 days since the last case of the virus in the infirmary. And seeing as how they're still getting sick, they haven't even started counting yet!!! That isn't even the bad part. The bad part is that my brother Andre that I was saying came down from California may not be able to stay long enough to come and see me before he has to go back to Cal. Just my luck, now it may be another 6-7 years before we get the opportunity to see each other again... Oh well, it seems as though every time I turn around, "Murphy's Law" comes into effect...
21 August 2008
Here you find me getting ready to put more thoughts to paper. The virus has finally run its course and the unit quarantine has been lifted, so that's a good thing, I guess... according to the info I read it wasn't that bad. They say that originally was brought over to the USA from Norway on a cruise ship of all things!!! It'll usually run its course in around 3 to 5 days, although some folks who have chronic diseases may develop dehydration and so these need to be looked into properly.
2 September 2008
Well, we had a lil bit of a scare today, they moved all of the guys off of one and two rows on another block to make room for guys who were supposed to be being evacuated from units in the path of hurricane Gustov, but the storm seems to have veered off and is not looking as bad as it was at 1st. I'm glad cause it seems that they just got New Orleans halfway rebuilt and if it was to get more torn down there's no telling if or when it'll ever be livable again. Back years ago the marshlands surrounding the coastland was still strong enough to protect the cities, but not anymore. It seems that more and more these days mother nature has been paying us in spades for our many decades of abusing the planet with natural disasters. Who knows when or if it will stabilize again.
16 September 2008
Here I am again to share the latest from my end. We had a lot of damages big time here in Huntsville, from hurricane Ike, and that's not to mention Galveston where it first made landfall and all the way to Houston and on all the way through here in Houston millions are without power and that is the worst of it because folks can't keep their food without refrigerators and can't stay hydrated with out a way to boil their water before drinking it. Humble, where my grandfather and several Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and others.