Hello, I am new to PTO and thought I would check into this friendly group. I am a 62 year old excon from the Texas prison system. I was sentenced to 160 years for commercial burglaries in 1970 (20 cs 8's) I served 4 years, 4 months, 17 days and got out with an 8th Amendment writ March 1975. I host and produce The Prison Show on Houston radio station KPFT 90.1FM every Friday night beginning at 9:00 (heard on the net at KPFTX.org). I am openly gay on the show as I was in prison (see June 20th issue www,houstonvoice.com). I am the old man of Houston and Texas glbt activism, having come out in 1958 and started politically organizing in 1966 before Stonewall. My history in the movement is on my webpage rayhill.info My US Supreme Court victory (107 S Ct 2502, 1987) is probably what I am best known for. Check it out. I look forward to meeting and chatting with other openly glbt excons into politics and media.

Ray,
I have to say it was a great pleasure to finally meet you last night. After we left, we tuned you in the car and then back at the house, we streamed the rest of the show. :)
I look forward to talking to you more and will be calling you soon to see what I can do to help. I feel like I am just a little late on the scene seeing as how you have been doing this since 1980!? (The radio show)
Again, welcome to PTO! Great to have you here!
David

Hello Ray!

It's GREAT to see you here! I listened to your show last night and I loved the format and what you do for the inmates there in Texas! What an awesome service of support you provide!

I also just sent you an email, check it out when you have a minute!:)


Pamela from Connecticut

Welcome to you Ray!!!! It sure was nice to talk to you last night!! Thank you so much for the work that you do. I know that you know just how important it is. I look forward to getting to know you better. I read a little about you today on your website. You are definately a kindred soul. I can't wait to read more from you!!
Take care and I will be talking to you again next weekend :)
diane

Ray~

Welcome to PTO! So wonderful to see you here!

I have been listening to your show thru the internet for 2 yrs now. It is a wonderful show and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do for inmates and their families.

hello Ray! It is so good to see you here. Welcome to PTO. I visited the radio station awhile back and had a wonderful time with all of you guys. You really do make such a big contribution to keeping families together. I use to call the show quite often but my husband can't pick up the signal in the dorm he is in now. Hopefully a new radio will help considering his is in bad shape.

Kristen

Welcome to PTO Ray I heard you last night and enjoyed it very much. Thank you for your email I sent one right back to you. Love Barbara

Hello, Ray....and a big welcome to PTO!!!

I had the pleasure of listening to your show last night....thank you for giving David the chance to spread the word about this site. It was truly heartwarming to hear so many prisoners' loved ones sending messages of support and hope across the airwaves.

I may be stuck in the Ocean State, but for a few hours last night, it felt like I was dancing through the big heart of Texas!

So glad you've joined us....I'll be tuned in on Friday ;)

Susan in Providence

Welcome to PTO Ray I am ohhh soo happy to see that you have joined us here.
What a wonderful asset you are and have been.
Through the years I have read so much about you and all that you have done, it still amazes me.


softie/Rhea

HOWDY Ray ... WELCOME to PTO and the family ... so very glad you decided to join us ... I too have enjoyed your show ... I feel your contributions here will prove invaluable and look forward to getting to know you better ...

Ray - thanks so much for dropping by and introducing yourself...

Good to have you here - Welcome!

Ray, Welcome to PTO!

It is good to see you here. I wish I was able to hear your show last evening. I must admit that we have heard of you in my hometown of San Francisco.

Linda and I are looking forward to getting to know you.

I am so glad that you have joined us here. You have so much knowledge that will help so many people. Also, I hope we may in some way be able to help you also in any way that we can.

Again, Welcome
Joy (from Kansas just like Judi!!! :cool: )

Hi Ray,

Good to have you with us, finally :)

Welcome to PTO! I, too, listened last night and I read about your show several months ago when someone talked about it.... What you do is so great for the families in Texas.... I couldn't imagine not getting phone calls like them.... I also liked the updates about issues with our so-called justice system... Too bad more radio stations didn't do something like that and let jq public know what's really happening...

Deb

Welcome to PTO Ray....so glad to have you!!! I have listenened to your show many times.....my fiance is from Houston, but he hasn't ever been in a unit where he can hear you.

We all appreciate your efforts....and glad you came to check out the info, forums, support etc here at PTO!!

kath

I am certainly overwhelmed by the warm welcome I found here on PTO. I am a little uncomfortable by any "celebrity" status but I agree with those who have found The Prison Show important work. It is prehaps the most important and most political thing I have done in a long and politically active life. The Prison Show became revolutionary when it penetrated the fenses and walls with the voice of that first wife, mother or child bearing the forbidden message of love and support for the inmate denied access to a telephone. It continues that still and affords me the opportunity to illustrate that one can get out of prison, stay out and contribute to the betterment of others. I feel the biggest problem our inmates have is while some talk a good game, most have a poor estimation of their self value. They need role models: visable men and women who have survived the prison experience and stand proud in the public limelight. I am perhaps not the best example of that in that there are the complications of my being gay and having no religious belief system, Nevertheless, I am out there being exactly who I am and being accepted (by most) and even respected (by many). I hope other inmates see that and gain strength and hope they too can overcome the oppression and prosper.

welcome Ray. And bravo!!!

Ray, I heard your show the other night too and emailed you. Thanks for the email back!!! I'm not happy that my man is in prison but I am glad its in Oklahoma and NOT TEXAS!!!
God Bless you for all you do to help Texas Family's/Inmates out.
I will keep listening to your show and hope to hear fellow Texan PTOers!!! :)

Oh Oh and Welcome to PTO RAY!!!!

Hello and welcome RayHill to PTO! I have heard of your radio station through PTO. I placed it in my favorites list, but I have not listened to it yet. I have had it in my favorites for months. I can't wait to learn more about what you do. I am also gay and my Timmy is in a Texas federal prison in Beaumont. As you might expect, we both have concerns and issues in our dealings with the prison system.....and being that you are gay and have had experience on how tough it is getting things planned a certain way.....well, I will tell you that one of these days I am sure.
But for now, I just want to again welcome you here with open arms, and I look forward to talking with you soon. :)

Pookie

:) WELCOME TO PTO!

Another warm welcome! :) Love--Helen

Ray, I wanted to also welcome you to PTO.
I haven't had the opportunity to listen to your show yet... but I will definitely do so soon!
I'm glad you're here..

Jodygirl

what a pleasure to meet you at long last. believe it or not there a lot of people's live's that you have touched. my hat's off; YOU ARE THE MAN in Texas! i bet all those years ago you would of never dreamed what a stay in the pen would do for you. without those experiences you would never have made it this far! i try to instill that same message in my own son, doing 10 years. somehow i have to believe in my heart that this can be a positive experience for my boy.

absolutely wonderful to have you here!!!
You won't find a warmer bunch of people!!!
Again, welcome!!!!

Welcome to PTO and thank you for all you do.

Welcome Ray! I have listened to your show only once but it provided some good information and I enjoyed the shout outs.

Welcome to PTO! Glad to have you with us!

(((HUGS)))

Hi Ray

I don't understand why I missed this thread, but anyway, I hope it's not too late to welcome you to the PTO family :)

I wish I could listen to your radioshow, but I guess we live too far away from each other !! :(

Anyway, I'm glad you joined us and look forward to reading your posts.

All my best wishes
Phil

i missed the thread, too...welcome, ray. thanks for the wonderful service you are providing in texas! wish we could clone you and put one of you in every state! :)

Welcome to PTO Ray!!! I'm so thrilled to see you here with us! What a nice surprise! Your show meant so much to my dear friend who died in a Texas prison a few years ago. He got put in on a drug charge and spent over 20 years there. He was finally coming up for parole, but was having serious symptoms I thought was his heart, but they kept just giving him antacids and he dropped dead one day out by a dumpster. He had a copy of the Prison Life magazine with the article in it on you that he sent to me before he died, along with his good words of how much your show meant to him. I almost feel like I know you. LOL I'm out here in Oregon, but I listen to your show on the internet.

Big hugs for you!

Hey Ray!
I have the first PTO issue for you. I just received a letter from an inmate addressed to my husband and wondered if you could read into it for me. I have been fighting an extortion case regarding a pen pal and when I received this letter, I was pissed off and feel like I have been betrayed. I am the one that sent you the letter regarding this. I am confused and need your advice from the letter below:

I just received a letter from an inmate that said my husband gave him my address!!! We have been married for 5 years, knowing each other since 1994. He has been in prison for 12 years. I want to know what some spanish lingo means.

Letter from his friend say's: "McIntosh", I hope you receive my letter with big smile on it. It will make you feel good. Guerito, you should know how much I miss you: alot. I hope youre okay. Every day that goes by I think about my sandwiches with cheese! (what does this mean)??? I will remember the good times we had and with each other right "Chingo's Guero"!!! Now when you went to 2 building I had tired to send you a "kite", but the "Cochinos" didn't want to take it, so I tried to send you a message but I don't get no answer back from you. I was sad because I thought you didn't want to wirte me. I thought you didn't want to write me. I recieved the two letters back that I mailed you because we can't write no more. I don't want to send the letter to Red' mom so I'm sending it to your wife!!! (I just received a letter from an inmate that said my husband gave him my address! We have been married for 5 years and he has been in prison for 12 years. I want to know what some spanish lingo means. Letter from his friend say's: I hope you recieve my letter with bigsmile on it. It wll make you feel good. Guerito, you should know how much I miss you: alot. I hope youre okay. Every day that goes by I think about my sanwiches with cheese! (what does this mean)??? I will remember the good times we had and with each other right "Chingo's Guero"!!! Now when you went to 2 building I had tired to send you a kite but the "Cochinos" didn't want to take it, so I tried to send you a message but I don't get no answer back from you. I was sad because I thought you didn't want to wirte me. I thought you didn'twant to write me. I recieved the two letters back that I maked ou because we can't write no more. I don't want to send the letter to Red' mom so I'm sending it to your wife!!! I hope you will recieve this letter because I will never forget my "Guerito", never ok! Now what did you say about my mom? You said my N___? Huh? Right, right! You know what I do this. It's not stopping Right? What? What burger? Huh? I want make you smile with all the B/S right? Remember it's always ok. Ha, Ha, Ha, Now I'm letting you know that I have three fighting cases right now they still don't give me P-5, they you know both kandy's ok. I had gotten into two fights with the snith one and beat her up the other one I slapped her shit! ha, ha, ha! Now Red had messed up with me. He didn't give what he suppose to give me. I 'm just letting you know. Ok. Remember the distance is there but our friendship is still there, they can't stop that right? We will remember the good times and the bad. Remember that always. Now I'm going to close this letter for now but never forever my care okay? Hit me back as soon as possible same way okay? Let me know where you are you at, ok? Take care yourself "chingos siempre" crazy but calm

Osvaldo Reyna

P.S. te extrano chigos guero!!!

"Can someone please tell me what the hell this means!!!!!


__________________
Faithfully waiting on Michael

Help me Ray!!! :fb:

I have tried toanswer your questions before but I don't think I did it right (the curse of the computer handicapped) so here we go again:
Texas has changed the rules, after almost thirty years of not complying with the Guajardo Consent Decree, TDCJ has abandoned it altogether in their rush tooperate unconstitutional prisons in the state. Inmates may no longer write each other. If you act as a go between between two inmates the rules allow you to be removed from corresponding with any inmate. Thus you have been sent a letter intended for your husband from another inmate. My recomendation is that you do nothing with it.
If it is the familiar toneof the letter that bothers you, I would not beconcerned about that either. The language seems well within the norm of Latin prison culture exchange. Of course if you want to be more suspicious than I feel free to do so. I would not have the excess energy to waste.