Campaign for Release of Whistleblower John Kiriakou

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Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post

Injustices happen all the time, but none seem more unfair than when whistleblowers get the stabbing end of the shaft, i.e., prison time. That’s what happened to my pen pal Mr. John Kiriakou,

former CIA analyst and case officer, former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and former counterterrorism consultant for ABC News, blogger for Huffington Post,[1] and author. [1]

John has been in the Federal Correctional Institution in Loretto, Pennsylvania, since February 2013 sentenced as a whistleblower for exposing the waterboarding of al-Qaeda prisoners that was taking place in Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. For that humane and heroic act, John got the book thrown at him by the Obama administration when he was sentenced to 30 months in prison on January 25, 2013. Readers can learn more about John Kiriakou, an amazingly intelligent and compassionate human being, by reading his profile at Wikipedia. [2]

Writing to John over the past months, I learned that he and I have much in common on a personal level, even though I’m old enough to be his mother. We have similar religious backgrounds and even lived within a few miles of each other when my late husband and I lived in Northern Virginia. Both of us are native Pennsylvanians. John and I even celebrate birthdays within a week of each other. I’ve come to think very kindly of John and empathize with his plight – going to prison – when those who did the crime don’t get the time, but got off scott-free!

In John’s last letter to me October 4th, part of which I will share with readers below, he tells great news that echoes of what similarly is posted on Wikipedia,

Bruce Riedel, a former intelligence adviser to Barack Obama who turned down an offer to be considered for CIA director in 2009, has sent the President a letter signed by eighteen other CIA veterans urging that the sentence be commuted. [3] 

John tells me that a public relations campaign of sorts has begun to get him released from prison earlier than his 30 month sentence. I’ll let John tell you in his own words:

I had some good news recently. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) wrote a letter to the Bureau of Prisons calling me a patriot and asking that I be given nine months of halfway house. The warden agreed, and if the BoP approves, I would be released on August 1! Meanwhile, the Greek-American community is asking for similar letters from Reps. Maloney (D-NY), Sarbanes (D-MD), and Bilirakis (R-FL); the Catholic Bishop of Austin is asking Rep Doggett (D-TX); and friends at Liberty University are asking Rep Goodlatte (R-VA). I’ll find out if I get it by the end of November. Wish me luck. 

… Your friend, John

Would readers like to help out in getting John Kiriakou, a true American folk hero—certainly the federal government does not consider him a hero—released earlier from prison? I certainly would hope so, and even would consider it a favor if readers would write letters to the people John lists in his letter, plus contacting readers’ respective members of Congress, which you can access here http://www.contactingthecongress.org/.

John has five kiddies at home waiting for the return of their daddy. He tells me that when he gets out, he expects to teach again at Liberty University in Virginia. I’d like to see that happen sooner than later. Thanks for whatever you can do.

Notes:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kiriakou

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).