American Indians are fighting new federal laws requiring U.S. passports to return home after traveling to Canada or Mexico. Federal lawmakers say the new rules are designed to secure U.S. borders, but Indians say the law is yet another infringement on their tribal sovereignty.

After getting caught smuggling millions of dollars worth of untaxed cigarettes across borders, Stormmy Paul, an American Indian, says he has a sovereign right to sell tobacco without regard to state and federal laws.

Christian faith-based aid agency World Vision uses millions of U.S. tax dollars every year to hire evangelicals, even in places like Mali, where most people are Muslims.
Tribal passports: The next step for American Indians? Tribal passports: The next step for American Indians? Stormmy Paul: Businessman, smuggler, ‘Renegade Indian’ Stormmy Paul: Businessman, smuggler, ‘Renegade Indian’ Non-Christians need not apply Non-Christians need not apply

Homeschoolers risk jail, thwart officials in Germany

By Krista Kapralos/ Dec. 8, 2010

This story was published in German in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s largest newspapers. (PDF version of story and FAZ layout.) The story was written for a German audience, with translation in mind. The slightly expanded English version is below.

FRANKFURT, Germany – The Müller children must wait until the local public school lets out before they can play outside. During normal school hours, they stay inside their suburban Baden-Württemberg home. Curtains are drawn, doors stay closed.

“When we do activities with the kids like children’s choir or soccer, we don’t do it in our own city,” says Stefan Müller, who asked that his name be changed for this story. “We go to the next city, where the kids are not known.”

Jurgen Dudek teaches his sons in their home in rural Germany. Homeschooling is not allowed under German law. Some parents who homeschool have spent time in jail and have lost custody of their children. (Photo by Krista Kapralos)

According to official records, the Müller family left Germany six years ago, just after local officials began to issue a series of €1,000 fines, Müller says, for failing to send their children to a state-recognized school.

It’s the state’s fault his children live in hiding, Müller says. His oldest son was bored and depressed at school, but the teachers refused to move him to a higher class or offer him more challenging work.

“A friend said, ‘Why don’t you homeschool him?’” Müller says. “And we had a typical German reaction: Homeschooling is not allowed; kids have to go to school.”

But the more Müller clashed with school officials, the more determined he grew to offer his son an alternative. Families should be allowed to choose what’s best for their children, Müller says, even if it means keeping them home.

“I am a German who lives in the city where I grew up,” he says. “I know the people here. I know this city. It’s really hard to be isolated like this.” Read more

Google Street View: Shades of Nazi spy era?

By Krista Kapralos/Global Post

(PDF version)

Aug. 19, 2010

FRANKFURT, Germany — It wasn’t too long ago that apartment dwellers in Germany assumed that someone, somewhere in the building, was taking notes on everything they did. Even people who owned their own homes could never be certain whether a government mole was listening in on their conversations.

“Making sure the law was kept,” said Jobst Krause, a 67-year-old Frankfurter, of the surveillance during the Nazi era. Read more

One tribe’s dreams: Up in cigarette smoke

August 2009, The Herald

By Krista Kapralos

ARLINGTON — Seven years ago the Stillaguamish Tribe started buying hundreds of acres of land in north Snohomish County.

It was part of an ambitious plan to expand the tribe’s reach and to create jobs and make money. Its Angel of the Winds casino was expanded onto some of the new land.

Other dreams included a hotel, an amphitheater and ball fields, said Dave Nelson, an Arlington real estate consultant hired by the tribe in 2002. During his time with the tribe, tribal lands grew from 117 acres to nearly 800, according to county property records.

“It was going to be a city,” Nelson said. “An entire city.” Read more

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