James Talmage Stevens lives up on a mountain somewhere in Texas, where he has a few years' worth of food, a well he can pump by hand, sturdy walls, and gardens for food. He's prepared for just about anything.More >>

Elder Mark Brown and a church volunteer pause in the storehouse.

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You're listening to the crazy man now, Debbie?

Involving Muslims in the American political process is a frightening prospect to guys like Joe Kaufman. Judging from a rant he wrote in February, Kaufman, head of the anti-Islam group Americans Against Hate, doesn't want Muslims to vote, work for the federal government, or get fair legal representation.

Kaufman's view aren't shocking -- he's been spouting similar ignorance for years. What's troubling is that U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston) may have listened to him.

Until last month, Wasserman Schultz had been scheduled to speak at the annual fundraising banquet of the nonprofit Emerge USA, the group's leaders say. Emerge, based in Margate, aims to empower Muslims, Indian, Pakistani, and Arab-American people through voter registration, political polling, and a leadership training program for young adults. Last year, the speaker at the group's annual banquet was former Sen. Bob Graham.

This year, Kaufman got wind of Wasserman Schultz's speaking engagement and wrote a hysterical rant about Emerge's leaders, saying the organization has a "nefarious agenda of placing Islamists into positions of American power and influence."
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​Last week's New Times cover story explored the lives of Muslims living in South Florida. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how we got the story:

The hardest part was picking an outfit. Living in South Florida, I rarely have the need for a turtleneck. But as a female reporter visiting a mosque, I wanted to be respectful. So I dug out my one and only blouse with a high collar, buttoned a cardigan over that, and made sure my slacks reached my ankles.

I pulled up to the Masjid Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen mosque in Margate tugging a black scarf over my head. The silky piece of fabric was not designed for modesty, and it kept slipping off.
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Supreme Court Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge, knockin' down anti-disestablishmentarians back in the day.

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This government endorsement of religion brought to you by state Sen. Gary Siplin.

​The state Senate passed SB 98 this afternoon by a 31-8 margin, paving the way for public school districts to allow student prayer in school. The bill would allow "student volunteers to deliver inspirational messages, including but not limited to, prayers of invocation or benediction," according to a legislative summary from the Senate Judiciary Committee.More >>

Broward Sheriff's Office

Jeffery London

​Youth pastor Jeffery London was arrested last night at his Lauderdale Lakes home on suspicion of sexual abusing a boy for about a decade, becoming the second Broward youth pastor to be arrested this week on molestation charges.

London, 48, was arrested shortly after returning home from conducting Bible study at the Bible Church of God in Fort Lauderdale, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Police say the alleged victim's mother left him to live with London when he was 8 years old because she was "facing hard financial times."

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Broward Sheriff's Office

Youth pastor/alleged child molester Raymond Vincent.

​Fort Lauderdale resident and McDonald's employee Raymond Vincent is a youth pastor in Pompano Beach.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department says he also molested a young girl several times.

According to a police report, Vincent, 41, lured the girl -- who's described as being under age 12 -- into his apartment with food.

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Wikimedia

Christopher Hitchens

His memory is sure to weigh on the bunch of atheists who are getting together this weekend at the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Hotel for a series of meals, parties, and keynote speakers.More >>

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Convicted molester Dieugrand Jacques.

​Dieugrand Jacques, a former pastor of the New Alliance Haitian Church in Boynton Beach, was sentenced yesterday to ten years in prison, nearly three months after a jury found him guilty of molesting a 15-year-old female churchgoer during a counseling session in 2007.

Over objections from the state, a judge granted Jacques a bond of $75,000 so he can remain on house arrest while he appeals his sentence. He's also allowed to conduct church services on Sundays.

During Jacques' trial, another girl had testified that she went to him to confide about a previous molestation in her life, so Jacques told her that "he needed to determine the extent of the molestation" -- which apparently meant having sex with the girl in the church, according to the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office.

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