Certain Republicans have given way to fits of partisan bloodlust lately and tried to beat the current president with the bones of one of his long-dead Democratic predecessors.

Gingrich published a book last year that accused Obama, a devout Christian with many wealthy friends, of conspiring to impose a “secular-socialist machine” upon America.

In the Nov. 8 elections, the national media gave extensive coverage to a proposed “personhood amendment” to Mississippi’s state constitution. This was an extremist anti-abortion ballot initiative to declare that a person’s life begins not at birth, but at the very instant that a sperm meets the egg. However, extending full personhood to two-cell zygotes was too far out even for many of Mississippi’s zealous antagonists against a woman’s right to control her own fertility, so the proposition was voted down.

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If we truly believe, as some among us seem to, that taxation is evil and wealth redistribution is always bad, then we must immediately abolish our entire military, Social Security, Medicare, all safety-net programs such as food aid and unemployment...

It’s a fairly common Statehouse phenomenon that bills will zoom out of the Senate or the House and then flame out in the other chamber. People in the other chamber just don’t always care as much as the people who first sponsor the bills. Often, they also don’t want to be pushed around by the other chamber.

The Illinois Senate recently approved a controversial proposal to build a cutting-edge coal power plant in Taylorville, paving the way for what proponents say should be an easy victory in the Illinois House. But critics say the project is unnecessary and puts the cost and risk on taxpayers.

Illinois needs a system to publicly fund election campaigns, reform advocates told a state committee examining potential campaign finance reforms last week. But one expert says lawmakers probably won’t go for it.

During the cold December of 1951, 12 Illinois military service members lost their lives in the Korean War. Those Marines and Army troops from Illinois were among 1,754 Illinoisans and the 54,246 Americans killed 60 years ago in “The Forgotten War” that ran from June 1950 to July 1953.

On a table sits a miniature Stanley Cup, next to a photo of him posing on the ice with members of his beloved Chicago Blackhawks. In the office foyer hangs a photograph of Paprocki posing with the cup itself, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gov. Pat Quinn.

Paprocki also told his audience that sexual abuse of minors is a crime demanding punishment. But critics said that his remarks encouraged victims to remain silent rather than join forces with the devil and sue the church.

After passing the bar exam in 1981, Paprocki and Grossman founded the Chicago Legal Clinic, which still provides legal services to the poor. Grossman is executive director while Paprocki remains president.

Paprocki says he’s not an extrovert, but he likes to sing solo from the pulpit, choosing contemporary numbers from such performers as Nickelback. During his installation ceremony in Springfield on June 22, 2010, he sang “Jesus Loves You” by former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell.

The church teaches that life is sacred, that whether to live or die is God’s decision, and suicide was once considered a sin so serious that funeral masses were banned when the deceased took their own lives. The restriction was eased in 1983, although funeral masses can still be denied for people who commit suicide.

Check out our Holiday Calendar each week until January for holiday events and activities. Events are subject to last minute changes, so we suggest phoning prior to attending. Send your holiday events one week or more in advance to calendar@illinoistimes.com.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Dec 08-11, Jacksonville Theatre Guild performs holiday classic. 245-1402. Sophie Leschin Theatre, 1201 S. Main St. Jacksonville.

Edwards Place - A Historic Christmas Dec 17, 1-5pm, Civil War Christmas at the Italianate mansion. 4:15 p.m. Abraham and Mary Lincoln greet guests, Sound Celebration Chorus. Springfield Art Association, 700 N. Fourth St, 217-523-2631.

These central Illinois organizations need some extra help this holiday season. We’ll publish other wish lists next week – a complete list of 20+ groups is available online at illinoistimes.com.

and an analog “slide pad” that allows 360-degree motion. A 3D Depth Slider adjusts just how threedimensional objects appear and can even be completely turned off (boring!) if need be. Like it’s older brother, the Wii, the 3DS has Netflix-streaming capabilities too, via a downloadable app from the Nintendo eShop.

There’s an old saying among photographers that the best camera is the one you have with you. For many of us, that’s increasingly a smartphone. But if someone on your list relies only on a mobile phone for photography, they’re missing out.

Olympus Pen Mini E-PM1 The Olympus Pen series of cameras offer the interchangeable lenses of a digital SLR camera in a body that’s closer in size to a point-and-shoot.

Johanna Rosson’s decorating skills are sweet. Rosson designs and builds gingerbread houses – and she’s been head architect for some of the best.

Her first was a 2005 recreation of the Richmond Hill, Ga., mansion of Henry Ford that was displayed at a retirement village. As a contributing writer for Cooking with Paula Deen magazine, she has also rendered the Southern celebrity chef’s home in gingerbread.

Thirteen one-of-a-kind Gingerbread Houses will be on display at downtown businesses through December 21. Presented by the Springfield Area Arts Council, in conjunction with the DSI Holiday Walks, these houses are part of a raffle to raise funds for Arts-in- Education and other programs of the Arts Council.

Just like the flurry of smartphones that followed the iPhone, there now is a bevy of tablets from which consumers can choose. They browse, download and multitask at blazing-fast speeds. They snap photos and videos, and they allow users to video chat with anyone, anywhere.

Honeycomb and features a 1 GHz dual-core processor for blazing-fast browsing, gaming and on-the-go multitasking. A high-def display delivers crystal-clear picture, whether they’re streaming YouTube videos or slingshotting birds at pigs. A 3-MP rear-facing camera snaps photos, and a 2-MP front-facing camera can be used for video conferencing.

And since most of my family members are enthusiastic cooks, it’s a safe bet that some of those books will be cookbooks. Here are two cookbooks on my Christmas shopping list this year. I’ve found both valuable – even invaluable – much more than just recipe collections.

There’s a lot of information, but Ruhlman’s prose is eminently and entertainingly readable. As important a component of the book as the writing is the gorgeous and helpful step-by-step pictures taken by Ruhlman’s professional photographer wife, Donna Turner Ruhlman.

than representations of real people, so it’s kind of hard to care what happens to them. There’s the harried career-driven woman (Hilary Swank) who’s in charge of the New Year’s Eve Times Square festivities, an aging rock star (Jon Bon Jovi) who’s...

Whenever area guitar players get mentioned, Frank Huston’s name is sure to come up early in the conversation. Huston, now into his fourth decade of playing music on the local scene, is moving to Portland, Ore., in a few weeks. This Friday, Dec. 9, “Frank Rock” plays a fan appreciation and farewell show with the Oohs at Frankie’s (no relation) 49er.

From the extraordinary and challenging cover song choices to the brilliant, self-penned power pop pieces, no other rock band in Springfield has ever come close to achieving the sonic reality of the Oohs.

A performance you won’t want to miss, The Springfield Choral Society conducted by Marion van der Loo, performs Part I.

Jolly good seditious holiday fun fills up the Hoogland Center for the Arts Club Room as New York actor Jay Randall stars in The Santaland Diaries.

Springfield Ballet Company performs the holiday classic, The Nutcracker,.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEV- ENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS ESTATE OF HELEN M. FRUGE,, DECEASED IN PROBATE DOCKET NO. 2011-P-599 CLAIM NOTICE Notice is given of the death of HELEN M. FRUGE of 3401 S. Douglas, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL 62704.

Local authors Kenneth Farnsworth, Dr. John Walthall and Robert Mazrim sign copies of their recently published books in The Museum Store. Farnsworth and Walthall’s book, Bottled in Illinois: Embossed Bottles and Bottled Products of Early Illinois Merchants from 1840-1880,.

NOTICE TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF WILLIAM ROBERT WILLIAMS Notice is given of the death of William Robert Williams. The Court has appointed Theodore J.