-E.J. Dionne Jr.
There are 656 statutes on the books nationwide that use racial and ethnic classifications.
Good read: more on the Medicare fiasco. (Courtesy Iceman.)
TUESDAY = NEWSDAY:
* The Supreme Court upheld Oregon's assisted suicide law.
* Pakistan is upset over American airstrike that killed civilians.
* A mysterious "friendly fire" incident leaves a family searching for answers.
* Whither Hastert?
* An essay critical of Alito's evasiveness.
* Let's not forget Martin Luther King Jr.'s pro-union stance. (Also courtesy Iceman.)
* Wait, what? New Orleans mayor Nagin calls for the rebuilding of a "chocolate New Orleans."
* A mission guide to the Pluto probe.
* Richard Cohen on Oprah's delusion.
* The Straight Dope on ancient Greece and homosexuality.
* New Rubik's Cube record set.
"In a report released quietly just before Christmas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's investigative arm disclosed that the department failed to properly monitor thousands of acres of experimental biotechnology crops."
Here's a list of the Golden Globe winners, if you're into that sort of thing. How will this affect the Oscars?
One man with a simple dream: to be a dead body on TV.