The Perfect NY Times Op-Ed Opening

Every Times op-ed could start this way, regardless of topic - what could be more, well, NYTimesy:

My husband and I are about the same age and build, wear the same clothes and share the same gender...

You could then complete the sentence as the topic requires - the possibilities are endless. This one was about stop-and-frisk, so it introduced even a more delicious twist: "...but I am far more likely to be stopped by the police. This isn’t because I have a criminal record or engage in furtive movements. Nor is my husband a choirboy. Statistically speaking, it’s because I’m black and he’s white." That's pure NYTimes gold there - what would be the greatest abomination imaginable in the old South than a same-sex, bi-racial couple? And what makes life more satisfying than rubbing those old loser's noses in it? It never gets old.

And speaking of crime and punishment, I predict Eric Holder's new policy of avoiding mandatory sentences won't have much of an impact on the Federal prison population. I seriously doubt federal prosecutors are currently wasting time prosecuting hapless, small-time drug-dealers. Anyone getting prosecuted is either getting a plea-down or is a really bad actor for whom selling drugs is the only crime prosecutable due to lack of evidence for his more serious crimes. Sure, there are no doubt a relative handful of tragic cases where some bit player gets caught in a major case and goes to jail for 10 years for delivering a package. But is that really that common?