'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America

Marion Barry doesn't quit — ever.

D.C. Council member Marion Barry struck an unyielding tone in defending himself Thursday against criticism over his contentious remarks about Asian-owned shops and the number of Filipino nurses in the District — comments that prompted one man to say he had rooted for the mayor-for-life for years, only to have his heart broken.

With the D.C. Council gearing up to vote Tuesday on committee assignments and oversight priorities, Marion Barry is expected to head a panel that will give him power over bills to aid ex-felons — a power the former mayor wants to use.