A Fundamental Change for Krewe Du Vieux 2008

There has been quite a bit of chatter lately in the New Orleans blogosphere about one of New Orleans' best parades: Krewe du Vieux. The parade was last Saturday night, and as usual, it was edgy, witty, bawdy, and full of satire. It represents more than any parade the true spirit of carnivale. It symbolizes for my family the start of parade season. But earlier before the parade there were many protesters, most Catholic and from out of town, who were upset about how the parade had floats that made a mockery of Jesus and Mary. Truth be told, many floats in 2005 had themes making fun of Christianity, especially Catholicism. But then again, this is a very Catholic town, and most of the members of Krewe du Vieux are Catholic. Chris Rose, a columnist for the Times-Picayune, was this year's king of Krewe du Vieux. Tuesday he wrote a piece that rode the fence, saying he had fun, but sorry if he offended anyone. Maybe the medication made him wimp out. Instead of apologizing, I say it is time to up the ante. Get Osama Bin Laden to be king next year. That would be something. Moreover, besides offending everyone who doesn't "get" Mardi Gras, Osama would also hate it. All the paper mache phalluses, the breasts, the alcohol, we'd have to duct tape him to a pole like Odysseus sailing near the Sirens.