War Liberal

Couldn't they just have an alcohol free parade around that big church just off Dauphin Street? Or around the mall(s)? Mobile, which I called home for three years, has always kowtowed to the religious right, so this is actually not very shocking. Laughable, but not shocking.

Well, I call Mobile home now, and I don't have a problem with this, unless it spreads to cover the entire parade route, which I certainly can't see happening. There have been more "ugly drunks" downtown in the last few years than there used to be--people who are angry, vulgar, just not pleasant to be around in general, let alone if you've got preschoolers in tow. New Orleans is big enough to have room for both a no-holds-barred downtown crowd and a (while certainly not alcohol-free) more family-friendly area further uptown, not to mention the parades out in the 'burbs. But in Mobile, everybody's all crammed in together in a smaller area. Anything that encourages West Mobilians to come downtown, spend money, and support the city's center, I'm all for.

You've got a good point, Del. Even when I was living there, Mardi Gras was always a good place to see a lot of alcohol-induced fighting. At least you don't have to pay to see the parade like we do in San Diego (billed as the largest Mardi Gras west of the Mississippi).