The Krewe of Orpheus announced its three big celebrity guests this year will be Bryan Batt (great!), Jim Belushi, and this dirtweasel:

“My take on it — black people, you’re f**kin’ funny, you’re hilarious. You will get on a bus to go to Million Man March, but you won’t get on a bus to get away from Katrina. It’s funny to me. That is hilarious.”

According to Wikipedia, Mencia’s also the comedy giant behind these steamers:

• “Why are we rebuilding New Orleans? Whose idea was this, Aquaman?”
• “Hurricane Katrina was caused by political correctness. I said it!”
• “I’m glad Hurricane Katrina happened. It taught us an important lesson: black people can’t swim.”

Yeah, yeah, I know. Carlos can’t be “politically correct.” (Eyeroll.) And we can take a joke down here, Carlos. You just got to tell us one first.

Look, we love Orpheus, and most of us go every year. But the reaction around the Gambit office to this announcement ranged from a groan to a threat to kick Mencia’s ass. In past years, honored riders have included Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Bullock, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Delta Burke … genuinely talented people who are genuinely fond of the city and don’t use us for cheap material…

… or crap all over our recovery and then have the brass stones to open a restaurant here, as Ian McNulty pointed out last month:

I am the one that has to ask the question: why are we rebuilding New Orleans? Whose idea was this, f**king Aquaman? Even the fish are like, ‘get away from here!’ ‘But Carlos we want to preserve our culture.’ Nobody said you can’t , but who said you gotta preserve your culture where it’s at? I’m not saying don’t preserve your culture, New Orleanites, I’m just saying use your culture and move it 200 miles away from water, that’s all I’m saying.”

And then he has the nerve to open a restaurant here, and now: Orpheus?

Just stay home, Mencia.