I had a deja vu moment when I saw a photo of the regalia that the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan planned to wear to last Saturday’s rally on the Ole Miss campus. I had seen it before but not at a klucker rally.

Our house in New Orleans is near the den of the Krewe of Proteus, one of the city’s old-line Mardi Gras krewes. The den is a big metal building that covers about one-third of a city block. On Monday, Feb. 15, 2010, the krewe’s floats will emerge through huge garage doors for the traditional Proteus Lundi Gras parade.

For months float artists have been at work inside the den building. My wife passes the open doors daily on her walks to the neighborhood grocery store, catching glimpses of the floats as they are created into huge, artful animinations.

Proteus’ floats are built on old wagon beds unchanged since Mardi Gras in the 19th Century. They roll on wooden-spoked wheels rimmed in iron.

Our neighborhood gathers at the corner of Laurel and Bordeux Streets to watch the floats as they are maneuvered onto the street, barely clearing the huge overhead doors.

Mixed with the floats, krewe officers mounted on horseback are led through the streets, something like kids at a pony ride except the Proteus officers are not walked around in circles.

And they are dressed in — you guessed it — hoods with round holes for the eyes, pointy hats and robe-like tops. (check them out at www.kreweofproteus.com)

Every time I have ever seen them I have thought to myself that except for the bright color of the Proteus officers’ outfits, they sure looked like kluckers on horseback.

And then last week when I pulled up the photo of the KKK grand titan calling for the protest rally at Ole Miss Saturday, there he stood in a ruby-red robe, mask and headgear with a green cape and green stripes circling his sleeves.

Wow! He must have tired of bad bedsheet jokes.

The rally, as it turned out, was a non-event. Robed kluckers showed up, according to news accounts, but whatever they had to say was drowned out by the hordes of students who gathered to protest the KKK presence on campus.

Maybe the grand titan should schedule his next event for Feb. 15. Nobody would be able to hear what he has to say there either, but at least he wouldn’t be conspicuous.