Just in case some of you forgot what a wannabe dictator Louisiana has in its governor’s mansion, something not a single one of us should be confused about after Edwards’ fruitless, illegal and unconstitutional lockdowns of our people during the COVID hysteria, he’s back. And this time he’s after your Labor Day weekend barbecue activities…

Louisiana leaders are suggesting that football fans adjust their game day rituals as the state continues to warn residents of the risk for rapidly spreading wildfires.

The message came Wednesday as Governor John Bel Edwards and other state officials gave an update on the wildfires that have persisted across the state – particularly in southwest Louisiana — for more than a week, burning up more than 60,000 acres of land.

That, paired with weather conditions enhancing the risk for more fires, has led to a total ban on burning across the state. And while state leaders stopped shy of saying the ban would have a direct effect on tailgates this football season, Governor Edwards recommended tailgaters avoid barbecues and anything else that might entail an open flame.

“This weekend is Labor Day. We know that typically involves a lot of cookouts and barbecues, especially with the return of football… And I’m asking that people not engage in barbecuing and so forth outside where a fire can start,” Governor Edwards said. “Let’s be patient. Let’s not create more work for firefighters across the state of Louisiana.”

“Think of alternatives,” State Fire Marshal Daniel Wallis added. “Think of the situations where you may patronize your local businesses if you’re thinking about having a barbecue and go for those tailgate parties and buy pre-packaged meals… Think about situations where you might be using candles for some sort of outdoor event, purchase flameless candles.”

Along these lines, ULL – which unlike LSU and Southern is playing at home this weekend – is banning open flames at on-campus tailgate parties.

Because BBQ grills in the asphalt parking lot outside of Cajun Field will light the pavement on fire, or something.

Yes, there are wildfires. Your back yard is not likely to be the source of one.

In Leesville and Zwolle right now, they don’t need to be told not to light their BBQ grills. There are wildfires in the area. Of course, if you’re in Leesville and your grill is set up on your back patio which is stone or concrete and there aren’t trees hanging overhead, you can almost certainly grill safely this weekend if you want to.

Elsewhere in the state there is a fire department capable of coming to put out a fire before it lays waste to the entire city. And you might not even need the fire department if you have an extinguisher or water hose handy.

But John Bel Edwards isn’t capable of giving you the benefit of the doubt. He isn’t capable of saying “Hey guys, we’ve had a drought this summer, and so the foliage around your place might be a bit more susceptible to catching fire than normal, so be careful if you’re going to be grilling.”

Nope. According to John Bel Edwards you are stupid, and you are incapable of making good decisions for yourself.

A while back, a friend of mine explained perfectly why Edwards is such an insufferable petty tyrant. He noted that yes, Edwards went to West Point, but all he did in the Army was serve his four years and get out. He never rose above the rank of captain, and as such Edwards only learned that orders are sent down from above and the troops below must follow those orders to a T or else they’ll be court-martialed. Get to the rank of major or above, and you start to have to discern the intricacies of military strategies and objectives and how those aims must be met while understanding the players involved, and how to keep those interests in mind as you craft the orders which get sent down the chain of command.

And then, instead of staying in the Army long enough to get that experience, which would make his leadership capabilities more complete, Edwards went to law school and learned how to be a trial lawyer.

And as a trial lawyer, what you do is threaten people with the worst possible consequences if they don’t do what you demand. That’s how you get them to settle cases you bring, because mostly they just comply – to an extent – in order to make you go away.

These are the two elements of John Bel Edwards’ core life training, and they combine to produce the worst leader possible. He thinks everybody ought to follow his orders, and all he knows to do if they won’t is to make threats.

And he doesn’t respect any limits to that.

So he wants to tell you how to cook your burgers this weekend because there are forests burning in Vernon Parish.

This is by no means a dismissal of the Tiger Island fire, which is a seriously big deal. Some 41,000 acres have burned in western Louisiana since that fire (which is at least partially the product of arson, by the way) erupted. But what’s happening in the piney woods of western Louisiana isn’t really all that relevant to some guy’s back yard in Harahan, for example, where it’s likely to rain this weekend.

We’ve only got a few months left before John Bel Edwards finally goes away. It’s been a very long eight years.