The Native Iowan

Prestidigitation is one of my favourite words.

prestidigitation • \press-tuh-dij-uh-TAY-shun\ • noun. : sleight of hand, legerdemain. Examples: Her career as a magician began with feats of prestidigitation and illusion performed for her high school’s annual talent shows. “

As a child I received a “magic kit” and by about 10yrsold I could give a rather clumsy display of sleight of hand. I have always enjoyed card tricks and disappearing coins and tricks that took a bit of digital dexterity.

For me, prestidigitation equals “look over here”.

I see prestidigitation in our world, in our lives, in our politics… here’s one:

Democratic governor of the US state of Illinois, JB Pritzker said Trump is paving the way to a police state.“Donald Trump’s threat to bring the National Guard to Chicago isn’t about safety — it’s a test of the limits of his power and a trial run for a police state,” Mr Pritzker wrote on his Facebook page. “Illinois has long worked with federal law enforcement to tackle crime, but we won’t let a dictator impose his will.”

Pritzker is doing the “look over here thing”, he’s taking our attention away from the dramas in Chicago. He is directing us to look at the pending police state, not the death rate, lawlessness and corruption that is Chicago/ Illinois.

I’ve gone looking for decent stats per crime, violence, murder in the Windy City, but fear the numbers are undependable.

For too long the “look over here” folks have been fudging the stats, doctoring the numbers, lying, basically lying…

I have this which may give some insight but again I’m not confident there is much here that has not been fudged with…
https://counciloncj.org/crime-trends-in-u-s-cities-year-end-2024-update/

I find it interesting that the ability to control crime is real, we have the tools. But the Will, the conscious will to “clean things up”, to take the sick and needy off the streets, to make an effort to control the slow rot that is drug addiction. To take a knife to the cancerous growth that is organised crime.

I fear that too many are profiting, gaining, being enriched by “turning a blind eye”. Leaders can allow a city, say San Fran, to be turned into an out-door toilet. They can spend billions and billions on “solutions”, while enriching themselves, those close, those attached. As long as there is a problem, there shall be funds available to misuse and abuse.

I dont think the solutions are all that difficult. I think it’s a matter of WILL.

But then I do believe that many elected and appointed leaders do not want a sober, alert, engaged electorate. A bunch of junkies living in tents, shitting on the street, lining up for free dope are much more manageable than any sober informed individual.

And the beat goes on…

More later