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NATO Summit 2012: what does it mean to Chicago?
How well prepared is Chicago for the NATO summit?
I think well prepared. I am the Governor of our State
and Commander-in-Chief of our National Guard,
which will be involved in helping the proceedings along,
as well as the Chicago Police.
We want to have a very successful gathering of NATO nations.
To have a real discussion
when people have an opportunity to speak their piece.
We can balance that off and make sure that everyone is heard.
It is an opportunity for Illinois to tell the whole world about us.
We have people coming from all the NATO nations
and we want them to learn about Illinois and Chicago,
see Lake Michigan and all the great things in our state of Illinois.
How much do Americans appreciate the work of NATO?
It is an important organization. The efforts that were done in Libya
just very recently, show the power of NATO working together.
I was born a few months before NATO started, I am about as old as NATO
and it is important to have this organization
that ties people and nations together for something important:
democracy, security, making sure we have the opportunity to practice
what we believe in. So NATO should always be with us,
maybe changing in form and with the times, but it has to stand by.
Elections, protests, debate: is Chicago 2012 democracy in action?
We have a presidential election going on
and Illinois is the epicentre of the whole battle.
Our president comes from Illinois, Chicago,
and we know how to do politics and democracy.
It is healthy to have a robust debate and discussion.
Sometimes it gets loud,
but America is all about the right to speak.
And NATO believes in the right of assembly and speech,
religion and press, and it's going on full tilt in America in the election,
and our state is in the heart of it.