Chicago's new King Rahm Emanuel was granted his wish from Emperor Obama for Chicago to be the host of the G8 / NATO Summit this coming May.
The event is likely to bring thousands of protesters and, given Chicago's history with conflicts with protesters and various violations of free speech, many believe a "perfect storm" is forming where Chicago will suffer massive costs and damage...at taxpayer expense.
The true costs, who gets contracts and the critical details are all a mystery. King Rahm, like his predecessor, King Daley, has even convinced the Chicago City Council to give him blind authority to enter into contracts and spend money without oversight.
The Chicago Way.
On Wednesday, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, which typically rah-rahs whatever the Mayor (King) of Chicago says at any given moment, warned its business membership that they should prepare to take extreme steps during the G8 / NATO Summit, from security to boarding windows to closing down to traffic disruptions to potential violence.
The security issues won't simply affect Chicago because it's likely that thousands of protesters will stay around the region and may even stage in the suburbs. And, some believe that the protesters could shift gears and target suburbs because the international media will still report that as violence in Chicago.
Because the city's plan is to make protesters feel unwelcome, it's not likely the protesters are going to be hanging out on Michigan Avenue shopping. Lori Healy, the crony installed to coordinate the host committee, said a few weeks ago that "secret service will be staying in hotels and eating at our restaurants" to justify the economic impact she insists will come with all this...a mystery number.
Will there be any other benefit to Chicago for hosting the G8 / NATO Summit? Well, ask yourself a simple question...have you ever seen a G8, NATO or WTO Summit on the news and said "oh geez, I wish I could visit" because of it? Usually, there's two images...world leaders pretending they like each other, posing for pictures and protesters.
See below for what it was like at the 2007 G8 Summit in Rostock:
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