Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Issue link: http://dysoncollege.uberflip.com/i/128987
century we have no idea whether or not there will be another terrorist strike, but we always operate as if there will be. We got lucky in New York City; the bomb did not go off. We were lucky over the skies of Detroit. One of the great things over the past 10 years: We have demonstrated our resiliency—that we can respond and we can recover. But as everybody has discussed and as everybody knows, there are far more hazards— natural events, natural catastrophes, that we do know are going to happen. I think if we agree that security is a national mission, then we agree that we need both the public and private sectors involved, and conferences like this go a long way in promoting that cause. People used to ask me in the first one or two months after I was in the White House, and then as Secretary, "How do you sleep at night?" And I said, "Well I don't sleep very much, but I sleep well." And they said, "How can that be?" I would tell them that I had a very unique view on my country from inside the White House and inside Homeland Security. I knew the professionals, the first responders, the professionals in the emergency management community, and the professionals in the public sector. They want to make us safe and more secure. Same for the military and intelligence communities. And I knew the resiliency and the toughness and the willingness in the private sector to cooperate. So I knew America's heart. I think I know its soul, and we will be fine. We will be fine. Because at the end of the day, Americans do not live in fear, we live in freedom. We support one another. This conference goes a long way in advancing both that freedom and that mutual support, and I thank you very much Pace University. Thank you. 16