Pentagon's Futures Market Plan Condemned

[goddess40]

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WASHINGTON - The Pentagon (news - web sites) is setting up a stock-market style system in which investors would bet on terror attacks, assassinations and other events in the Middle East. Defense officials hope to gain intelligence and useful predictions while investors who guessed right would win profits.

Two Democratic senators demanded Monday the project be stopped before investors begin registering this week. "The idea of a federal betting parlor on atrocities and terrorism is ridiculous and it's grotesque," Sen. Ron Wyden (news, bio, voting record), D-Ore., said.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=5&u=/ap/20030728/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_market

Unbeliveable, Nice for those big corporations that are running things. It would be a sure bet for them. Place the bet make it happen. sick sick sick

[newsguyatl]

1. who here

sees how the white house officials have released this "increased terror warning" today to coincide with this story (the futures trading) getting traction?

just unbelievable (a word i use daily now for these people)...

[gristy]

2. dup thread

go here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=39277&mesg_id=39277&page=

[El Mariachi]

3. big business? Nah.

More like a presidential administration (or perhaps better yet, the Cheney agency that double checks the CIA's homework) getting desperate for ideas on what could happen next.

CIA: We're pretty sure someone is going to drive a bomb into the Golden Gate Bridge

Bush Administration: Pfft Whatever. I'll take $40,000 on a airplane hitting the Sears Tower.







Bush Administration: Oh Crap! The Golden Gate bridge collapsed. Let's fly around the country in an airplane.. but not before we're done reading to little kids.

[Gman2]

5. futures

I almost hope they dont stop it right away. People need to know what these fools are up to. Beer swilling, wife beater wearing, truck gun rack, southern republicans are the only ones that wont gag at this filth. Anyone who wins should be televised. Pentagon officials want to get rich on insider trading. Hitler's goebbels would have had a hard time coming up with this.

[sweetheart]

4. history of futures markets

Before america existed, futures markets were created by people betting on the probability that ships would arrive at their destination at the pub... and this evolved in to the london market.... so despite the appearant negativity, there is a long track record of futures markets insuring the probability of problems... i have no problem with this market, just that the pentagon should not be running it, rather a real futures exchange like the CBOE.