So, who remembers Poindexter? The real terrorists are going legitimate--er, well... And behind the scenes, when there's big money involved, manipulation of outcome will be rewarding. I'm sure people running things have done this all along, and this is a trickle-down effect because they didn't diversify.
Shall we wager on whether or not it gets approved? Natalia ----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Morningstar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 4:00 PM Subject: Socio-Political: Betting on Terrorism -- We've Just Entered The Twilight Zone > >>Socio-Political Report > > Betting on Terrorism -- We've Just Entered The Twilight Zone > > http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030728_1660.html > > Senators Say Pentagon Plan Would Allow Betting on Terrorism, > Assassinations. > > July 28th, 2003 > By KEN GUGGENHEIM > Associated Press Writer, Washington > > The Pentagon is setting up a commodity-market style trading system in > which investors would be able to bet on political and economic events in > the Middle East including the likelihood of assassinations and terrorist > attacks. > > Two Democratic senators said Monday they want the project stopped before > investors begin registering this week. > > > > The Pentagon office overseeing the program said it was part of a research > effort "to investigate the broadest possible set of new ways to prevent > terrorist attacks." It said there would be a re-evaluation before more > money was committed. > > The Policy Analysis Market is intended to help the Pentagon predict > events in the region based on investors' information or analyses. > > A graphic on the market's Web page showed hypothetical futures contracts > in which investors could trade on the likelihood that Palestinian leader > Yasser Arafat would be assassinated or Jordanian King Abdullah II would > be overthrown. > > Although the Web site described the Policy Analysis Market as "a market > in the future of the Middle East," the graphic also included the > possibility of a North Korea missile attack. > > That graphic was apparently removed from the Web site hours after the > news conference by Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Byron Dorgan of North > Dakota criticizing the market. > > "The idea of a federal betting parlor on atrocities and terrorism is > ridiculous and it's grotesque," Wyden said. > > Dorgan described it as useless, offensive and "unbelievably stupid." > > "Can you imagine if another country set up a betting parlor so that > people could go in ... and bet on the assassination of an American > political figure, or the overthrow of this institution or that > institution?" he said. > > According to its Web site, the Policy Analysis Market would be a joint > program of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, > known as DARPA, and two private companies: Net Exchange, a market > technologies company, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, the business > information arm of the publisher of The Economist magazine. > > DARPA has received strong criticism from Congress for its Terrorism > Information Awareness program, a computerized surveillance program that > has raised privacy concerns. Wyden said the Policy Analysis Market is > under retired Adm. John Poindexter, the head of the Terrorism Information > Awareness program and, in the 1980s, a key figure in the Iran-Contra > scandal. > > In its statement Monday, DARPA said that markets offer efficient, > effective and timely methods for collecting "dispersed and even hidden > information. Futures markets have proven themselves to be good at > predicting such things as elections results; they are often better than > expert opinions." > > The description of the market on its Web site makes it appear similar to > a computer-based commodities market. Contracts would be available based > on economic health, civil stability, military disposition and U.S. > economic and military involvement in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, > Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey. > > Contracts would also be available on "global economic and conflict > indicators" and specific events, for example U.S. recognition of a > Palestinian state. > > Traders who believe an event will occur can buy a futures contract. Those > who believe the event is unlikely can try to sell a contract. The Web > site does not address how much money investors would be likely to put > into the market but says analysts would be motivated by the "prospect of > profit and at pain of loss" to make accurate predictions. > > Registration would begin Friday with trading beginning Oct. 1. The market > would initially be limited to 1,000 traders, increasing to at least > 10,000 by Jan. 1. > > The Web site says government agencies will not be allowed to participate > and will not have access to the identities or funds of traders. > > The market is a project of a DARPA division called FutureMAP, or "Futures > Markets Applied to Prediction." FutureMAP is trying to develop programs > that would allow the Defense Department to use market forces to predict > future events, according to its Web site. > > "The rapid reaction of markets to knowledge held by only a few > participants may provide an early warning system to avoid surprise," it > said. > > It said the markets must offer "compensation that is ethically and > legally satisfactory to all sectors involved, while remaining attractive > enough to ensure full and continuous participation of individual parties." > > Dorgan and Wyden released a letter to Poindexter calling for an immediate > end to the program. They noted a May 20 report to lawmakers that cited > the possibility of using market forces to predict whether terrorists > would attack Israel with biological weapons. > > "Surely such a threat should be met with intelligence gathering of the > highest quality not by putting the question to individuals betting on an > Internet Web site," they said. > > Wyden said $600,000 has been spent on the program so far and the Pentagon > plans to spend an additional $149,000 this year. The Pentagon has > requested $3 million for the program for next year and $5 million for the > following year. > > Wyden said the Senate version of next year's defense spending bill would > cut off money for the program, but the House version would fund it. The > two versions will have to be reconciled. > > ___ > > On the Net: > > Policy Analysis Market: > http://www.policyanalysismarket.org > > DARPA's Future Map > http://www.darpa.mil/iao/FutureMap.htm > > Copyright 2003 Associated Press > > ***** > Courtesy of Richard Diamond > > Larry Morningstar > Socio-Political Report > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.freeyourself.net/Prosperity4U > http://www.gmtiassociate.com/larrymorningstar.htm > > > Welcome! > > You have been subscribed to the > > > *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* > > *:-.,_,.-:*'`` Socio-Political Report ``'*:-.,_,.-:* > > *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* > > > News and Stories related to social and political issues. > Not your run of the mill stuff. > Low Volume: usually once a week or less. > > To subscribe to this list: > just send a message with the words: > "subscribe: Socio-Political eMail List" > to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe to this list: > just send a message with the words: > "unsubscribe: Socio-Political eMail List" > to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > And remember... > > > *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* > > "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, > it's time to pause and reflect." > > Mark Twain > > *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:* > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
