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Editorial: Pentagon making bad bets on terror The Oregonian The Pentagon's outlandish plan to take bets on terrorism collapsed Tuesday after less than a day of public disbelief. The speed at which this scheme imploded underscores how vital a role public scrutiny and congressional oversight play in the war on terrorism. The Pentagon quietly developed a program that would let people place online bets on the likelihood of various terrorist activities in the Middle East and elsewhere. Anonymous speculators could buy futures contracts for terror attacks, assassinations and other events, much as they now can buy futures in pork bellies and oil. Those who predict the future correctly would win money. In the dark privacy of the Pentagon, this might've seemed like a swell way to prevent terrorism, since futures markets often reveal trends. But in broad daylight, the disastrous consequences of this plan were hard to miss: Encouraging terrorism by helping people profit from it? They're joking, right? The online trading market was supposed to start registering traders Friday, if not for some digging and whistle-blowing by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and another senator. The Defense Department briefly defended the plan, but as howls of derision from both parties grew louder, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz promised on Tuesday to terminate it. Wyden and other leaders must keep monitoring the Pentagon's many plans for national security. Some make sense. Some boggle the imagination. It takes an outside eye - and a watchful public - to discern the difference. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -