Poindexter's system is actually a straight ripoff of Jim Bell's Assassination Politics, which helped land Bell in hot water — and eventually in the prison where he now resides, labelled a "techno terrorist" by the Feds.
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Poindexter the plagiarist
by Liberez L'Ours August 1, 2003
John Poindexter's latest debacle/imbroglio/brouhaha was denounced by people across the political spectrum: left, right and up-tight all seemed to think Poindexter's Terror Futures Market was so incredibly "bad" that it wasn't even worth debating. Ironically, the concept is not new.
Nope, not at all new, even disregarding the existing models we now consider legal, moral and essential to modern society: our institutionalized gambling systems we call the stock, options, and commodities markets. When you get right down to it, these days just getting out of bed is a gamble.
But Poindexter's system is actually a straight ripoff of Jim Bell's Assassination Politics, which helped land Bell in hot water — and eventually in the prison where he now resides, labelled a "techno terrorist" by the Feds. That debacle culminated way, way back in the year 2000, according to Wired.
If you don't see the irony of the Feds proposing the same system that Jim Bell proposed then you are ironically-challenged, and I would wager you are, at the very least, a closet neocon. For you see, Jim Bell's concept was to use gambling on future events to help liberate us from the tyranny of governmental evildoers — our Federal enemies, among others. Poindexter proposed to use his system to rid the world of enemies of the Feds, not in the Feds! Heheh.
Naturally, as an imperfectly oriented but eager Libertarian, my complaint about Poindexter's scheme is primarily that it would be a government-run program (i.e., a boondoggle). I am quite sure that they would phouk it up beyond comprehension (i.e. FUBAR it).
Just because Poindexter is a convicted felon and an Orwellian police state wannabe Computer Czar who favors Total Information Awareness and who-knows-what other horrors that can be accomplished with $50 billion dollars and a strong authoritarian bent — that doesn't mean he's wrong about legalized gambling on future events. As they say, even a broken clock is right twice each day.
The real reason Poindexter is wrong isn't that "He's Poindexter, after all!" The real reason Poindexter is wrong is that such a system requires ubiquitous wireless connectivity, bullet-proof encryption and guaranteed "lockbox" anonymity, and openness to everyone on the planet. In other words, for Poindexter's system to work would require what Poindexter has spent years working against: a 21st Century Bill of Rights with Liberty and Justice for all.
Access, Anonymity, Encryption and Openness are all required. Those are the necessary conditions, but are not sufficient in and of themselves. More is required, starting with helping and training people to be thinkers and reasoners instead of do-gooding knee-jerk emotionals who decide policy based on dogma, superstition or feelings.
In other words, throw away the entire Bush, Republican, Democratic, Green, Socialist platforms and introduce rational, logical thinking using the combined brainpower of all 6 billion people on Earth. (Oh, and let's try following the Bill of Rights next time, eh?)
But don't expect me to convince you all by myself. I am just a specialist in incendiary rants — guilty as charged, heheh.
Instead, go read Marc Stiegler's science fiction novel EarthWeb which completely detailed this entire concept of planetary futures gambling back in 1999.
Earthweb is an easy read, a "fun" book with a plot that is based on something implausible: alien invasion. And the totally implausible solution to alien invasion requires ... you guessed it ... using a futures market to devise a battle plan to save Earth.
Of course, Stiegler's gambling system has soooo much more to offer you'll wonder why we cannot set up one for ourselves. But then you will remember that we live in a nascent American police state ruled by hyporcrites like Bill Bennett, who only approve of some kinds of gambling, and even then, only when the politicians control the action!
Control freaks like that that would send millions of men to prison for smoking herb but would laugh off wasting $8,000,000 on slot machines, and who would roll on the floor choking with guffaws when old Kenny Boy gets caught with his pecker in the knothole — well, y'all, men like that won't tolerate nuthin they don't run, nuthin they don't own, and nuthin that might free the serfs from their leaders' morality.From the archives, April 10, 2001 —
Jim Bell's strange day in court
© 2003, by the author.
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If you don't see the irony of the Feds proposing the same system that Jim Bell proposed then you are ironically-challenged, and I would wager you are, at the very least, a closet neocon.
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