A reader concurs:

Jonah,
I’ve been waiting for someone from NRO to address this news item. The media has (like Congress) reflexively rejected the futures market. I find this so depressing. I have my own view on the “whether” question concerning this proposed marketplace and I respect the fact that many have a differing view, but I’d like to intelligently debate it before it gets dismissed!!!
None of the issues raised (which are soooo interesting) were ever discussed. What a shame. Hopefully you or someone on NRO can dedicate some good thought to this.
Is the pricing of a life insurance contract any less morbid/moral than the pricing of an assassination? Why/why not? Why is one so accepted and the other denounced?
If terrorists profiting from their attacks is the most disgusting possible outcome from an events futures market, how can you not accuse all financial markets of the same potential atrocity? If Al Qaeda wanted to profit from its attacks it could have shorted anything in any stock market in the world on September 10th.
I don’t know if my answers to these questions are the ‘right’ answers for us or the civilized world, but I sure would like to hear some intelligent discourse on the matter.