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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful Information, Difficult to Read, March 26, 2010
This review is from: The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives (American Empire Project) (Paperback)
As a former highly paid employee of a the Military Industrial Complex I found this book to be accurate and full of useful information. I have always said if the average American understood the incompetence, waste and corruption that riddles this parallel economy they would refuse to pay their taxes. The information presented in this book bears this out. However, the book is a bit difficult to read as it is so full of data.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even Eisenhower Didn't See This Coming, May 18, 2010
This review is from: The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives (American Empire Project) (Paperback)
This is a fast paced compelling read. Packed with startling revelations that will horrify some, while wowing others. Nick Turse opens our eyes, as to how pervasive the Military Industrial Complex has become in our lives. He lifts the curtain on billions of dollars of Pentagon waste that Americans tolerate without question. He details for the reader the extent of how the military has garrisoned the globe.
Sounding a warning to teens that "Uncle Sam Wants You" and will do almost anything toward that end, makes this mandatory reading for young men and women as well as their parents.
Sci-fi, buffs might find cool the idea of militarized moths, or spying spiders, but the programs Dr.Turse sheds light on, are cause for grave concern.
Throughout the book the author's clever wit is apparent and the level of research admirable. If you think the Military Industrial Complex is all guns, planes, missiles and tanks you should read The Complex. If you think that we as citizens are in control of the military you must read The Complex.
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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Poorly Elaborated Compilation of Statistics, June 14, 2011
As other reviewers have noted, this book reads as though it were a compilation of Google searches about the products that the military buys. As per the title, I expected a book explaining the complex relationship between the military and consumer industries, and how the military influences the marketplace and "invades our everyday lives." Instead I got a very shallow, uninteresting book that goes no deeper than providing lists of all the "normal" consumer products than the Pentagon buys.
Turse blows the lid off such shocking revelations as: Proctor & Gamble makes "Crest" toothpaste that many people use each day. P&G also sells Crest toothpaste to the Pentagon for use by soldiers. Does that make Crest a sinister defense product that has "invaded" our everyday life? Hardly. Would you be surprised to learn that U.S. soldiers wear sunglasses in desert locales, and YOU also wear sunglasses while driving your car? If these types of shallow revelations interest you, then you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, look elsewhere.
In another section Turse states, quote: "the giants of the mainstream American media... [Washington Post, New York Times, etc.] regularly turn up on the military's payroll. We can't be sure what the monies are for - perhaps for advertisements or just subscriptions..." The inference here is that the Pentagon is corrupting the free media and buying influence, but again no deeper analysis is provided. Had Turse done even the slightest amount of research he COULD have been sure what the money was for - I'm guessing here, but he likely would have found that the money the Pentagon pays to news organizations is for advertisements or other "normal" purposes and hardly an "invasion of our everyday lives." Instead, Turse throws a bunch of dollar amounts on the page that the Pentagon pays to newspapers, infers that it's somehow sinister and moves on.
I will concede that there are some good and somewhat shocking discoveries in the section on wasteful spending, but overall, if you're looking for a deeper analysis instead of just cursory statistics, look elsewhere.
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