I attempt to read as much as possible. Over the past few months, the bulk of that has been limited to mainly pixels, but like the month two years ago I spent hold up using a corporate bookstore as a library (which I highly recommend), I’ve decided I need to get back to reading ink on paper. With that in mind, I’m attempting to read at least one book a month (hopefully more) and give reviews here. If you’ve got a recommendation, I’d love to hear it.
For January, I chose The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives by Nick Turse. I’ve read plenty of columns from Turse over the years. He usually writes about the invasive and inhuman ways the Defense Department encroaches on our lives. The Complex is just that – a lengthy explanation of Pentagon ties to the lives of everyday Americans. 
The book opens with a brilliantly crafted narrative about a progressive minded young couple that believes they’ve done their best in avoiding supporting the DOD behemoth. Very quickly we learn that everything, from their iPods to their coffee to the copy of Hegemony or Survival sitting on their bookshelf is somehow interlinked with the Pentagon. In a globalized world, such connections are hard to avoid – be they to the Complex, a sweatshop, Wall Street or any other nefarious entities. Still, the names and numbers become staggering.
The first half of the book points out connections and relationships that become less surprising as they’re analyzed. One can assume that large corporate hegemons like AT&T, Boeing, and more recently, Google, would do everything in their power for a contract with an entity holding an unlimited wallet. Turse also points out relationships and monies spent with more independent/local businesses by the DOD, but again, this isn’t a terrifying surprise as one would be hard pressed to find a local hot dog joint not interested in a thousands of dollars. More staggering though, is the amount of waste, misplaced and unaccountable money that passes from the doors of the Pentagon into the business world. Politicians and pundits often complain about pet pork barrel projects and federal budgetary wastes, but the Complex leaves the reader wondering why none seem to want to trim the fat out of the DOD budget.
Later on, The Complex pulls back the blinds on the web of connections the military has to entertainment – from movies to Myspace – and how those connections are used to draw in fresh recruits. Turse draws attention to movies like the Transformers, first person shooter video games and even NASCAR as ways the lines between entertainment, simulation training and pro-war propaganda blur almost indistinguishably. Finally, The Complex opens the doors of DARPA, the DOD’s dream machine, where the cyborg soldiers and surveillance state of the movies collide in real life.
Peeling back the layers of the Pentagon is no easy task, but Turse does great work here and lays his findings out in an easily (and entertaining) manner. Soft cover, 290 pages. Pick it up by clicking here.
For February, I’m reading Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past by Ray Raphael. If you’d like to follow along and comment at the end of the month, drop me a line and we can collaborate! – Aaron Cynic
