Unwarranted Influence

In Eisenhower's farewell address, he warned about a growing dependency between America's military and its industrial base. Some benefits have emerged from the "military-industrial complex" like cell phones and the Internet, but it's also provoked questions like "does our massive military establishment really make us safer?" Journalist James Ledbetter has written a book that explores the origins and effects of the military's role in our economy and he joins Doug to talk about it. (Rebroadcast)

Books and Music from Today's RadioWest:

• James Ledbetter, Unwarranted Influence: Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Military-Industrial Complex (Icons of America)
• Dirty Projectors, Two Doves
• To Rococo Rot, Kölner Brett 2
• Four Tet, This Unfolds