POWERNAUT 2005!

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

Ever since the Powernaut's comics showed cartoons of Spanker 4 in a Powernaut outfit, the public is acting like he was a cute robot from a children's story. There's even been some speculation on whether our new pal would be back to join a Council of Powernauts. Uh, I surely hope not. Sharing a body with Spanker 4 was preferable to sharing a mind with Philippe St. Joseph Lateran, but not by much. And if he's coming back, it'll be from a place mankind has never been - and he'd need the power of intestinal bacteria to survive that trip. I literally shat him out of my body once he was deactivated. Now he's the problem of New Delhi's sewage system.

... Next question, please.

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

It's publicly known that I was a United States defense contractor in the 1980s. I worked on the MX Missile when Ronald Reagan was President! (ref: 1988/me1.htm)

People say, Iraq has a defense contractor cowboy culture. People forget the 1980s all too soon. I'd rather forget the 1980s too. Back then, I was youthful and inspired by 1980s culture-fictional heroism. So I became so full of ambition, I actually invaded the Soviet Union *myself* to restore America's glory. It seemed the thing to do then. The U.S. Gov routinely disavowed its operatives then, so I fit in. That's when I acquired my alcohol habit... By comparison, the present decade is tame. Trust me on this.

I've been happy to work for the private sector since then. Still, it was nostalgic to be a U.S. defense contractor once again. This comic is reasonably good at portraying it. Karl has some experience with this too, but he was not as quick to embrace his past as I was.

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I found the bartender was Belgian. I have a sense for these things, especially when the beers on tap are mostly Stella Artois... Belgium had accepted the "Coalition" concession contract for this occupation.

(Don't get me going on "Coalition". I'd just been through a reality shift. In my previous world, it took the whole United Nations to garrison Iraq after a four-way civil war.)

The Belgian bartender had a tip jar out. I knew this was not usual for Belgians; they just make the beer more expensive, as was the case there. But the defense contractors who'd passed our way before us had taught this bartender to passively ask for tips.

Aw, crap. When America mingles with the world, sometimes we get the worst of both worlds. And that's not even counting the people outside the mingle zone.

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I was honored to be working with a battalion of the famous Scots Guards as they did a tour of duty in Iraq, and to support them against a *different* insurgency than the American troops faced. I've commented on that at length in my own story of this same mission, at 2005/occulator.htm#army. Iraq had insurgencies in my home universe too, but the United Nations pretty well took care of those. The UN really did kick some ass there.

Anyway... The instructions specifically said, "Wear your normal clothing." This applies equally to me and the Powernaut. My normal clothing is Mighty White Voyageur, and the Powernaut is a blazing bright target which puts even me to shame. Need I say more, about marching through Basra?

Fortunately Karl and I had both prepared. (see next entry)

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I've been asked for my opinion on the leadership. I'm now off-duty, so I can freely give it.

You may know, I came here from a reality shift. In my *old* world, the farthest any of President Bush's sons made it was Governor. Ellipsis humiliated President Bush during Operation Total Manhood in 1996, when the U.S. tried to invade the Bahamas - and lost. President Rodham handled foreign policy differently after that, especially in 2001. But there was some backlash, which favored *one* of President Bush's sons.

Imagine my surprise when I got to work for Governor George W. Bush of Texas, as the Guvna's superhuman affairs consultant. (ref: 2004/aleut.htm) He got the second best consultant, behind my brother. I got the second best client, behind at least Governor Corrigan of California. (ref: duopol3.htm) I think I saved Governor Bush from assassination by Chaos Mages. But I had to exploit personal connections to do that. Those connections made me forever suspect with the Guvna.

Now the Guvna is President - *and* he retroactively got to handle 2001. Suffice it to say, the fallout from that is still a hot mess.

I've heard some of you take this reality shift personally - and you didn't even have to *go through it*. I *did* go through it. So I'll just say, I feel your pain.