AMMAN, Jordan, March 16 (UPI) -- A fax was slipped under my hotel door in Amman canada goose jakke parka, Jordan on Feb. 8, 2003. It was from the "Embassy of the United States of America." It stated: "Private American citizens in Jordan should evaluate rigorously their own security situations and should consider departing." I have received a total of three advisory faxes from the embassy. The same advisories should probably have been faxed to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. While the world gives Saddam one last chance in a long line of last chances, "non-emergency" personnel from all over the world are still being told to evacuate Jordan in anticipation of a war that might or might not ever happen. The method and language that countries use to advise varies. For example, the German Consulate was much more direct. It simply told private citizens to leave if they didn't have a job in Jordan. A German woman told me the morning of Feb. 15 -- ironically, the day after Germany helped delay the war against Iraq: "Our consulate called today and said for me to leave. My husband is to wait until Feb. 22 and they will give further instructions at that time." She then asked me several difficult questions www.canada-gooses-jakker.com, "What should I do? Do you think I will be safe here? How much time do you think we have?" I told her: "Buy a confirmed airline ticket today for a flight out of here not later than February 28 for you and your husband." It seems ironic that in matters of evacuation, the German government tells its citizens "you will go now," and the American government says, "Assess the situation. Consider leaving." Yet when it comes to actually going to war, Germany says buy canada goose, "Give inspections more time. Not so fast," and the United States says: "Saddam's time has come. Game over." Unofficially, however, the positions are not so different. The U.S. Embassy has unofficially advised its citizens to leave. I met an American woman who is six months pregnant. She and her husband were leaving that night. "The ambassador said to go," she said. I asked if this was a mandatory evacuation. She said: "It's not mandatory, but the ambassador said they are probably going to make it mandatory if enough people don't leave voluntarily." However, despite warnings, not all citizens are heeding their government's advice. As one Jordanian who handles special events for several embassies in Amman put it: "They are leaving in droves." He then stopped himself to say, "Well, except the Aussies. They were told to go, but they are all staying." I thought about my own safety and asked a Jordanian who had been here for the first Gulf War in 1991 if he thought all these evacuations were necessary. He thought for a moment and said: "No one knows. We think there will be many surprises in this war for Jordan ... for everyone." As Winston Churchill once said: "The only thing that is certain in war is uncertainty." This may be a good time to buy that airline ticket. -- Cholene Espinoza is a correspondent for Talk Radio News in Amman, Jordan. -- Outside View commentaries are written for UPI by outside writers on subjects of public interest.

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