Even as the Bush administration presses the United Nations and U.S. Congress to give strict disarmament deadlines to Baghdad, the White House and Pentagon expect that President Saddam Hussein, who Washington accuses of developing chemical, biological and nuclear arms, will trigger a war by eventually halting unfettered U.N. arms inspections.

George Bush got one thing right in his speech Monday night -- that "many Americans have raised legitimate questions" about his mad rush to war with Iraq.

Take Bush's assertion that if Iraq could "produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year." Yes, that's likely true, but it is the equivalent of saying, "If Iraq had a nuclear weapon, it would have a nuclear weapon." Creating the other components of a nuclear bomb would be relatively easy; it is the fissile material that is the issue.

Or consider Bush's claim that "Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists." Yes, he could. But if for the sake of argument we accept the claim that Hussein has stocks of usable weapons, would he give them away? Bush reminded us that Saddam Hussein is a power-hungry dictator who seeks total control. Is it likely such a fellow is going to turn over powerful weapons to an outside group that he can't control?

Bush at least acknowledged that we know little about Saddam's nuclear capability, but he lied about why. Bush claimed that Iraq barred the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1998. In fact, the inspectors, along with those from the U.N. Special Commission, were withdrawn by their agencies -- not expelled by Iraq -- in December 1998 when it became clear the Clinton administration was going to bomb Iraq (as it did) and the safety of the inspectors couldn't be guaranteed.

When Bush needed to answer people's legitimate questions, he sidestepped them with cynical attempts to manipulate emotion. To explain why a war is necessary now, he cited the horror of 9/11.

Yes, but the people who committed the atrocities of 9/11 were not agents of Saddam Hussein. The fact that one U.S. enemy used such terrorism does not mean that everyone who dislikes the United States and its policies is going to do it. In fact, the only two times Hussein has dared to use chemical weapons -- in the war with Iran and against Iraqi Kurds -- occurred in the 1980s when he was an ally of the United States and had our implicit support.

Bush is willing to risk massive civilian casualties, the complete destruction of a people already devastated and impoverished by one war and nearly a dozen years of economic embargo, and a dangerously chaotic postwar world. I cannot prove those events would come to pass, but given the brutal way in which the United States fights wars -- with high-altitude bombing and indiscriminate weapons, the direct targeting of civilian infrastructure, and a consistent lack of concern for civilian deaths -- those results are far more plausible than any of Bush's fear mongering claims.

Truth on Iraq Seeps Through
by Robert Scheer
In a speech intended to frighten the American people into supporting a war, the president Monday again trotted out his grim depiction of Saddam Hussein as a terrifying boogeyman haunting the world. However, a CIA report released late last week and designed to bolster Bush's case for preemptive invasion instead provided clear evidence that Iraq poses less of a threat to the world than at any other time in the past decade.

In its report, the CIA concludes that years of U.N. inspections combined with U.S. and British bombing of selected targets have left Iraq far weaker militarily than in the 1980s, when it was supported in its war against Iran by the United States.

The CIA report also concedes that the agency has no evidence that Iraq possesses nuclear weapons, although it lamely attempts to put the worst spin on that embarrassing fact: "Although Saddam probably does not yet have nuclear weapons or sufficient material to make any, he remains intent on acquiring them."

Of course, that is a statement about intent, not capability, and one that can be made about dozens of the world's nations, many of them run by dictators as brutal as Hussein.

Iraq Article by Scott Ritter
Iraq has agreed to allow the inspectors to return, unconditionally, and to be held accountable to the rule of law as set forth in existing security council resolutions governing Iraq's disarmament. The opportunity finally exists to bring clarity to years of speculation about the potential threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, as well as an opportunity to resolve this ongoing crisis of international law peacefully.

But President Bush refuses to take "yes" for an answer. The Bush administration's actions lay bare the mythology that this war is being fought over any threat posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. It has made it clear that its objective is the elimination of Saddam Hussein. And this is where I have a fundamental problem. The UN charter prohibits regime removal. The US constitution states that international agreements entered into by the United States carry the force of law. The US has signed the UN charter. Regime removal is not only a violation of international law, it is unconstitutional.

There is a way to deal with the need to change a regime deemed to be a risk to international peace and security, and that is through the UN. If President Bush truly wanted to seek regime removal in Baghdad, then he would push for an indictment of Saddam Hussein and his senior leadership in the international court for crimes against humanity, something that should not prove hard to do, given the record of the Butcher of Baghdad (and something other members of the UN would clearly support as an alternative to war). But seeking judgment through the international court requires a recognition by the US of the primacy of international law, something the Bush administration has been loath to do.

The fact of the matter is this crisis between Iraq and the US goes beyond even the issue of regime removal. It represents the first case study of the implementation of a new US national security strategy, published last month, which sets forth a doctrine of unilateralism that capitalizes on American military and economic might to maintain the US as the sole superpower, to impose our will on the rest of the world, even through pre-emptive military action. This strategy is a rejection of multilateralism, a turning away from the concepts of international law.

This new Bush doctrine of American unilateralism reeks of imperial power, the very power against which Americans fought a revolution more than 200 years ago.

Article by Michael T. Klare in Miami Herald
Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and the author of Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict.
The U.S. attack on Iraq could lead to a swelling tide of anti-Americanism throughout the Muslim world. Arab Muslim citizens of Iraq have already suffered from the dire effects of the U.S.-imposed trade embargo. To inflict more suffering on them, while doing virtually nothing to curb Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians, raises the specter of widespread and possibly violent anti-American demonstrations.

Credibility Gap
By Marie Cocco
The "credibility gap" is what allowed President Lyndon Johnson to "take all necessary measures" to avenge alleged North Vietnamese attacks on American destroyers patrolling the waters of southeast Asia. The enemy "attacks" turned out to be a hoax. And, his recently released presidential tapes show, LBJ knew this within weeks of the incident.

The Vietnam war was well along before the public understood the rhetoric did not match reality. That is what makes the present scarier. American troops have yet to set out for Baghdad. But the credibility gap through which they are to march already is wide.

President George W. Bush addressed the nation last night to convince Americans his plans for war to remove Saddam Hussein are necessary and just. The White House already has bludgeoned the people's elected representatives into political submission. It has so far not had the same success with the people.

You were born under the sign of AQUARIUS and your ruling planet is Uranus, which makes you rebellious, independent and unconventional.

Your Sun sign is FIXED and this impels you to fulfill an organizing function, either in thought or action. Your attitude is firm, persistent, stable and decisive. You have the ability to concentrate profoundly on your projects and to stay firm in your purposes. In spite of this, you will have to cultivate a certain flexibility to avoid obstinacy and selfishness.

Aquarius is an AIR sign and this makes you curious, sociable and mentally very active. All occupations that stimulate your intellect and the possibility of communicating will be very favorable. You need variety, harmony and the exchange of ideas.

You like to be free and do not adhere to routine or the limitations of daily life. Because of this, your manner is personal, informal and sometimes a bit too accelerated. You are very curious and attracted to everything that is special, different or mysterious. You enjoy travel, adventure and the possibility of meeting new people and places. You can communicate easily and make friends everywhere you go. Your independent attitude permits you to relate to everybody and not to commit yourself to anybody. You learn everything that interests you very quickly, but also get bored quickly when a subject is slow or tedious.

Your life will be filled with changes and surprises, some will be planned and others totally unexpected. You are very creative and always put your personal touch on everything you do. You have the ability to invent, transform and change your environment. Your demeanor and the course of your life will always be unpredictable.

You were born to change the world around you, to provide new ideas, styles and conventions. Your way of thinking or acting probably will be criticized, but it will teach others to widen their horizon and mentality. You were born to break the rules, procedures and duties, especially when they become outmoded or obsolete. Your humanitarian, altruistic and futuristic vision will permit you to think about the function of groups and to render your help to them. Another of your missions is to create, to invent, to innovate and to develop your creativity and imagination.

To evolve, your spirit needs to learn to develop patience with the things you cannot change or with people who are unable to keep up with your pace. You have to control your eccentricity, rebelliousness and wrong ideas so that you don't waste your energy protesting things that you do not accept. You could easily fall into immature and erratic attitudes, or quickly change your feelings and interests, and act with indifference and coldness toward others.

• Vandana Shah is a 33 yr-old who's the policy director for the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Comissionn (basically funding of health care programs). Her job combines law, policy and politics (MY DREAM!!) - she advises and represents the commission on healthcare initiatives, drafts policy proposals (something I'd LOVE to do!!!), and negotiates with advocacy groups, foundations and administrators in the local and federal gov'ts!
  
  After graduating from Duke's School of Law, she worked as an associate for 9mos. in telecommunications law, and then as a Research scholar at a think tank in Washington D.C., studying International Telecommunications Law! How cool is that? Well not the telecommunications part but working at a think tank??? And after that she spent 3 years as Associate Attorney General at the Attorney General's Office (reviewed and approved sales, leases and conversions of nonprofit entities in the state and represented the state on healthcare and privacy policy issues and legal cases). Then she went on to become Policy Consultant to State Governor's office (working on statewide prescription plans for seniors) and now is in the policy director for a commission in charge of dispersing health care funds!
  
  She's on the board of Triangle World Affairs Council, and the Indian American Forum for Political Education (N.C. chapter), and volunteers at INTERACT and Wake County Domestic Violence.
  
  
• Next is Sudha Tiwari Kantor (somewhere in her 30's) who's been appointed director at the New Jersey Dept. of Human Services by NJ's governor, Jim McGreevey. She's the Dept of Human Resource Commisioner's director of legal, policy and legislative affairs and oversees all legal and legislative analysis and directs legislative affairs. She's a Rutgers Camden School of Law graduate and was in private practice for over 7 years.

ASSOCIATE JOB MARKET STILL TIGHT
Recruiters Advise Many to Cast Out on Their Own
BY STEPHANIE FRANCIS CAHILL

Two years ago, Florida legal recruiter Joseph E. Ankus could have placed a "standard poodle" in a law firm job, he says. That's how favorable the associate job market was.

But that was then; this is now. "If I have a Willkie Farr or Skadden corporate associate who wants to relocate and go to Greenberg Traurig in Miami, I would say, 'Good luck,' " Ankus says. "On the law firm side, I see little hiring. Associates might get jobs on their own, but it's highly unlikely [they will find jobs] through recruiters. The firms don't want to pay recruiter fees."

Many recruiters share Ankus' perception. They say that since the economy crashed in 2000, hiring has been increasingly tight, particularly for associates trained in corporate work.

"After Sept. 11, just about all associate hiring was at a standstill," says Marina Sirras, a New York recruiter. "Firms are bringing in smaller classes, and we're seeing a lot of 2002 graduates who have not found positions yet."

Things to Buy

• Long Skirts
• Long-sleeved shirts/sweaters
• Shoes to wear with jeans
• calf-high (knee-high?) boots to wear under skirts

Moles are benign skin growths composed of pigment cells. They can occur anywhere on the body, from the scalp to in between the toes, in various sizes and shapes. Most everyone has moles, sometimes 40 or more, and the number is often related to the amount of sun exposure you had as a youth, when you experience 80 percent of your lifetime sun exposure before the age of 16. Moles usually develop in childhood and adolescence; development tapers off after adolescence and young adulthood. Moles can be minimized or prevented by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, avoiding the mid-day sun, shunning tanning and tanning salons, and wearing sun-protective clothing.

Thursday, September 26, 2002
01:55 p.m.
Ok to clarify for those of you who might have been misled....I did not get an *offer* per se but merely an interview to discuss things futher. My beloved pointed out to me that a real offer would mean contract and pay etc etc and all this was was an interview. Heck, didn't anyone else out there see what I meant by "offer"?

anywayz - Aisha a.k.a. Kelly Numb ;), aisha I've missed talking to you! But I'm confused - I always call you aisha but your emails and messages always say Kelly Numb, what's the real name? Adrianne, is this usako? *HUGGGG* I didn't know u read my journal!! Do you have one? Maybe I can link you. I love reading blogs. And thanks for the pep talk :) I hope I GET millions of offers :D Louise from Australia, I remember hearing from you before! Where in Australia you from? I met someone on ICQ last night from Perth Australia who found my journal somehow and found it interesting that I was also an Indian who liked anime as he did. Maybe I should start a club - Indians who love anime ;) Wind, thank you so much! You're on my ICQ buddy list but I can't remember how. If I'm on again, I'll message you :) Miyu, is this Bunny from SuperSailorMoon.com? I get so confused by nick-changes. I used to have a comment box before but had to remove it.....I'll call you Miyu from now on! How have you been? I wish we all get into a chat room and just talk away! Danielle!!!!!! As you can see by the posts on your journal, I'm a retard. I clicked different links and wound up commenting to you on different sections of your posts ;) Will you still be my friend? ;) hahahah My dear Sarah Beth I love you like a sister, you know that? You're always praying for me and being the best support I can find at times! *HUGS*

Ok I have to finish cleaning the house today and tomorrow and continue emailing out resumes to employers. AY YI YI. My folks will be back from India Tuesday. I'll write more later.

love you all!!!!

- Nishi

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
11:33 p.m.
agh this sucks - I can't take that part-time job because it's part-time and won't be enough for me to live on in Long Island. I emailed my cousin, Mat, who's 4 years older than me and is a great attorney, for some advice and he told me to have my loans deferred for a year and to apply to the government and to live at home until I get something good. It's great advice and stuff I knew but I just wish I could get a great job and get out on my own....patience right? Everythng happens in its own time.

My precious friends, please keep praying that I get a great full-time job close in the city so that I can have my dream of living in the village? (greenwich village ;)) And so i can pay off my loans and debts and help my parents with the mortgage for the new house we're building.....and my little twin sisters' educations.....ay yi yi I need a good job soon.

- Nishi

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
06:28 p.m.

Dear Ms. Rajan:

Thank you for your recent email regarding employment.

We are presently seeking a part-time attorney to assist us in our law firm. We concentrate on tax controversies, and certainly value someone with good writing skills and negotiation abilities.

If you would be interested in a part-time position, please contact us at our email address or by telephone at XXXXXXXXX to discuss this further.

- I'm not publishing their name! :)

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
03:04 p.m.
wai!! I finally got a tag board and got the enhanced version too so I can delete posts and IP ban and filter obscenities! The coolest thing is that tag board auto-refreshes everytime someone posts so you can have live chats with people! :) very cool. Now I can talk with Danielle of Serenitatis.com who should get a tagboard TOO cause I can never leave comments on your blog!!!! :)

I'm supposed to be cleaning the house right now but I got bored so I'm online. Where IS everyone on AOL Instant Messenger? They're all either away or not on. It's only wednesday!! blah....I should clean sheesh....ok I'm off to clean.....wonder how much a maid costs? hmm...

- Nishi

Tuesday, September 24, 2002
09:50 p.m.
I feel awesome! I worked out both yesterday and today on the treadmill - jogged for 30 minutes yesterday (walked 10) and jogged 45 minutes today (walked 15 - for full 60 minutes) and it says I burned 526 calories and finished 4.14 miles! :) I just finished a nice shower and I have a new lotion I love! Oil of Olay Total Effects Body Lotion is AWESOME. It smells SOOO PRETTY and feels fantastic on!

New Beauty Tip for Hands and Feet For the Fall and Winter
This is from a beauty newsletter I get every day.

With fall here and winter around the corner, these two tips might ward off the effects of dryness and maintain your skin during these months...

Hand mask...
One teaspoon warmed olive oil.
1 vitamin e capsule.
1 teaspoon owdered milk

Pierce the capsule and mix it with the olive oil and the milk. Massage it into the hands. Put on a pair of cotton gloves and sleep in them if you can. (I don't bother with gloves - I just lather it up on my hands and go to sleep)

Softer feet...
Warm 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly just until it starts to melt. Do not liquify. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Massage well into the feet, top and bottom. Put on a pair of cotton socks and sleep in them overnight.

First day of Autumn - beautiful fall day
Monday, September 23, 2002
06:50 p.m.
After going to bed super late last night, I didn't wake up until 11:30 a.m. and watched the news and an emmy special. Still so happy that Jennifer Aniston won :) I just made myself a sunnyside up egg sandwhich - I'm going to clean up and then go jogging. There are a bunch of wild turkey's on my lawn and they're making loud noises! Last Sunday when Ricky was here last week, a BUNCH of wild turkeys were on the lawn and he ran out and chased them and it was HYSTERICAL - they ran like chickens with their heads cut off - crazy fast and scared shitless ;) HAHAHAHAHA I laughed so hard!

I'm really getting into hair and skin care now so I made Nishi's A Dream I Dream - BEAUTY Page where I'm going to put all the hair and skin and body care tips I've ever found that helped me. It's up right now - hope you enjoy it!! :) Click the link here or the image below to go to it!

everything from Sat. 9/14 to Sun 9/22
Monday, September 23, 2002
02:42 a.m. - I stayed up late to
Sat 9/14
I had such a great haircut - got everything relayered and cleaned up the house for ricky's visit. After the haircut I went and drove all the way to the nearby airport and back so I'd know the way at night and sang at the top of my lungs while I sped at 80mph. Felt so good to sing loud :) Picked my ricky up near 9pm and it was SOOOOO wonderful to have him here. I missed him terribly. All the food that my mom had prepared was quickly finished during his stay with me ;)

Sun 9/15
We went to the mall today where I got some make up items and we went to sports authority and played on the trampoline ;) and boxing gloves...ricky bought me a pink and black HOOLA HOOP!!!! YAHOOOOOO! I'm going to tell my folks that Mek and Mil bought it for me so I can keep it :) Ricky also bought himself a skate board......HOWEVER, when we got home later that day.......he tried out the skateboard in the hallway.....and banged into my parents bedroom door and now the door has a dented crack in it. *SOB* now I have to explain that to my folks! We rented 3 movies - SWINGERS, AMELIE, and THE GRADUATE. We watched Swingers and it was fun :)

Mon - Wed 9/16 - 9/18
Nothing too fun here - we mailed out stuff at the post office and we saw SIGNS - it was a good movie :) I'm one of those people who can't handle scary movies well - I used to love scary movies when I was younger but now I get nightmares or get spooked easily after watching one...and hell, DURING scary movies my head is buried into the seat or into Ricky's or one of my sisters' arms. We watched AMELIE and THE GRADUATE and both were very good movies. Amelie is a french film with subtitles and it's just very sweet - very different from hollywood movies. The GRADUATE is the movie that made Dustin Hoffman famous and that was great too although I hate Mrs. Robinson.

Thurs 9/19
I took Ricky to see historical sites here in New York today - Sunnyside Manor and Phillipsburg Manor in Tarrytown. He picked me a sunflower from sunnyside which I have taped to my real journal/diary. Sunnyside was the home of Washington Irving who wrote the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and many other great books. He lived right on the banks of the Hudson River and LORDDDDDDD was that place beautiful - with gorgeous land.......phillipsburg manor was beautiful too but what I loved best was the dam and mill.

Fri 9/20
I cried so hard today :( I didn't want ricky to go :( We had breakfast at this local lunch place that I used to go to as a high school student....yummy brunch of spanish omelette for me and I forget what ricky had......turns out ricky's flight was delayed 45 minutes and had considered calling me and saying he'd stay till Sunday but I had already left :( I regretted that! I cried all the way to the parking lot and 15 minutes into the drive to Long Island to see my sisters at their college. Being with Mek and Mil made me feel a LOT better.....it's always so hard saying good bye to ricky and leaves me feeling like an aching mess inside......

At Mek and Mil's we went to this place called The Witche's Brew which is a great place to get coffee and iced drinks and dessert items. I met their suitemate and her boyfriend. Was a nice night. We went and played pool and I don't know what happened to my pool playing skills - they've completely vanished. I can't hit anything into the pockets anymore.

Later that night, we rented FRAILTY and RESIDENT EVIL and were watching FRAILTY when Ricky called after landing back in L.A. and I went out to talk to him, and the suitemate's boyfriend (who's 20 years old) comes out a little later and says to me to put ricky on hold and says "let me give you some advice, you should be in there spending time with your sisters." and I said to him - umm...they're not like that, they know this is an important call and I spend a lot of time with them as it is. And he said it was good advice and I asked if they said something to him and he said "no but I know." and then he had the f---ing nerve to look at the phone and say "guys come and go but family is for life" and left. I was so insulted. When i told ricky he was mad too. How dare he speak to me, 5 years older than him, about people he doesn't know ANYTHING about and give me "advice". Later on, I spoke to that guy privately and told him what he said was offensive and he had no business giving me "advice" cause he didn't know me or know how my sisters and I were or know how me and ricky were. This guy apologized and I told him it was fine and no hard feelings but I learned later he got upset and even after that, he couldn't be normal with me again - when I told mek and mil what happened they agreed with me and said the guy shouldn't have said what he did to me. Mek and Mil said that during the movie when I answered the call the guy had said "should we pause the movie?" and mek and mil had answered "haha nahh she'll be out there for hours." and he apparently decided that was open ground to speak to me about spending time with my sisters watching FRAILTY instead of with ricky on the phone. *roll eyes* It's too bad cause he was pretty cool and nice.

Sat 9/21
After late brunch, we hit the Roosevelt Field Mall and shopped like CRAZY. I spent so much money at FOREVER 21 and at CHARLOTTE RUSS but I bought cute tops :) Afterwards, we came home and rested and then watched RESIDENT EVIL and I met couple more friends of my sisters and after the movie we went and played pool in Flushing's pool hall named "Millennium" I think it was.

Sun 9/22
I LOVE BREAKFAST THE MOST!!!! My fave breakfast is to have belgian waffles with fresh fruit (strawberries) and light whip cream and maple syrup! It was SOOOOOOO delicious!!!! We went back to the mall to return a shirt mili bought for store credit and I stocked up on VOGUE, GLAMOUR and the newest COSMOPOLITAN magazine. I love magazines. But no more vogue for me - spent so much for an issue with just lots of pictures......blech....I like cosmo and glamour better.

I was sad to leave my sisters dorm and go back to home....I'd be lonely :( I hugged mek extra hard and drove back......was a nice drive....was 88 degrees.....when I got back I got new blockbuster movies - HARRY POTTER and A BEAUTIFUL MIND. I've wanted to see both of these for forEVER and ricky finally saw A Beautiful Mind last night and said it was the best movie he ever saw in his life. THAT, from him, is an amazing thing to say - so I'm looking forward to the movie even more now.

my favorite actress Jennifer Aniston won an Emmy!! I watched the emmy's pre-show red carpet on E! and then stayed glued to the emmy's to see if Jenn would win and she did! She had on a gorgeous dress!!! Jenn Aniston and Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow are my 3 favorite actresses with Julia Roberts a close 4th.

Now it's 2:42am here on the east coast.....time for bed soon.....ricky'll be going to bed soon too so I'll go at the same time. Night everyone!

- Nishi