GI Joe to wed Air Force Jane...

Army Teaches Troops How to Pick a Spouse

here's the link:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183809,00.html

an excerpt...
"The "no jerks" program is also called "P.I.C.K. a Partner," for Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge.
It advises the marriage-bound to study a partner's F.A.C.E.S. — family background, attitudes, compatibility, experiences in previous relationships and skills they'd bring to the union.
It teaches the lovestruck to pace themselves with a R.A.M. chart — the Relationship Attachment Model — which basically says don't let your sexual involvement exceed your level of commitment or level of knowledge about the other person.
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I was reading over something a friend had emailed to me about PR issues with the White House and it got me to thinking of how few of us are Professionals.

We, as a culture, have become Hollywood-ized, by this I mean, we want everything neatly packaged...With a beginning, conflict, climax, and tidy ending. We want this on TV, in our relationships, even our food (the packaging) looks like this.
Ever noticed the "Granola group" at the grocery store, the ones who bring their own bags to the check out and only buy organic stuff? Have you raised an eyebrow as you watched them exit the store, wondering to yourself..."What the heck are they doing? As if saving a few plastic grocery bags will stop global warming or something...which is hogwash anyway..." (It would prob. be best not to divulge anymore of my private thoughts here...) These folks took the time to THINK before they left their house, they had a plan, and I can barely remember my grocery list!

Anyway, the FOX news story this morning again me think of how unprepared for life most of us are. We are in a constant cycle of learning, or we should be. We learn how to cope and how to choose a spouse from watching our parents.. If you can look at your mom and dad and see what a great job they did in picking a mate then you might have done OK. Sadly, the divorce stats say that not too many of us are in that category.
There is nothing wrong with taking a more scientific approach in evaluating that "significant other" when making a life long commitment. How about taking this approach with most things in life?

I have become wary of packages that are too neat. I have looked at the mistakes the administration has made, from PR problems, to the way the president stumbles through some of his sentences, and I see honesty. I see real people, doing a very difficult job, and doing the best with what they have. President Clinton was just too slick for me, with a southern drawl to throw some people off, fairly good looking, and all the while just looking for some action when the door was closed. A good ole' boy, no doubt...but all the while I loved Ross Perot. "Sigh" I was 22 and he reminded me of my Grandfather. Hillary is another beast all together, and I trust her as far as I could throw her.
Why do you think the Democratic party is so in love with Hollywood, and vice versa?
My friend (mentioned above) pointed out to me the real difference between a liberal and a conservative...the Left is dreaming about how things could be, and the Right is focusing on the here and now.

There is nothing wrong with day dreaming, with hoping the guy/girl you are seeing is the one to commit your life to, or hoping the advertising on your mac and cheese is telling the truth about the 0 cholesterol bit; However...if you are sleeping on the job, or get smacked by the one who loves you, or you start having chest pains...it is time to wake up. Time to get educated. Time to take a hard look and make some hard decisions. Time to become a Professional at whatever it is life is handing to you at the moment. I agree that our White House should be as professional as possible and they have dropped the ball in many ways. I hope for a glorious ending with this war, and I hope our soldiers come home soon, and make good choices in life long partners based on the info below. But I know...that what lies at the root of the problems in Iraq (the Middle East!) is Evil. A mindset in leaders (of the enemy) that suffocates goodness and truth and freedom. Not an easy thing to fit into a neat little package and drop off at the gates of hell.
-BellaCora