A Long, Turbulent Journey For Afghan Female Pilot : NPR

Everyone acts like we spent the past decade getting Afghanistan to come our of the Dark Ages and join the 21st century.

That is a simple - and wrong - explanation. Between religion, culture, and decades of war, yes, the place is a tad behind the times. Some of that, however, is by choice.

I mean, we've got so-called Christians who are too afraid to leave their homes because they are afraid of gay people. So bigotry, hatred, and sexual hatred isn't anything new.

That said, this story about how an Afghan pilot has to take her daughter on her chopper during potential combat missions is just damn unsettling.

I get why she does it. You just wish someone would pull their head out of their ass and create conditions where she doesn't have to make the decision in the first place.

You can give folks weapons. You can train their to use them. You can slap names on buildings that make it the Ministry of Whatsit. But you can't make a nation out of guns and name plaques. You've got to get them to want to do it.