This Pen Farthing guy

[TheGenealogist]

The bloke with the animal shelter in Kabul.

Refusing to leave unless he can take ALL of his 60 odd staff and ALL of his 200+ cats and dogs with him. Expecting the government to make special rules for him and his friends.

Getting people out - understandable. The Taliban aren't going to look kindly on people who have translated for the military, or "collaborated" in other ways. But staff at an animal shelter?

And as for the refusing to leave without the animals and making this all out to be the UK government's fault? For not falling over themselves to arrange transport for a bunch of ownerless animals nobody wants when there are human beings in fear of their lives?

What is this guy playing at?

and babies arent going to be dying on the sodding streets , they have their parents , the taliban arent killing babies that iv heard , the animals it will be a different story

This has got to be either a sick joke or you're increadably naive.

[quote Tara336]@DancesWithTortoises I’m probably going to regret asking you this question, but why do you believe a human life is more valuable then any other creature on this planet?[/quote]
I agree with the majority of society, that just how it is. It's up to those in the minority to justify why they think animals are just as important.

Presumably it's all animals not just fluffy cute ones. That would be silly.

I'm so worried that this silly man's grandstanding will mean fewer women and children get out. How can he be so selfish?

He is not a silly man, nor is he 'grandstanding' or stopping women and children from getting out of Afghanistan. The chances are that a few more women are able to leave because of him.

There is nothing ostentatious about this man.

2007

KABUL (Reuters) - The grass has grown in Kabul's soccer stadium where the Taliban used to stage public executions, but few Afghans dare visit in the evenings, believing that the souls of the victims still roam the sprawling grounds.

"Too much blood has flown here," says Mohammad Nasim as he mowed the lush green grass in the stadium under a warm afternoon sun, a little oasis ringed by brown hills away from the bustle of the street.

The goalposts, where the black-turbaned Taliban used to force convicts to kneel before executing them or from which they hung the severed arms or legs of thieves for all to see, have been given a fresh coat of white paint.

@NiceGerbil maybe best to ask the person who actually made the comment about the babies and children being for by their families to elaborate??? Rather then addressing it to me!

and babies arent going to be dying on the sodding streets , they have their parents

Yes, I’m sure they’ll be just fine. Children always survive humanitarian crises, and I’m sure their parents will be spared any cruelty because they have a child to look after.

@wewereliars

Once more, for the hard of thinking, people cannot be put in the hold, where the animals will be put.

Normally "hard of thinking" is a stretch, but in his case yes, and incredibly frustrating inability from some to understand the status to the cargo hold vs spaces capable of transporting humans.

2020

It only took 80 seconds for two men to rain down 40 lashes on the woman huddled on her knees as a large crowd looked on. The video of the brutal sentence carried out on an Afghan woman was filmed near Herat and posted on Facebook on April 13

@Handsoffstrikesagain

Babies aren’t going to be dying on the streets? They will be when the inevitable humanitarian crisis/food and meds shortage hits. They have their parents? Not when daddy’s been shot and mummy’s been trafficked as a soldiers sex slave they haven’t. The ignorance is beyond belief.

the taliban have said if i read yesterdays news correctly that they arent letting ordinary afghans leave anyway , now its only foreigners and those with paperwork to go , this man and his staff have i presume got the clearance to leave , so the fact that hes able to leave with his staff and animals makes no difference to anybody else as they wont be able to leave anyway , the taliban arent just going to idley let the whole country just up and leave , so pen and his entourange arent costing anybody anything , hes not going to be responsible for the crisis in the country , probably biden is

@DancesWithTortoises that’s it??? Because you say society thinks that? Therefore that must be the case? Well ok, I’ll pop off and stand with the minority then, I like their way of thinking far better then your “just because” answer 🙄

*if you were in Afganistan with 68 Afghan staff wouldn'tyouthink the best plan is fo get out as quietly as you can without the Twitter circus?

He is making them all targets with their constant attention seeking over dogs and cats*

I suspect he thought about that, decided that the application of money was the best way to get his team out and used the twitter circus to achieve that. I also doubt he held a gun to staff's heads and made them stay. Perhaps some Pashtun staff with a few family connections in the right places, or at least quiet amenable neighbours who aren't likely to grass them up- have given up their chance of a place on a plane and quietly gone home to keep their heads down and I would think he has briefed the rest on the risks. The media glare might increase the risk but equally it might decrease it. He has deliberately become the most famous Brit in Kabul and assessing the benefits and risks of that will have been part of the operational planning.

Massive respect to Pen Farthing from me. He could have left last week and left his staff and animal to fend for themselves. He’s risked his own life fighting for them to come with him, I am glad they’ve backed down. Common sense

@Plumtree391

I'm so worried that this silly man's grandstanding will mean fewer women and children get out. How can he be so selfish?

He is not a silly man, nor is he 'grandstanding' or stopping women and children from getting out of Afghanistan. The chances are that a few more women are able to leave because of him.

There is nothing ostentatious about this man.

this

[quote Tara336]@DancesWithTortoises that’s it??? Because you say society thinks that? Therefore that must be the case? Well ok, I’ll pop off and stand with the minority then, I like their way of thinking far better then your “just because” answer 🙄[/quote]
Not because I say society thinks that, society does think that. I agree with the majority. Most people have no doubt that human life comes above animal life - that's just how it is.

You may not like it. I cannot understand those who think animals are equal when they obviously aren't.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

chaos I’m not sure why you’ve made that comment to me. I was responding to the disgusting comment about babies and children. Nothing to do with what Pen is doing. If you look, I have stated that he is a man of honour. I can vouch for this.

she's the one who made the post about babies and children being fine because their parents could look after them.

Do you put the Taliban above animals @DancesWithTortoises?

@Shanghaisprize

Jesus. There are just so many wankers with way too much time on their hands, spouting pompous but misinformed opinions.

The man risked his life serving his country over there. Then stayed to run a charity that will have enhanced and saved the lives of so many people and animals.

He is asking the. country that he risked his life for and the people who fucking well CREATED this situation to do the decent thing and save him, his staff and perhaps the animals. To get him and them to safety before they are all left behnd to be tortured and killed. His loyalty to his staff is so great that is pretty much pledging his life for them. `Yeah, what an absolute wanker eh

It has never been people before animals. `The plane is privately funded and the animals would go in the hold (where humans ca't go). he is shouting because he is having to.

It is now at the point where it will be a miracle if ANY of them get out of there alive. It is now highly likely they will all be left behind to be tortured and killed. I hope then all the absolute cunts on here and the rest of SM will be very happy with themselves then. Seriously, some people just disgust me at times.

I also believe that he is shouting because shouting and being public is all they have left. The likely outcome for them all is really grim.

@MissyB1

Vile thread.

This

[quote Tara336]@DancesWithTortoises that’s it??? Because you say society thinks that? Therefore that must be the case? Well ok, I’ll pop off and stand with the minority then, I like their way of thinking far better then your “just because” answer 🙄[/quote]
same iv been condemned to be the small minority then , proud to be and that wont ever change , my dd and i love our houserabbits and cats deeply , they are family , companions , iv lost some over the years , a piece of my soul goes with them to the afterlife . i couldnt be without them although i know they have to leave at some point , but as long as im able i will always have a place for an cat or rabbit that needs it

'17:47Formaldeheidi

I just hope to god this country never reaches the depths of hell that Afghanistan is in now because most of the posters on here (and indeed the entire population) have absolutely no idea how what a truly horrific situation is unfolding. I pray so hard that British people will always be able to carry on living in ignorance, posting pointless uninformed and ill educated posts like this. And I don’t even believe in god.'

I totally agree. The nightmare unfolding before our eyes I fear is nothing to the scenes we are going to witness post withdrawal on 31 Aug. Watching the scenes following the last plane as it leaves is too horrific for us to even begin to contemplate.

'The majority of humans think their own species is more important' is not an especially shocker, surely?

We are a self centred, self-prioritising species - often to the detriment of other species.

I'm not sure lots of humans demonstrating those traits makes it a universal truth though. Just an opinion held by many.

A bit like the earth being flat was a truth held by many. Or (dark magic) witches being real. Or the existence of the devil.

Just opinion.

@TheGenealogist

And HOW has he managed, in a week, to arrange jobs for 60 odd asylum seekers with no right to work in the UK until their cases are decided?

The veterinary profession has offered them all jobs, and largely funded the relief effort

You know, the money grabbing bastards who don't care about animals