Under the Bus

A brief article in "Metropolitan Diary" in Monday's NYTimes submitted by a reader recounts the hilarious true story of a Manhattan bus that was recently stopped during its route due to a small pet bird that escaped from its owner and sought refuge on the roof of the bus. Someone stepped in front of the bus -- Tiananmen Square style-- to prevent forward movement until the bird could be rescued. The passengers quickly divided into opposing groups: those who supported waiting until the bird could be recovered; a second faction who insisted the bird must die so the bus could keep moving; and a third group (not contemplated by the contributor) which formed to protect the hapless bus driver who faced potential official sanction no matter what he did.

This event got me thinking about whether a consensus might exist among New Yorkers about what living things should or should not be rescued from the roof of a traveling bus in the City. Lately, for example, I have read about some irate Jewish voters who were planning to vote for Romney because they felt President Obama was willing to throw Israel under the bus.

Clearly, any living person, regardless of their national origin or circumstances, would automatically qualify to stop a bus in its tracks. This may seem obvious, but all over the world people are routinely killed every day for any reason or no reason at all. It is sad to think that a human being may be safer on the roof of a transiting City bus than lots of other places in the world today.

Moving on to non-human creatures, I am confident that a consensus would exist to save an errant dog. As a dog lover, my heart warms whenever I watch rescue crews on TV save a hapless dog from natural disasters or see people evacuate their homes leaving all possessions behind except their pets. Same result for a cat, but probably a lot more grudging from some New Yorkers.

It's hard to imagine how this could occur, but I suspect any reasonably-sized animal with a face would receive the same treatment. Snakes would receive no consideration whatsoever unless it was a rare species escaped from a wildlife conservation center.

This brings me to birds. A wounded American eagle would clearly qualify and generate much sympathy; any other treatment would seem unpatriotic. Lately, New Yorkers have taken peregrine falcons into their hearts, so that would also pass muster. Large birds, like owls or peacocks, would also make the grade. Small birds are problematic, because in the end size does matter, as our true story demonstrates.

PS. The bird on the bus roof eventually flew off and the bus proceeded on its route.