BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 25
TA B L E TA L K
By Kelsey Grammer
Known around the world for his
multi-award-winning portrayal
of Dr. Frasier Crane in both
Cheers and Frasier, Kelsey
Grammer has also starred in
numerous Broadway hits. Here,
he issues a heartfelt plea for
political and religious freedom.
I
was very pleased when Ranald
asked me to write an article for
Boisdale that would be titled
in this manner. It immediately
reminded me of a question I was asked
some time ago at a beer pouring event
for Faith American Brewing Company,
a sideline I hope to be more than a
sideline one day. But the question was
simple: if I were the President of the
United States of America, what would
I do?
I gave it some thought. I would
re-instate good manners: simple.
That’s it: kindness, civility, respect,
for others and for ourselves. Success
in life begins with us, but also
depends on self-reliant, purposeful
exchange with others. To that end, I
recommend we personally dress each
day in behaviour that honours our
fellow man. And woman. “Please”
and “Thank-you” imperative in all
interaction.
One step further I would advocate
may seem to come out of left昀椀eld (a
baseball reference, for you Brits). The
Boy Scout Oath (now simply called
the Scout Oath). I believe it to be an
oath worthy of all citizens: boys, girls
or otherwise.
“On my honour, I will do my best to
do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law; to help
other people at all times; to keep
myself physically strong, mentally
awake and morally straight.”
I want to give credit where credit is
due. The idea that the Scout Oath
and Law may be among the 昀椀nest
documents in history was suggested
by a great friend of mine when
we were making a 昀椀lm about the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. I played
the man who insisted the word
“sex” be inserted into the law, thus
guaranteeing that discrimination
against anyone based upon race,
colour, or sex would no longer stand
in America...the other document she
recommends is The Declaration of
Independence. Kinda speaks for itself.
“The beauty of politics is its
ability to shift and evolve. The
human voice is as dedicated to
freedom as is freedom itself.”
For your edi昀椀cation though, here is the
Scout Law. “A Scout is trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous,
kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,
clean and reverent.” Suf昀椀cient each
unto themselves, goals worthy of us
all; and there are subsets of virtues
included with each of them. The
subset I 昀椀nd most intriguing, however,
is the one attached to REVERENT.
It reads, “Be reverent toward God.
Be faithful in your religious duties.
Respect the beliefs of others.”
This last has all but vanished from
Great Britain. It is enjoying a gasping
revival of sorts here in my beloved
America. But because this is meant for
British publication, I am frightened
on an intellectual level to include
any mention of Jesus here or of my
Christian faith, for fear poor Ranald
may pay a dreadful price for including
it in his magazine and I might actually
be arrested on my next visit to the UK
for the mere mention of the King of
Kings. [As far as I am concerned,
you can mention Elvis as often as
you like – Ranald]
When I am in charge, I will always
guarantee your right to worship as
you choose. That does not include
the right to worship as you choose,
while forbidding others to worship
as they choose. It is a commandment
of accord between the Faiths, and
respect for all. The call to prayer from
every minaret would be encouraged,
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ISSUE 24
just as church bells ringing out
their invitation to worship would be
applauded. One faith never cancelling
another, till the crack of doom, as the
saying goes.
I always liked the idea of the three
pillars of faith in the Jewish tradition:
Prayer, Study and Good Works.
Makes sense to me. So, I would
encourage all. Even the lesser-known
offshoots of the major faiths would
be encouraged and set free in every
neighbourhood.
Let’s not overlook Buddhism.
Hinduism. Even atheism would be
embraced, just not celebrated. And
I think that’s how the atheist would
like it, yes? They are not interested in
worship themselves, but their common
decency would never condemn others
for it, nor prevent others from it. But
this is if I ruled the world: I know that
is not how it is. I’m not so foolish as
to think it will change anytime soon,
but I can dream, can’t I?
Which brings me to the American
Dream. For my money, the American
Dream is a gift from cradle to
the grave. It is not, however, the
government’s burden to bestow or
de昀椀ne, to expand or limit, as it sees 昀椀t.
It is a gift that comes from God, and
every man, woman and child has the
right to shape the one that works best
for them.
I know, I must be careful here. God.
Oops. Wait a minute: I am in charge,
so I have every right to say it as I see
it. That is rule number one: Freedom
of Speech. And the freedom to dream
as you see 昀椀t. As long as your dream
is not set against another’s. Here in
Grammerland, that’s how we do it.
The beauty of politics is its ability to
shift and evolve. The human voice is
as dedicated to freedom as is freedom
itself. They are synonymous. Also,
the right to disagree is enshrined and
encouraged. Here is where we run
into trouble in the USA.We forget that
speech we dislike is as important as
our own. And as protected as our own.
