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 leftfield (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 finest documents in history was suggested by a great friend of mine when we were making a film 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.

For your edification though, here is the Scout Law. “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” Sufficient each unto themselves, goals worthy of us all; and there are subsets of virtues included with each of them.  The subset I find 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, 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 fromit.  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 define, to expand or limit, as it sees fit. 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 fit. 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.

No matter how much we may hate Donald Trump, he is entitled to say what he wants to say.  Others are entitled to disagree but not imprison him for it. I have spoken to many on the left who are slowly realizing that they are responsible for Donald Trump’s return to office.  How did this happen? Hatred. And you also have a right to Hatred. But...beware how Hatred paves the way to one’s own destruction! So, in my world, Hatred is not encouraged but it is also not forbidden. It is discouraged, but left up to you. After all, we can try to save our fellow man, but sadly once lost in Hatred, even our loved ones vanish in its thrall.

Specifically, though, it seems I will have to deal with the phenomenon of President Donald J. Trump. I support him. Some of you may know that. Some may find it a surprise. Many of my Democrat friends in the past have bemoaned my conservative position, saying “How can you be so intelligent and yet be a Conservative?”

Well, I don’t measure my intellect or intelligence by how popular my thinking is or how many people agree with me. Years ago, I coined this phrase: “Judgment without knowledge it the greatest of all crimes, but if you’d like your daily dose, just read the New York Times.”

So it remains with me. I think what I think because I am paying attention. I am what I am because I’m Popeye the sailor man. I still read The New York Times once in a great while. Just to remind myself how narrow thinking can become so self-righteous, and how very narrow the self-righteous can be. Almost delightfully narrow. Provincial, even.

I’d like to circle back for a second to this idea of the American Dream...it is granted to you, and even to the world, at birth. It is as easy as imagination itself. The thing is, it requires work to be realized. Hard work. It also requires Freedom. Freedom has become a dirty word to the far left in my country. It remains the pivotal concept of existence, however, in Grammerland.

I also think in America it was a mistake when President Obama was in office to say people could no longer enjoy the American Dream. The only promise he was willing to make was ensuring that another’s American Dream would be a little smaller. You can’t get there anymore, and we can’t help you, he suggested; but a vote for him would at least assure you no one else could either. If I ruled the world, that kind of crap would close out of town. Unfortunately, it’s just about to open a four-year-run on Broadway.

I may be running astray here. I have developed a truly keen sense of the political run-around.  Suspicion. My favorite poet, W.H. Auden, once coined a phrase “the balancing subterfuge”.  I qualified it to embrace politics by adding, “political double-speak.”

Yes, put together, we get the “balancing subterfuge of political double-speak.” Most of our politicians excel at it. The consequence is that a gifted practitioner can speak for hours and hours and still manage to say nothing. Political double-speak. I have a very quaint notion that there should be honesty in our politics.

Honestly, though, when I find the most glaring examples of it, I tend to balk.  One of our representatives in America once said famously that to know what was in a bill, they had to pass it first and then read it. A shocking moment of a candor amid a nightmarish truth. She was admitting they had no idea what they were doing. But she was also acknowledging that whatever they did, they would be there for a long time to come. Job security, by virtue of a job not done at all.

Because I am not an atheist, this idea of ruling the world is unsatisfying in many ways. I know there is a God above me who has this thing covered. But should I be in charge, as t’were, many of the things I have discussed would not exist in my world.   In the world I rule I would seek fairness, kindliness, tolerance and joy.

In truth, I would abdicate my rule in deference to the people. I would ask them to send one, or several from among them, to spend time exchanging thoughts about how to better the lives of all.  For the time appointed them, I would expect debate and discord with compromise and discourse.  They would conclude a bargain that assured all people were considered in their dealings.

This would mean an even-handedness based on nothing but the presumption that all men are equal and are entitled to the same rights without entitlement to the same outcomes. If we are all equal, the only equality we can defend or guarantee is the abiding right to choose for ourselves.

Those choices will be different; the results will be different. Each path will have a different outcome.  Each path would lead to its own station, and success would be limited only by the imagination and the desire to keep at it.  Each of us would have “enough” while understanding that our version of “enough” might be different than someone else’s.

There would be contentment without complacency. Forever striving to improve ourselves and our lives for the sake of leaving the world a better place than when we found it. There would be desire without greed, there would be passion for life and love and even lust between consenting adults.

There would be dignity and wisdom. We would communicate with one another. Conversation, comingling. Conscientiousness. No confiscation, no control. Communion with our maker and each other would be the order of the day each day, and each day we would conceive a new way to blithe existence for one and all.

I’m not sure I can guarantee any of this or how to go about it...but wouldn’t it be nice?

You know, I took a minute to review here and realize there is already a pretty good blueprint.  I mentioned it before but realize to my dawning satisfaction that there are no greater documents describing how I might like to rule the world than the two I grew up with.

It begins with the Declaration of Independence, where it speaks of a government that is derived from the consent of the governed. Yeah, I would do that. And then there is the Constitution of the United States of America. I will not include either of them here. Take my word for it, I could not improve upon them in my wildest dreams.

I will close with an observation that was shared with me recently. Yes, it is a conservative viewpoint. It goes something like this—the Constitution of the United States of America does not need to be re-written.  It needs to be re-read!

Thanks for indulging me here and thank you for your time. It means a lot to me.