A British Times Literary Supplement reviewer recently took a shot at tracing the "providential themes" present in George Bush's political rhetoric. Indeed, the interminable war on "tyrants and terrorists" is laced with evangelical zeal. The American president, however, is not alone "in the redemption business."

Tony Blair fancies himself every bit the redeemer of mankind. Etched all over Blair's address to Congress was the crazed devotion to the "mystic [and, might I add, malevolent] idea of national destiny."

One particularly chilling dictate was this: "I know out there there's a guy getting on with his life, perfectly happily, minding his own business, saying to you, the political leaders of this country, 'Why me? And why us? And why America?' And the only answer is, 'Because destiny put you in this place in history, in this moment in time, and the task is yours to do.'"

The tyranny implied in Blair's maudlin grandiosity should be obvious.

First, the little guy back home ought to be the one calling the shots, not Messrs. Messiah and Company.

Second, before Blair joins Bush in rousing the "visionless" middle-class American from his uninspired slumber – The Great Redeemer thinks it's below contempt to harbor a civilized desire to mind one's own business and live in peace – he ought to take a look at the little guy back in England.

Tony Martin, for one, is not having a terribly tranquil time.

He was only just released from jail for the crime of defending his English liberties. Blair blathered to Congress about "the spread of freedom" being "the best security for the free," but this poor, benighted Norfolk farmer, doubtless would no more advocate the spread of British-style freedom than he would the bubonic plague.

Martin killed a career criminal by the name of Fred Barras and injured his accomplice Brendon Fearon when the two broke into the elderly man's homestead. However, Martin, who was initially convicted of murder and jailed for life, had no freedom to defend his property or his life.

The "Rights of Englishmen" – the inspiration for the American founding fathers – are no longer cool in Cool Britannia. The great system of law the English inherited, including the 1689 English Bill of Rights, which entails the right to possess arms, is in tatters. The sovereign and his elites, most of whom enjoy taxpayer-funded security details, have disarmed law-abiding Britons, who now defend themselves against the protected criminal class at their own peril.

A right that can't be defended is a right that exists only in name. In Britain there is, in effect, no right to life or property.

In Blair's Britain, proud and self-sufficient people like Martin have been broken and subdued. His self-defense plea the Crown rejected. The charge was commuted to manslaughter, however, once Martin capitulated and agreed to accept a mental diagnosis. In other words, to defend your home in Britain is to evince a paranoid personality disorder.

According to a recent U.N. study, writes Historian Joyce L. Malcolm, author of "Guns and Violence: The English Experience," "England and Wales have the highest crime rate and worst record for 'very serious' offences of the 18 industrial countries surveyed." While violent crime in America has been plummeting for 10 consecutive years, British violence has been rising.

Since Blair's 1997 total ban on armed self-defense, things have gone from bad to worse. "You are now six times more likely to be mugged in London than New York," avers Malcolm. "Why? Because as common law appreciated, not only does an armed individual have the ability to protect himself or herself but criminals are less likely to attack them ... A study found American burglars fear armed homeowners more than the police." The most dangerous burglaries – the kind that occur when people are at home – are much rarer in the U.S. ... only 13 percent, in contrast to 53 percent in England.

How far has British barbarism gone? Malcolm's evidently garden-variety accounts include the story of an elderly lady who fought off a gang of thugs "by firing a blank from a toy gun, only to be arrested for the crime of putting someone in fear with an imitation firearm."

When Eric Butler was brutally assaulted in a subway, "he unsheathed a sword blade in his walking stick and slashed" at one of his assailants. Butler was added to the lineup – he "was tried and convicted of carrying an offensive weapon."

Tony Martin was almost denied parole. You see, Martin was not contrite for killing the creature that invaded what was supposed to be his castle. I kid you not, but apparently, in the words of a probation officer, Martin continues to be "a danger to burglars."

Having been robbed of three years and five months of his life for the crime of self-defense, Martin's ordeal is not over. The surviving ruffian, who has more than 30 convictions to his name, has been granted permission to sue his victim, even given legal aid to so do, for the injury he suffered on the "job."

The criminal protection and reinforcement program that is British justice also entails honoring Brendon Fearon's "right" to know where the old farmer will reside now that he's been released.

For this "Train of Abuses and Usurpations," Tony Blair is beneath contempt and beyond redemption.