As published originally at http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2010/10/defence_review, Oct 19th 2010, 18:36 by M.S. | LONDON

“PAIN all around, but nothing fatal” appears to have been the guiding principle of Britain’s strategic defence and security review (SDSR), the results of which were announced by David Cameron today. The budget cuts – 8{33979494efa9b9c28f844b5c37a1ddedf4bb90a2eb3dac7a83ede58b7eac2e67} in real terms over the next four years – were not as swingeing as they might have been nor nearly as deep as the Treasury was hoping for. But the cash squeeze is nevertheless intense.

As we watch our country fight preemptive wars that we are told will be generational wars, we experience more fear than ever. We see our constitutional rights being signed away in the name of defense. We watch our neighbors unable to afford health care, our infrastructure collapse, our schools go begging; yet the military is exempt from the government’s spending freeze.

Rutland Herald/Barre Times Argus | Oct 10, 2010 | By Haviland Smith

During the endless deliberations that took place on U.S. policy toward Afghanistan during the summer and fall 2009, it became clear that the U.S. military establishment — as personified by Adm. Mullin and Gen. Petraeus — was vitally interested in proving that it could reach a successful conclusion in Afghanistan. The military seemed disinclined to consider any of the other factors involved in our Afghan commitment.

Here are some suggestions that have substantial potential for achieving a desirable outcome.

-Take a petition and fact sheets and talk with your friends, neighbors and co-workers to gather petition signatures and raise awareness.

-Write a letter-to-the-editor of the Burlington Free Press and also your local newspaper.

-Write a letter to your local, state and federal legislators.

-Sign the on-line petition available at petitionbuzz.com/petitions/stopthef35.

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-Consider donating money to help finance expenses such as flyers, yard signs, printing, etc.

“The worst helicopter crash in four years killed nine people bringing NATO fatalities in Afghanistan in 2010 to 529 and making it the most deadly year since the war that began in 2001.” “Pentagon officials said most of the dead were Americans.” (N.Y. Times, 9/22/10)