US clears heavy arms sales to Middle East state

State Department has permitted the sale of 300 Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia to enhance its defenses

The US State Department greenlit a potential sale of 300 Patriot missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia to bolster its defenses for an estimated cost of $3.05 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday.

The agency said that the kingdom requested to buy 300 Raytheon Technologies-made MIM-104E missiles. The deal could also include the procurement of all necessary related equipment as well as technical documentation, and spare and repair parts.

Washington believes that this deal “will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States” because it could improve the security of a “partner country” in the Gulf region.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the sale is meant to replenish the dwindling Saudi stock of Patriot missiles, while helping the kingdom to buttress its potential “to meet current and future threats.” The latter, in particular, are said to include Houthi rebels from Yemen whose attacks may compromise the well-being of the local population.

The agency also noted that the Saudis would be able to integrate Patriots into its armed forces without any problems, arguing that the proposed deal will not change the military balance in the region.

The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden visited the Middle East nation last month to discuss a variety of topics, including, in particular, energy security. Biden also said he’d confronted Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

This latter controversy has marred US-Saudi relations for a long time, with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden vowing in 2019 to make the kingdom a “pariah” state. Last year, Biden also banned sales of offensive weapons to the Saudis.

However, according to a Reuters report last month, the US administration has been mulling a possible lifting of these restrictions. Any decision on this matter, however, is contingent on whether Riyadh takes steps to end the war in Yemen, according to the news agency’s sources.

The announcement comes as the US State Department also approved a possible arms deal with another Middle Eastern nation, United Arab Emirates. In this vein, Washington may sell to UAE 96 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system missiles, to the tune of $2.2 billion. The deal is also meant to help Abu Dhabi repel possible ballistic missile threats in the region.

https://www.rt.com/news/560159-us-saudi-arms-patriot-missiles/

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DETROIT ELECTION UPDATE: GOP and Independent Poll Challengers Claim “At least 50 percent of absentee ballot envelopes missing signature verification check mark”

100 Percent Fed Up reports – Yesterday, Michigan voters took to the polls to select candidates who will represent them in several state and congressional races, including the race for the next GOP candidate for governor. Hundreds of Detroit election workers were hired to process the votes at the former TCF Center, which is now called the Huntington Center.

Under the tables where paid Detroit election workers sat were large duffel bags, coolers, and a variety of large bags. Sitting directly next to the bags under the table are US Postal Service trays used in the counting process to hold absentee ballots. No security issues there—LOL!

On top of the tables where the absentee ballots were being counted, there were also legitimate concerns by both GOP and Independent poll challengers who questioned why at least 50% of the ballots they witnessed being processed were lacking certification that they had been checked for signature verification at the clerk’s office before being sent over to the Huntington Place be counted. In the lower-left corner of the envelope that contains the absentee ballot, there is a box for the person checking the validity of the signature to either mark with a red pen or stamp with an official stamp from the clerk’s office. According to multiple poll challengers, the box was left empty at least 50% of the time.

These reports shouldn’t surprise anyone since Michigan’s dishonest Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson doesn’t take signature matching on ballots seriously. Countless irregularities were discovered in the 2020 election and hundreds of objections arose over the handling of absentee ballots. Finally, a Michigan judge ruled that Michigan’s Secretary of State did, in fact, break the law when she directed city clerks to ignore the signature matching law on absentee ballots in the 2020 election. However, the ruling came too late to have any effect on Benson’s mismanaged 2020 election that millions of reasonable Americans did not trust.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/detroit-election-update-gop-independent-poll-challengers-claim-least-50-percent-absentee-ballot-envelopes-missing-signature-verification-check-mark/