Barack's Speech on Race in Philadelphia, PA 3/18/08

• Barack Obama Calls for Further Dialog on Race Issues
• US Supreme Court Examines Washington, DC Gun Laws
• Indian Government Criticized for its Support of China's Crackdown in Tibet
• US Pledges More Aide to Countries Housing Iraqi Refugees
• Despite Gains, Economists Still Fear Recession

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Barack Obama Calls for Further Dialog on Race Issues

Barack Obama responded today to the political firestorm surrounding the religious leader at his Church. Videos of Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ, the largest African American church in Chicago, have surfaced on YouTube in which he made comments like 'Goddamn America'. In a speech given in Philadelphia, Obama spoke about race in America.

(sound clip) "I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. "

Obama did not disassociate himself from Wright saying the Reverend has been an important part of his life, marrying him and his wife and baptizing their children. Instead, Obama moved on to bluntly address many racial realities within American.

(sound clip) "Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments – meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities."

He said African Americans are not the only people suffering from economic despair that can lead to racial tensions.

(sound clip) "In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time. "

Obama says a difficult discussion on race has been brewing and must eventually happen.

US Supreme Court Examines Washington, DC Gun Laws

For the first time in years, the Supreme Court is addressing the second amendment. The context is Washington DC, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. The District prohibits handguns. Today protesters on both sides of the issues rallied and debated outside the court while the nine Justices provided lively oral arguments inside. FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Indian Government Criticized for its Support of China's Crackdown in Tibet

China's crackdown on protesters in Tibet continued today, entering its second week. The Tibetan capitol has been under lockdown since Friday. Today a Tibetan official announced that 100 protesters have voluntarily turned themselves in to the Chinese government.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy is reporting that at least three protesters were shot dead this afternoon during a peaceful demonstration in eastern Tibet. The center says Chinese troops fired indiscriminately on the crowd.

Earlier today, the Dalai Lama, who is being blamed by China for masterminding the Lhasa riots, said he was ready to leave his post if the violence got out of control. The Dalai Lama established Tibet's government-in-exile in the north Indian city of Dharamsala after fleeing Tibet in 1959.

Further South protests continue in the Indian capital New Delhi and several other cities. The Indian government finds itself on the defensive for maintaining a China-friendly posture. The issue figured in India's Parliament as well, when members of the opposition walked out of the House to protest the government's "silence" on the Chinese crackdown. A growing number of Tibetan activists believe that Indian policy on Tibet is seriously flawed as well. FSRN's Bismillah Geelani has more:

US Pledges More Aide to Countries Housing Iraqi Refugees

Five years after the US and international occupation of Iraq, the suffering of Iraqi refugees continues as hosting countries say they have increasingly "burdened" their resources. In response, the United States has pledged to increase its financial assistance to those countries to $208 million dollars - an increase of 37 million. But that still may not be enough. Correspondent Oula Farawati attended the regional meeting of countries hosting Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

Despite Gains, Economists Still Fear Recession

Stocks rallied today on news of better than expected results from the investment banks Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. This news comes amid recent volatility in world markets sparked by the fall of one of the country's oldest investment banks, Bear Stearns. The US Federal Reserve also slashed interest rates today by three-quarters of a point.

Still, former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan says that the US is faced with the worst financial crisis since World War Two, and experts are worried that the economy is headed in to a recession. Africa Jones reports.