APRIL 20, 2002. The US Senate unanimously passed The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act barring visitors from countries formally declared "sponsors of terrorism," and tightening control over foreign students.

If passed by the House, the law in practice would ban people from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan and North Korea unless they are coming to the United States as immigrants, or the US Secretary of State grants a waiver.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration, unwilling to associate with possible "terrorists" domestically, eagerly leapt into bed with Cuba, Libya, Syria, and other states, in trying to block a proposal before the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva designed to give more teeth to the Convention Against Torture.

The Gully In Depth

9/11 and Aftermath
Guide to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and aftermath. Includes info on Afghanistan and the Taliban.

Bush Plus
All about George W. Bush, Dems, Greens, GOPs, and the morass of U.S. politics.

Color and Cash
The Gully's complete coverage of race and class, two intertwined pillars of American society.

New World
Our Americas. Politics, news, and opinion north to south from Canada to Argentina.