Regulate Disposable Cell Phone Purchases?

Michelle Malkin has an extensive roundup on the story about recent large purchases of untraceable, disposable cell phones.

Is there a connection between the New York Times leak and the surge in cell phone purchases?

According to ABC News, there appears to be a link between the cell phone purchases in Texas and a terrorist cell. I'm impressed with the store employees and law enforcement personnel who followed up on this issue and made the connection.

But this story also leads me to wonder: Senators Feinstein and Talent inserted into the Patriot Act a provision to heavily regulate the purchases of Sudafed and other cold remedies, based on the loose linkage between cold remedies and methamphetamine production, and an even looser linkage between drug sales and terrorism.

Following their logic, if honest citizens will have to stand in line at Target or Wal-Mart and give their driver's licenses and other personal information in order to buy Sudafed, are Feinstein and Talent also going to require Target and Wal-Mart to collect traceable personal information for the purchases of disposable cell phones?

Somehow I doubt it.

Of course, I don't actually believe sales of either Sudafed or disposable cell phones should be regulated. But this issue highlights the absurdity and "Nanny state" mentality of the pending Sudafed regulation. I would venture to conclude, based on recent past history, that American citizens are potentially far more endangered by sales of disposable cell phones than by cold and allergy medicines.