Authorities Using Data Brokers Instead of Subpoenas

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_...lice_phone_data

Basically they did an end around on subpoenas and civil liberties protections to gather information in an illegal fashion. Gotta love the government with their seemingly unchecked power (not to mention the anti-terror legislation being used in non-terrorist cases as mentioned in the article) and the ability to slime anybody who questions it as a supporter of Al Qaeda and wants to see the terrorists blow up things.

Third parties giving evidence to the gov't on their own = Constitutional

Third parties acting at the request of and as an agent for the gov't and getting evidence = not Constitutional

But what shall we expect when we've got a Congress, administration and government with the mindset so aptly put into words by Don Rumsfeld (source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...061901090.html_

"I find it strange the laws apply to me."