Reasonable points. Clearly cell phones are not THE problem- but they are a tool of THE problem. So why wouldn't we use information about large numbers of them being purchased to develop information about THE problem?? You're right- it's all in the approach.
We're not going to deport all muslims- so we're left with tracing activities, purchases and patterns...
Whether these phones are used for- raising ca$h for terrorist groups, making IEDs, or avoiding tracing phone calls- purchases of large numbers of them is important to track.
Not to be rude. When I made a statement about cellphones being used as a timer, it is not the same as a cheap digital clock. A cellphone could be programmed to "wake up", retrieve an SMS message or web message, voicemail, launch an application, parse data, and perform a function. The complexity has been overlooked. A base assumption of dialing, connecting and boom is antique.
Yet again we have calls for "common sense regulation". No islam, know peace.