"but it's difficult to quash a subpoena that you don't know about."

True, but you would certainly have to know about it before you turned over whatever it is the subpoena asked for, yes? That would give you the opportunity to fight it.

"Assuming that the journalists in question can't tell their own lawyers, they probably can't tell anyone else's lawyers either."

Err, every US citizen has the right to access and have use of an attorney, even if he/she is a witness not directly involved in a case. Refusing someone the right to consult with a lawyer is a very fast way to lose your case, esp. as a prosecutor.

"It's pretty obvious that there are some flaws in the use of the Patriot act though.'

Indeed - but every law has to be tested before it can be established as something enforceable. This one is no exception, and every law gets abused at one point or another. The beauty of the system (in spite of its imperfections) is that nearly all of the abuse attempts are caught at a very early stage.

/P

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