Facebook fact of the day: Make sure you really like those people you agree to be friends with

Would you give one of these here guys a
kidney? You may not have any choice!

Since it's getting harder and harder to keep track of the finer points of etiquette, not to mention the ins and outs of the terms of service, of social-networking websites like MySpace and Facebook and Twitter, as a public service we try to keep DWT readers up to date on some of these subtleties.

Not many Facebook users know that when you agree to become someone's friend, you can be legally compelled to give him or her a kidney if needed. States vary as to the exact standard of proof of "need," but in most states a note from the patient's doctor saying, "Please give ______ a kidney on account of he/she [circle one] needs it for medical reasons," is sufficient, although some states require that the note be written on the doctor's prescription pad (marked "fill as written" and "nonrefillable," of course) and some states insist that the note be notarized. Most states specify that the doctor has to be a licensed M.D., but owing to the powerful lobbying presence of chiropractic practitioners in Delaware and Alaska, in those states pretty much anything goes.

While current law is clear on the enforceability of this provision, some legal experts are watching a case working its way through the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. It is considered at least possible that the Supreme Court is prepared to consider the case on appeal, since both Chief Justice John "Honk If You Like Big Ones" Roberts and Justice Sammy "The Worm" Alito have been heard saying while drunk that they believe the clear intent of the Founders was that only big corporations or really rich and powerful individuals -- like, say, a Supreme Court justice? -- could "reasonably" expect a friend to hand over a kidney on demand.

#