How can I verify my voter registration in California? [more inside]
posted by fishmasta at at 4:43 PM - 7 answers

On TV shows like COPS, what gives the cameraman standing to enter a private citizen's home? [more inside]
posted by fogster at at 12:32 PM - 10 answers

I've just found out second-hand that someone is planning on making a film out of one of my short stories. Which is fine, I suppose, presuming he actually does ask my permission, and presuming it's strictly an amateur not-for-profit film. My question is -- if I do give my permission, will that harm any rights I have to the story? Suppose I wanted to sell the rights to a "real" movie of the story someday -- will giving my permission here mean I've given up the film rights entirely?
posted by webmutant at at 11:00 AM - 16 answers

The band Heart sent a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign for using the song "Barracuda". What is the legal basis for that? [more inside]
posted by kongg at at 10:30 AM - 12 answers

Tips for US naturalization interview? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at at 11:41 AM - 5 answers

My friend, who hasn't lived in Texas for decades, was dismayed to learn that there was a longstanding warrant for her arrest in Texas for a traffic violation she could not have committed. The warrant's for not paying a fine. (She thinks someone stole her driver's license and identity.) [more inside]
posted by johngoren at at 10:59 AM - 15 answers

How do Americans vote when they are overseas? I live in Australia and my husband works with a young guy who is a US citizen. He'd like to vote in the upcoming election, but has never voted before and has no idea how to do an absentee vote from overseas. Where do we look to find this info, and has anyone had problems doing this before? Do you need to sort it out ahead of time?
posted by harriet vane at at 5:24 AM - 6 answers

Is Obama/Palin (or for that matter McCain/Biden) possible? [more inside]
posted by birdsquared at at 11:01 PM - 14 answers

How do I get an older unregistered handgun legal in California? [more inside]
posted by gally99 at at 8:31 PM - 3 answers

What are the specific tax loopholes that Obama intends to close, and how much money does each of those 'loopholes' account for? This article by FactCheck.org indicates that the Obama campaign estimates the revenue from tax reform at $80 billion - so where did that figure come from?
posted by mattholomew at at 1:31 PM - 3 answers

Which has been a more satisfying and productive use of your time, phone banking or door-to-door canvassing? Which do you feel is less intrusive? [more inside]
posted by J-Garr at at 12:30 PM - 14 answers

On behalf of my parents, where is a source that they can use to look up short and sweet responses to counter to the attacks on Obama leveled by their Republican neighbors? [more inside]
posted by jeanmari at at 10:35 AM - 18 answers

What size organization does a U.S. Senator run? [more inside]
posted by Xalf at at 10:11 AM - 17 answers

I'm about to toss my current last name and take a different one, for non-marriage-related reasons. For what/how long do I need to tell people my "maiden" name so that they realize that I existed before recently? [more inside]
posted by thisjax at at 6:25 AM - 14 answers

How common are judgements for alienation of affection? How can someone best thwart this civil action? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at at 2:09 PM - 8 answers

Charging $0.60 extra for full service? Is this gas station pulling a scam? [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at at 12:56 PM - 10 answers

How does one legally identify meat as not for human use? [more inside]
posted by jesirose at at 12:44 PM - 6 answers

Need to help mom stay in the house. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at at 9:51 AM - 9 answers

CorporateOverlordFilter: Does Google already know the winner of the next election? [more inside]
posted by ga$money at at 9:46 AM - 15 answers

Can I somehow declare my house as a church and not pay property taxes? What tax benefits can I enjoy by starting my own church? Where can I find the laws that govern this?
posted by GernBlandston at at 8:03 AM - 14 answers

How feasible is nuclear disarmament? [more inside]
posted by greytape at at 6:32 AM - 26 answers

Can I export my law degree from the USA? If not, where else should I consider going to law school? [more inside]
posted by xanthippe at at 5:27 PM - 7 answers

How can I accurately predict the overall winner of the 2008 US Presidential Election. I would also like to know the best methods of accurately predicting the winner of the electoral votes of each individual state. [more inside]
posted by clearly at at 4:24 PM - 21 answers

As of January 1, 2008, California law requires merchants to redeem gift cards for cash if the balance is less than $10. However, the statute lists an exclusion for gift cards issued for "perishable food products." Before I send my nasty letter off to Quizno's, help me out here. [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie at at 2:19 PM - 7 answers

Are there any good ranking systems for how well United Kingdom local government districts are doing on environmental issues? [more inside]
posted by knapah at at 4:04 AM - 2 answers

My brother is doing research on his brother in law who was a staff sergeant in the Paciifc in WWII. After the war he came back to the States, got married and had 8 kids and died at the age of 50. He was in many of the horrific battle zones of that time, Guadalcanal, etc and we would like to present his children with a narrative of his experiences or, at least, places of warfare. The question is - where would a person go to obtain this information on a specific soldier? Thanks very much.
posted by Tullyogallaghan at at 6:45 PM - 5 answers

Can anyone point me towards particularly noteworthy "at the time" criticism of some of the United States' historically important speeches? [more inside]
posted by csimpkins at at 12:47 PM - 6 answers

If you had to write a paper on something related to international law, what would it be? [more inside]
posted by ailouros08 at at 7:49 PM - 24 answers

OK. Let's do this fucking thing. I want to help Obama get elected. How can I have the biggest impact in the immediate run-up to Election Day? [more inside]
posted by andromache at at 7:48 AM - 20 answers

If you rear-end someone in Washington State are you automatically "at-fault". [more inside]
posted by kevnmo at at 3:40 PM - 12 answers

Telephone lines: whose obligation? Renting in an unincorporated area [more inside]
posted by small_ruminant at at 1:40 PM - 4 answers

What are the reasons for and against constitutionally requiring a specific national language? [more inside]
posted by netbros at at 7:36 AM - 74 answers

Desperately seeking Erin Brokovich - need sliding scale family law attorney in San Francisco Bay Area (Peninsula / South Bay) [more inside]
posted by ebellicosa at at 10:43 PM - 3 answers

How many students are allowed to be crammed into a California public-elementary classroom? [more inside]
posted by metacort at at 8:03 PM - 10 answers

I was wondering if there is an equivalent to We the People, whom took care of my divorce paperwork in California, in Chicago for my sister unfortunately needs to file for divorce... [more inside]
posted by matthelm at at 2:00 PM - 3 answers

Hi. For my mom. In New Hampshire, is there any sort of recourse for a neighborhood that has recently been denied by a new homeowner a "traditional path" down to the water, where all kayak and canoe? More inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at at 11:30 AM - 14 answers

I need a list of new businesses/incorporations in Colorado. Is buying one my only option? [more inside]
posted by mynameisluka at at 8:43 PM - 3 answers

How can I best help a friend get out of jail? He accidentally missed his community service gig. [more inside]
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at at 2:54 PM - 10 answers

Just moved to North Carolina. My husband is *trying* to get his NC driver's license, but they are insisting he have his social security card in order to do so. Why is this? He has a passport; why isn't this enough?
posted by All.star at at 1:59 PM - 14 answers

This is a bit of a follow up to this question. I'm contemplating a small comics project staring a fictionalised version of HP Lovecraft (something I've done before but thsi will be slight higher profile) and the title will be something along the lnes of "H.P. Lovecraft's World of Weirdness". Is the use of his name in the title like that, which might imply some kind of authorship or endorsement or somesuch, likely to bring the Lovecraft estate down on me like a ton of bricks?
posted by Artw at at 11:56 AM - 7 answers

Looking for information about how get to get recompense from a landlord for three weeks spent without a working shower or washing machine. (UK) [more inside]
posted by Urtylug at at 4:00 PM - 6 answers

Can my New York State 501c3 non-profit buy something in New Jersey and avoid paying NJ sales tax? [more inside]
posted by slagerst at at 9:42 AM - 1 answers

Were can I find a list of the wealth of the current members of the US Senate?
posted by mac-way at at 3:40 PM - 2 answers

Did a journalist investigating the 2000 election in Florida die under suspicious circumstances? If you remember this story even slightly, help me find it. [more inside]
posted by damehex at at 10:06 PM - 9 answers

I was talking about the polls in the presidential election yesterday and someone mentioned that the polls are skewed towards McCain because the polling companies only call people who still have landlines, or generally older people (I guess). She claimed this was for geographic demographic reasons. Is it true that polling companies do this and don't call cell phones?
posted by josher71 at at 10:00 AM - 5 answers

Website that compares McCain and Obama's policies in a non-biased way with references/sources?
posted by paulinsanjuan at at 1:27 PM - 8 answers

Let's say a friend of mine was on telephone stand by jury duty in New York, and forgot to call Wednesday evening to see if she needed to report for Thursday. Cached through google search, are the ranges that were supposed to report Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but not for Thursday August 21, 2008. How can this friend check to see if she was supposed to report yesterday? [more inside]
posted by eggplantia5 at at 7:59 AM - 4 answers

Our Landlord wrongly kept 5700 of our 6100 dollar deposit. Things were just made up to charge us for. What can one do? Sticky situations inside [more inside]
posted by Large Marge at at 4:21 PM - 12 answers

Is there anything wrong with taking pictures of Library books and then posting said pictures to a blog? [more inside]
posted by inviolable at at 12:30 PM - 14 answers

URGENT: Proper handling (e.g. legal/insurance) of the situation - my motorcycle was knocked over when parked, there are witnesses. [more inside]
posted by swngnmonk at at 7:06 AM - 9 answers