In the aftermath of the Jennifer Wilbanks fiascso — the runaway Duluth, Georgia, bride-to-be who ran away to New Mexico — authorities in Georgia are considering criminal charges. If the feds wish to become involved, there are a whole host of criminal charges they can concoct, including the “making false statements” charge that put Martha Stewart in “Camp Cupcake” for five months.

While I am not advocating she be charged with a crime, I find the whole thing quite interesting. Most people have no idea how easy it is to run afoul of federal “law,” which proscribes draconian prison penalties and fines for “offenses” that really should be dealt with at the local level.

I have no doubt that Ms. Wilbanks engaged in a terrible deception, most likely to try to get attention, and I am quite glad I am not in the shoes of her (still) husband-to-be. Furthermore, what she did was illegal, and it cost the taxpayers of Duluth plenty of money, not to mention the entire bit of humiliation that comes with such a hoax.But I also find it interesting that the FBI says it is not interested in pushing charges, despite the fact that Ms. Wilbanks clearly lied to federal employees, and crossed state lines to engage in deceptive behavior. Charging her for these “crimes,” which if put to the max would put her in jail for the next 20 years or so, would not be politically useful to the feds, which is why they will not pursue the case.

Charging Steward WAS politically useful, so the feds pushed on to a “successful” conclusion of their case. This should tell us something about the nature and arbitrariness of what passes for “law” these days in the United States of Amerika.