Bye, Bye Miss American Pie: Here come the feds

UPDATE: Saner voices may be prevailing in the case against a 22-year-old MSU student accused of throwing a pie at U.S. Sen. Carl Levin -- or maybe not.

This week, a Mecosta County judge suspended proceedings against Ahlam Mohsen of Coldwater and lowered her bond from $250,000 to $50,000, which still seems high for the accused crimes of stalking and assault. But it’s not astronomical.

But Mohsen may soon face the weight of federal prosecution because the FBI now is investigating whether to file a federal assault charge against her. That carries up to a year in prison -- less than the five years in prison she faces in state court.

It’s unclear whether she could be tried in both federal and state courts -- perhaps for assault in federal court and stalking for state court.

Mohsen, you may remember, threw the pie last week as a form of protest against Levin’s support of Israeli war policies in its conflict with Palestinians on the Gaza Strip. She and other college students were arrested during a sit-in at Levin’s Lansing office in January.

While I don’t support Mohsen’s actions, I’ve argued that a $250,000 bond and five-year prison sentence are harsh medicine for such an act of civil dissent.