Cui Bono

When the Evidence Looks Like a Meme, Ask Who Benefits

In response to the recent incident at the Dallas ICE facility, FBI Director Kash Patel posted online a photo of a cartridge allegedly inscribed with “ANTI ICE.” The photo went viral instantly. Reporters ate it up. Commentators nodded along. It was too perfect, too cinematic.

And that’s exactly the problem.

The Physical Problem

Anyone who’s ever handled a firearm knows: Sharpie and hot brass don’t mix. When a round is fired, the casing is blasted with flame, soot, and pressure. Then it scrapes against the chamber walls and ejects into the open air. Ordinary ink doesn’t survive that process—at least not cleanly, not legibly.

So investigators backpedaled and said the round was “unspent.” But that explanation isn’t much better. Why would an assassin waste time doodling on ammo? Why risk leaving DNA and fingerprints? If you’re seeking notoriety, you don’t bet your message on a single shell casing.

The Behavioral Problem

Mass shooters with ideological agendas want recognition. They want their words to spread. They post manifestos, livestream attacks, drop digital footprints, Facebook, X, Substack, something.

Scrawling “ANTI ICE” on one bullet is the least efficient way imaginable to announce a cause. It’s absurd, it’s vague, it’s at best ambiguous. “ANTI ICE” could mean hating Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Or it could mean you’re mad that the 7-11 clerk shorted you ice in your Big Gulp, or better still, the 7-11 clerk put too much ice in your Big Gulp, or I slipped on a patch of ice, and I'm furious; We just don't know, we just can't know. Two Sharpie words don’t tell a story.


The Institutional Problem

Which leaves a more uncomfortable possibility: maybe this wasn’t outsider terrorism at all. Maybe an ICE agent snapped, murdered detainees, and the agency scrambled to cover its ass. Maybe the “ANTI ICE assassin” tale was whipped together to redirect blame, complete with a conveniently photogenic cartridge.

And if the shooter was sacrificed in the process? Bureaucracies have done worse to protect themselves.

Far-fetched? Maybe. But less far-fetched than a killer wasting time with a Sharpie manifesto on a bullet.

What We Should Demand

If this evidence is real, proving it is easy:

  • High-resolution forensic photos showing whether the round was fired or unfired.
  • Chain-of-custody documentation.
  • Independent lab reports on the ink.
  • Corroborating motive from digital trails, not just a single photo-op.

Until then, treat the “ANTI ICE” cartridge for what it looks like: meme-ready narrative management, not hard evidence.

The Takeaway

When evidence looks like a movie prop, ask cui bono—who benefits? Does it serve the public’s understanding, or an agency’s need for a clean story?

Don’t mistake viral photos for verified truth. And don’t let the press sell you a Sharpie as a manifesto.

I'm just saying.

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