Billy Binion
@billybinion.bsky.social
Journalist. Criminal justice & government accountability. Yes, this is my real name.
I still can’t get over this story. A Tennessee man spent 37 days in a cage—on *$2 million* bond—for posting a meme, because police said he was trying to “create hysteria.”
This was the meme. I would expect this to happen in China, not the United States. reason.com/2025/10/30/p...
This was the meme. I would expect this to happen in China, not the United States. reason.com/2025/10/30/p...
November 19, 2025 at 5:01 AM
I still can’t get over this story. A Tennessee man spent 37 days in a cage—on *$2 million* bond—for posting a meme, because police said he was trying to “create hysteria.”
This was the meme. I would expect this to happen in China, not the United States. reason.com/2025/10/30/p...
This was the meme. I would expect this to happen in China, not the United States. reason.com/2025/10/30/p...
Perfect example of why jury trials matter.
The government had to argue—in public—that throwing a sandwich at a man in a bulletproof vest caused “fear of immediate bodily harm.” And the jury called that what it was: overreach. Prosecutors shouldn’t go unchecked. reason.com/2025/11/06/d...
The government had to argue—in public—that throwing a sandwich at a man in a bulletproof vest caused “fear of immediate bodily harm.” And the jury called that what it was: overreach. Prosecutors shouldn’t go unchecked. reason.com/2025/11/06/d...
D.C. jury acquits 'sandwich guy' of assaulting federal agent
A jury found Sean Dunn, who went viral in August for throwing a Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol officer, not guilty.
reason.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Perfect example of why jury trials matter.
The government had to argue—in public—that throwing a sandwich at a man in a bulletproof vest caused “fear of immediate bodily harm.” And the jury called that what it was: overreach. Prosecutors shouldn’t go unchecked. reason.com/2025/11/06/d...
The government had to argue—in public—that throwing a sandwich at a man in a bulletproof vest caused “fear of immediate bodily harm.” And the jury called that what it was: overreach. Prosecutors shouldn’t go unchecked. reason.com/2025/11/06/d...
Heritage’s chief of staff—who was retweeting calls for staffers to leave the foundation for tweeting that “Nazis are bad”—has been demoted. This is what happens when you let Too Online bros run your org. Heritage’s decline really is quite sad. www.nationalreview.com/2025/11/excl...
Exclusive: Heritage Reassigns Chief of Staff Following Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes Fallout | National Review
The conservative think tank’s executive vice president, Derrick Morgan, has been tapped to replace Ryan Neuhaus as chief of staff.
www.nationalreview.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Heritage’s chief of staff—who was retweeting calls for staffers to leave the foundation for tweeting that “Nazis are bad”—has been demoted. This is what happens when you let Too Online bros run your org. Heritage’s decline really is quite sad. www.nationalreview.com/2025/11/excl...
I don’t get how anyone can support the president having power over tariffs after watching this exchange. He is unilaterally raising taxes on Americans—not because of a ~negotiating~ tactic or to create jobs, but because…Canada hurt his feelings. Congress needs to do its job.
Breaking News: President Trump said he would raise tariffs on Canada by 10% over an ad, paid for by the province of Ontario, that used Ronald Reagan’s words to denounce tariffs. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/w...
October 25, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I don’t get how anyone can support the president having power over tariffs after watching this exchange. He is unilaterally raising taxes on Americans—not because of a ~negotiating~ tactic or to create jobs, but because…Canada hurt his feelings. Congress needs to do its job.
What a wild story. The DOJ failed to convince *three* grand juries to indict a woman for felony assault of a police officer. So they refiled the case as a misdemeanor.
A jury acquitted her.
Is this what a responsible use of law enforcement resources looks like? reason.com/2025/10/17/w...
A jury acquitted her.
Is this what a responsible use of law enforcement resources looks like? reason.com/2025/10/17/w...
Woman acquitted of assaulting FBI agent after 3 grand juries declined to indict
Grand juries have declined to indict numerous times when Trump's prosecutors have brought excessive charges.
reason.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:12 PM
What a wild story. The DOJ failed to convince *three* grand juries to indict a woman for felony assault of a police officer. So they refiled the case as a misdemeanor.
A jury acquitted her.
Is this what a responsible use of law enforcement resources looks like? reason.com/2025/10/17/w...
A jury acquitted her.
Is this what a responsible use of law enforcement resources looks like? reason.com/2025/10/17/w...
Maria Corina Machado lives in hiding—because she’d otherwise be jailed or killed for the crime of sticking up to a tinpot dictator. She’s fought against socialism
and is an ardent defender of the flourishing that comes from free market capitalism.
A great pick. reason.com/2025/10/10/v...
and is an ardent defender of the flourishing that comes from free market capitalism.
A great pick. reason.com/2025/10/10/v...
Venezuela’s María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to socialism
The award goes to a classical liberal and free market advocate who has risked her life to challenge Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship.
reason.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Maria Corina Machado lives in hiding—because she’d otherwise be jailed or killed for the crime of sticking up to a tinpot dictator. She’s fought against socialism
and is an ardent defender of the flourishing that comes from free market capitalism.
A great pick. reason.com/2025/10/10/v...
and is an ardent defender of the flourishing that comes from free market capitalism.
A great pick. reason.com/2025/10/10/v...
Reposted by Billy Binion
*ding ding* We’re seeing rampant lawlessness from the Trump admin @billybinion.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 6:36 PM
*ding ding* We’re seeing rampant lawlessness from the Trump admin @billybinion.bsky.social
Unpopular opinion: Conversion therapy—however ineffective—is clearly protected by the First Amendment. People can find it offensive. But offensive speech is still protected. The Supreme Court should (and I suspect will) overturn Colorado’s ban. reason.com/2025/10/08/i...
Is conversion therapy free speech?
Colorado says no. Supreme Court justices seem skeptical.
reason.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Unpopular opinion: Conversion therapy—however ineffective—is clearly protected by the First Amendment. People can find it offensive. But offensive speech is still protected. The Supreme Court should (and I suspect will) overturn Colorado’s ban. reason.com/2025/10/08/i...
This is insane. DHS agents tackled an American citizen & held him for an hour because, according to his suit, they thought his ID was fake. Three weeks later, he was detained *again.* No one who cares about responsible government should be OK this kind of harassment. reason.com/2025/10/01/i...
ICE arrested a U.S. citizen—twice—during Alabama construction site raids. Now he's suing.
'I got arrested twice for being a Latino working in construction,' says Leo Garcia Venegas, in a lawsuit challenging ICE raids on construction sites.
reason.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:12 PM
This is insane. DHS agents tackled an American citizen & held him for an hour because, according to his suit, they thought his ID was fake. Three weeks later, he was detained *again.* No one who cares about responsible government should be OK this kind of harassment. reason.com/2025/10/01/i...
Younes was a public defender whose community turned on her when she spoke out against COVID mandates. Now she’s making it her mission to defend civil liberties for *everyone*—even when it comes to speech she despises. A fascinating conversation: reason.com/podcast/2025...
Defend speech even when your side hates it
Civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes recounts her role in 'Murthy v. Missouri', her opposition to pandemic mandates, and why she believes Trump poses an even greater threat to free speech than Biden.
reason.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Younes was a public defender whose community turned on her when she spoke out against COVID mandates. Now she’s making it her mission to defend civil liberties for *everyone*—even when it comes to speech she despises. A fascinating conversation: reason.com/podcast/2025...
She sued Biden for violating the First Amendment—in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Now she’s gearing up to sue Trump for...the same thing.
I spoke with Jenin Younes about why free speech shouldn’t be partisan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1A...
I spoke with Jenin Younes about why free speech shouldn’t be partisan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1A...
Defend Speech Even When Your Side Hates It
YouTube video by The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
www.youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:08 PM
She sued Biden for violating the First Amendment—in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Now she’s gearing up to sue Trump for...the same thing.
I spoke with Jenin Younes about why free speech shouldn’t be partisan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1A...
I spoke with Jenin Younes about why free speech shouldn’t be partisan. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1A...
Shakur's activism coincided with COINTELPRO, the notorious FBI counterintelligence program that illegally surveilled people. You can condemn that misconduct without turning Assata Shakur into a saint. She was not one. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
Assata Shakur stood with the oppressors
The fugitive freedom fighter allied with a government known for imprisoning dissidents, curtailing civil liberties, and forging equality in the sense that people are more equally oppressed.
reason.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Shakur's activism coincided with COINTELPRO, the notorious FBI counterintelligence program that illegally surveilled people. You can condemn that misconduct without turning Assata Shakur into a saint. She was not one. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
The “freedom fighter” Assata Shakur cozied up to a regime that jailed dissenters, shut down the press with armed militias, and threw people into concentration camps. *That* is her legacy.
I wrote about why it’s absurd to treat her as a martyr for freedom. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
I wrote about why it’s absurd to treat her as a martyr for freedom. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
Assata Shakur stood with the oppressors
The fugitive freedom fighter allied with a government known for imprisoning dissidents, curtailing civil liberties, and forging equality in the sense that people are more equally oppressed.
reason.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:29 PM
The “freedom fighter” Assata Shakur cozied up to a regime that jailed dissenters, shut down the press with armed militias, and threw people into concentration camps. *That* is her legacy.
I wrote about why it’s absurd to treat her as a martyr for freedom. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
I wrote about why it’s absurd to treat her as a martyr for freedom. reason.com/2025/09/29/a...
Not long ago, I interviewed several black Cubans about life there. Dissent can land you in jail, so we spoke over encryption & they were still afraid to talk to me at all. *That* is the regime Assata Shakur stood with. She was no freedom fighter.
As we face the great fight for freedom of our day, may we find strength and purpose in these enduring words from Assata Shakur.
If there is a single truth in this world, it is that Assata died a free woman.
May she rest in power and paradise for all eternity.
If there is a single truth in this world, it is that Assata died a free woman.
May she rest in power and paradise for all eternity.
September 28, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Not long ago, I interviewed several black Cubans about life there. Dissent can land you in jail, so we spoke over encryption & they were still afraid to talk to me at all. *That* is the regime Assata Shakur stood with. She was no freedom fighter.
Reposted by Billy Binion
I'm really interested in the psychology of the masked up ICE agent with the Facebook camera glasses who also appears to be wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden Flag. Is it meant ironically? How does he square current ICE targets and tactics with the ethos the flag has traditionally represented?
From yesterday and today: it certainly appears ICE in Chicago are wearing the Meta AI Ray-Ban glasses.
September 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
I'm really interested in the psychology of the masked up ICE agent with the Facebook camera glasses who also appears to be wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" Gadsden Flag. Is it meant ironically? How does he square current ICE targets and tactics with the ethos the flag has traditionally represented?
Brendan Carr turned Jimmy Kimmel into a martyr. His ratings were sinking. Now a lot of people are talking about & rooting for a comic whom they previously did not care about at all. Great job.
September 22, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Brendan Carr turned Jimmy Kimmel into a martyr. His ratings were sinking. Now a lot of people are talking about & rooting for a comic whom they previously did not care about at all. Great job.
Tyler Robinson texted his partner he killed Charlie Kirk because he’d “had enough of his hatred” & “some hate can't be negotiated out." It’s possible he wasn’t an ideologue. That doesn’t change the fact that it seems he acted because he felt Kirk was a bigot. Denying that looks crazy at this point.
September 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Tyler Robinson texted his partner he killed Charlie Kirk because he’d “had enough of his hatred” & “some hate can't be negotiated out." It’s possible he wasn’t an ideologue. That doesn’t change the fact that it seems he acted because he felt Kirk was a bigot. Denying that looks crazy at this point.
I'm not being sarcastic when I say it might be better for society if politicians were the ones to log off.
A lot of government officials use their taxpayer-funded salaries primarily to get attention on the internet, and it is bad.
A lot of government officials use their taxpayer-funded salaries primarily to get attention on the internet, and it is bad.
September 15, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I'm not being sarcastic when I say it might be better for society if politicians were the ones to log off.
A lot of government officials use their taxpayer-funded salaries primarily to get attention on the internet, and it is bad.
A lot of government officials use their taxpayer-funded salaries primarily to get attention on the internet, and it is bad.
Words aren't violence. Silence isn't violence.
I wrote this back in 2020—still true today. If you oppose violence, you need a coherent definition.
We should be more careful with our words. But they're not violence.
I wrote this back in 2020—still true today. If you oppose violence, you need a coherent definition.
We should be more careful with our words. But they're not violence.
September 12, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Words aren't violence. Silence isn't violence.
I wrote this back in 2020—still true today. If you oppose violence, you need a coherent definition.
We should be more careful with our words. But they're not violence.
I wrote this back in 2020—still true today. If you oppose violence, you need a coherent definition.
We should be more careful with our words. But they're not violence.
I don’t think it’s ill-intentioned, but the impulse to use a tragedy to immediately push a political talking point is unhealthy. Victims deserve better than pre-cooked press releases that have nothing to do with what actually happened. It betrays a lack of basic critical thinking.
September 12, 2025 at 7:53 PM
I don’t think it’s ill-intentioned, but the impulse to use a tragedy to immediately push a political talking point is unhealthy. Victims deserve better than pre-cooked press releases that have nothing to do with what actually happened. It betrays a lack of basic critical thinking.
Respectfully, people desperately need to stop pushing this talking point after every shooting. The guy used a hunting rifle, not an assault weapon. He fired one shot—no magazine restriction would've mattered. Over 21, no criminal record. No gun safety law would’ve prevented this.
Charlie Kirk has apparently been shot in the neck.
Praying for his recovery and acknowledging that prayers alone will not stop gun violence. Contrary to his claim that more guns make us safe, the science and facts tell us that we are safest when we have comprehensive gun safety legislation.
1/2
Praying for his recovery and acknowledging that prayers alone will not stop gun violence. Contrary to his claim that more guns make us safe, the science and facts tell us that we are safest when we have comprehensive gun safety legislation.
1/2
September 12, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Respectfully, people desperately need to stop pushing this talking point after every shooting. The guy used a hunting rifle, not an assault weapon. He fired one shot—no magazine restriction would've mattered. Over 21, no criminal record. No gun safety law would’ve prevented this.
The FBI agents I've met take their jobs really seriously. I'd like to think Kash Patel means well, but I can't imagine how it must feel to have to answer to him right now. He...did not meet the moment.
September 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The FBI agents I've met take their jobs really seriously. I'd like to think Kash Patel means well, but I can't imagine how it must feel to have to answer to him right now. He...did not meet the moment.
Kash Patel is a great reminder why you shouldn't staff important positions based on who is the most loyal shitposter. Destroys trust in institutions when you need it most.
September 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Kash Patel is a great reminder why you shouldn't staff important positions based on who is the most loyal shitposter. Destroys trust in institutions when you need it most.
In both Texas and Florida (which also banned lab-grown meat), ban backers said they were *resisting* authoritarianism because "the global elite" is trying to bring down ranchers, or something. But there should be no question about who the real authoritarians are in these cases.
September 9, 2025 at 2:12 PM
In both Texas and Florida (which also banned lab-grown meat), ban backers said they were *resisting* authoritarianism because "the global elite" is trying to bring down ranchers, or something. But there should be no question about who the real authoritarians are in these cases.