'Refuse illegal orders': Billboard near naval base echoes call from 'seditious' Democrats



An anti-war veterans' group has paid for a billboard near a California naval base to advise U.S. military members to refuse to follow "illegal orders" from the government.

The billboard echoed the message from six Democrats in a November video that was excoriated by President Donald Trump as "seditious." At one point he seemed to warn that they could be put to death over the video.

'To suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing ...'

"The San Diego Veterans for Peace, Hugh Thompson Memorial Chapter #91, is very pleased to announce … a billboard reminding active-duty troops that they have a duty to disobey illegal orders," read a statement from the group.

The billboard appears near the entrance of Naval Base San Diego in Barrio Logan and reads, "Active Duty & National Guard: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders."

A spokesperson for Veterans for Peace said the group is rolling out billboards with the same message near military bases throughout the U.S.

Despite the brutal rhetorical attacks from the president as well as War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. attorney's office reportedly dropped the effort to indict the six Democrats over the video.

Hegseth also sought to revoke military benefits from Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a veteran and one of the Democrats in the video, and warned that he could face a court-martial. That effort was also thwarted by a judge, who said it threatened to chill the free speech of other military veterans.

RELATED: Trump ally drops effort to prosecute Democrats over 'seditious' video, sources say

Defenders of the "illegal orders" message say they are merely reiterating what is in the U.S. military code. Critics say they are encouraging troops to commit sedition.

"To suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously. "And they should be held accountable."

According to its website, the Veterans for Peace group was founded in 1985 and advocates against war as a policy solution for nations.

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Transgender hockey tournament promoted by NHL results in biologically male player concussing female player



The National Hockey League openly promoted the "Team Trans Draft Tournament," which saw a biologically female player concussed by a biological male. The format led to a massive advantage for one team, with one attendee citing an "enormous difference" in player size, according to the Post Millennial.

The tournament featuring a "Team Black" vs. "Team Pink" game included the Boston-based "Team Trans" organization, which describes itself as "New England’s first LGBTQ+ hockey club."

A video posted by Quillette shows player #90 on Team Pink, described as a "bisexual trans woman" (biological man) shoving #91 on Team Black, who describes themselves as female-to-male (biological woman). The female player takes what appears to be a light bump onto the ice and then the boards, resulting in a concussion.

The stark difference in size accounts for the biologically male player absorbing little to no impact from the collision. Additionally, the contact would be illegal in most hockey leagues as a "hit from behind," although the tournament did likely host a "no contact" event.

The injured player later commented on Twitter that she had an "amazing time" with a fellow player named Mason "(he/him/his)."

A rinkside attendee described the scene as displaying "an enormous difference in size between the two teams—height, weight, shoulder width, muscles—the differences were plain to even a child,” the source told Quillette, commenting that anyone "could see that this couldn’t possibly be fair, and that someone could get hurt—and someone did."

A number of players were easily identified as large enough to stand out from the rest of the players on the ice. Four biologically male players on Team Pink were described as "head and shoulders taller than most of Team Black," including at least one player who allegedly played in Division I hockey.

Team Pink went on to beat Team Black in the tournament final by a score of 7-1, despite holding a team meeting in the second period to decide whether or not to continue the lopsided game.

The NHL's Twitter account promoted the event that took place November 19-20, 2022, in Middleton, Wisconsin, which was comprised of entirely transgender-identifying individuals.

"The NHL is proud to support this past weekend's Team Trans Draft Tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. This was the first tournament comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players, with around 80 folks participating! #HockeyIsForEveryone #NHLPride."


\u201cThe NHL is proud to support this past weekend's Team Trans Draft Tournament in Middleton, Wisconsin. This was the first tournament comprised entirely of transgender and nonbinary players, with around 80 folks participating! #HockeyIsForEveryone #NHLPride\u201d
— NHL (@NHL) 1669129506

One of the leading hockey publications, the Hockey News, gave two thumbs up to the event, ironically tagging the article with "women's hockey." With additional calls for more diversity, the hockey publication mentioned the NHL's recent trans-related tweeting, describing replies to the hockey league's comments as "bigoted."

In response to the NHL's promotion of the tournament, a user remarked "So, men playing a womans team?" to which the NHL replied "Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real."


\u201c@BlueMountian12 Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identity is real.\u201d
— NHL (@NHL) 1669129506