Do you believe that these West Point first classman are violating the UCMJ by making a political statement while in uniform?
-A member of the Armed Forces on active duty may:
4.1.1.3. Join a partisan or nonpartisan political club and attend its meetings when NOT in uniform, subject to the restrictions of subparagraph 4.1.2.4. (See DoD Instruction 1334.1 (Reference (c).)
From the article "Racism Within West Point"
http://www.inthearenafitness.com/index.php/racism-within-west-point
The belief that some races are inherently superior (physically, intellectually, or culturally) to others and therefore have a right to dominate them. In the United States, racism, particularly by whites against blacks, has created profound racial tension and conflict in virtually all aspects of American society. Until the breakthroughs achieved by the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, white domination over blacks was institutionalized and supported in all branches and levels of government, by denying blacks their civil rights and opportunities to participate in political, economic, and social communities (p.1). I believe we have tried to down play racism and dilute what racism really is to fit people's on perspective of racism. Racism can't be diluted, we will call it what it is, and leave it at that. The cadets are not displaying racism point, blank, and period. To equate symbolism of the clinched fist with the Neo Nazi or KKK is mind boggling and quite a long reach. A long reach, probably the distance from the sun to the earth, which is 92.95 million miles. That's a very far reach to equate these cadets to other hate groups. To conclude, I would refer back to the definition of racism and let's just keep it at that. The cadet's are not displaying racism at all, because the clearly do not have a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
Reference
racism. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Retrieved May 08, 2016 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/racism

Racism definition, a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. See more.
But the next question is . . . what to do about it? For some context, let's remember A) these cadets are kids. Kids with far more responsibility and expectations placed upon them, but still college kids nonetheless. College kids get wrapped up in emotion and passion--and that's part of the university experience. B) More importantly, how many snide comments or outright blatant political statements/displays were made by folks in uniform & at work about Presidents Clinton? And not by just 22 year olds, but career field grade officers and senior NCOs!
The military is political, inherently--war is politics by other means, right? But it cannot be partisan. Leadership has to instill this in every service-member from cadet to E-1 to O-6 (one would hope our generals understand this, though MacArthur apparently did not).
If it were up to me, I would give these ladies an unofficial talk-to (a counseling, I suppose you could call it) that just reminds them of all the above. After all, they may encounter a Private Snuffy (or LT Snuffy, for all that matter when they're CPTs and MAJs) who is making political statements in uniform and on duty. They are going to have to step up and call him out on it.
Anyway, my 2 cents. I was never a JAG.
can anyone brush off 4 years of hard studies and training and living under our most precios value "Duty Honor Country"?
whoever is promoting this photo as a political statement must be shamed in his/her attempt to damage and embarrass this senior cadets and soon to be officers of the United States Army.
In the following link please find OPINT and IMINT addressing a similar protest incident that occurred with American Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos; and Australian Olympian Peter Norman during the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City. It provides a prescient warning that this OPREP-3 Incident/Event will probably uncover findings of UMCJ violations, if history repeats itself. http://www.josephclan.com/tjblog/?p=1522.
Although I believe the "Black Power" and "Black Lives Matter" dialectics used in tandem with the historic fist-raising imagery is divisive, my earliest memory of its use is during the 1970's by a group of disenfranchised American revolutionaries, namely "Black Panthers," who were politicizing their struggle for "Human Rights.” However, due to Rockefeller-indoctrinated leadership and social systems leveraged by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and forces not so explicable, the disenfranchised were outmaneuver into into settling for “Civil Rights,” which according to activist lawyer Michelle Alexander (2010) has proven to be a new caste system that offers advantages only the few that "toe the line" in sustaining the civil-right psychological operation (PSYOP). These West Point first classmen fail to realize that they've given up human rights given by God or natural law in place of civil rights provided by the state or the republic that is educating them for military service. https://www.solidarity-us.org/site/node/2189
I also believe that these West Point first classmen are the new freedom fighters, who, armed with the right public relations (PR) spin or Information Operation (IO) support, represent solidarity for global human rights, creating a "win-win" situation for both America and West Point. Unfortunately, although they've demonstrate the leadership will, without the appropriate IO support they forfeit the psychological wealth and weaponry to achieve their objective—and all three tools are necessary for real changes in progressive human rights. In the meantime UCMJ is designed to sustain the American civil-rights PSYSOP, not political statements of sixteen West Point first classmen. This is the wrong attire and wrong forum. http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/cendy/glossary.pdf

An iconic moment in the history of the Olympics « Rana's Reflections, Ruminations & Recollections...
For the most part, I have only a passing interest in sports. During my years in Kenya and later in the UK, I was interested in cricket but that faded over the years after I moved to the US. However, I have maintained a sustained interest in the Olympics – an interest that commenced with the Melbourne games in 1956 when I lived in Kenya. It was my mother who got me interested – she, too had only a passing interest in most sports except when it...
It's the perception that matters. And the perception on these Cadets is negative
As an ROTC guy, I remember my cadets (and leadership) wondering why I would wear the uniform from time to time outside of formations and drills. My blunt answer was simply to impress girls. It had mixed results.
But of course Academy life is very different from ROTC life. We ROTC cadets were given (almost) free-reign to engage in public political activity (out of uniform, of course) as long as we did not explicitly denigrate the chain-of-command. Even this became blurry at the height of public passions around the lead-up to OIF.
I suppose our Colonel could sleep at night knowing that he commanded a detachment at a relatively non-political mid-western state school and that most of his cadets were engineering majors, and not poly-sci majors (like myself)!
I think the cadets in question shouldn't have their future careers jeopardized, but simply be given an unofficial counseling that reminds them they will be leading troops of all backgrounds, races, colors, ethnicities, religions, etc. and they are obligated to come down hard equally on anyone that even gives the appearance, in uniform, to be challenging civilian control.
2) That is understandable and I apologize for getting short.
3) Having pride in something like where you were born to me is the shining example of the damage ignorance and arrogance can do. To me, shows just how low the bar has been set in this country. There is no room for pride in the heart of the professional soldier, there should be no thought of self in the mind of the professional soldier, and above all there can be no superiority other than rank in the eyes of the professional soldier.