Do you believe that these West Point first classman are violating the UCMJ by making a political statement while in uniform?

Wow , everyone is avoiding this like the plague . Call it what it is " black lives matter supporters " in uniform . You can support what ever you want but not in uniform. All lives matter and that's what people fail to realize. I bet if it was a different ethnic group it would be fround upon .

Give them the UCMJ, they know what they're doing. Clearly they don't care about their careers, why should we?!

If this is acceptable, then doesn't it allow a bunch of white cadets the right to do a Nazi salute.

I don't see how that's any better than throwin up gang signs. If whites were in a picture giving a KKK sign, all hell would break loose, so why is the BLM hate group allowed to do so? I'd hope that they get repercussions for this, and if not, they just set a whole new army standard loophole. Sickening that group of "LTs" are going to lead one day. Just wait until a soldier finds them in this pic at a unit.

People saying that these are kids and kids dumb stuff. yes, but these are supposed to be different kids after four years at the academy. This is someone's new PL who just a few months prior was flashing this stuff. What if their PSG is white, will they get a fair shake? Maybe, maybe not.

Eric Holder is so proud of his followers....

According to the dictionary, this is the meaning of racism (racism).
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

Until they are commissioned chew their a$$es out and take appropriate action per the school. Do not ruin a career over college foolishness...

Sir, I don't know the exact language of the UCMJ statutes that govern political activity in uniform, but I just always went by the dictum, "Don't do it." The raised black fist certainly carries a political connotation, but a couple hundred years of white supremacy (to include a segregated Army) was also inherently political. If, today in 2016, the "black power salute" is associated w/ Black Lives Matter, then--again--the gesture is inherently political.

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.

Personally, I think we should celebrate that these young women decided to attend a predominantly all white, male institution. I have no idea what they went through as cadets first and black females second. But I am sure it was more difficult than most others. What I dislike is people calling them thugs and other names. I give them all the respect.

can anyone prove, other than the yellow scandal loving press, that these cadets really intended to make a political statement?
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.

Great question COL Russell. Because belief systems are diverse and tend to induce parochial historiographies and symbolisms (i.e., Operational Intelligence (OPINT) and Imagery Intelligence IMINT) of discord, I'll delay offering my beliefs until the end and start by framing my response with the aphorism, "One man's civil rights is another man's human rights."

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

Perception is everything.... It doesn't bother me but everything has to be equal. I could open a can of worms but it wouldn't change anything.

I don't see the problem with it!

Weather you like what they are doing or not is immaterial. We as Soldiers, and especially West Point Cadets must honor the commitment that they raised their right hand for. Everyone has an opinion on whatever the topic is, but at the end of the day we are all still soldiers. you have to trust your leaders, and the leaders trust the troops to have their back when we go into a hostile situation. To me "All Lives Matter" I do not care what color you are, ethnic background, political affiliation, or anything that doesn't pertain to the mission. I have had leaders who were different ethnic background, and I would have followed them to the gates of hell if they wanted to go their. You want to voice your opinion go ahead, but do it out of uniform and on your own time. Not in uniform and so obviously expressing and political and racial opinion.

Edgy, yes; not sure it crosses the line. Clearly, it's in uniform and you could make a strong argument that they are violating the spirit, if not the letter of the regulation. On the other hand - when are USMA Cadets EVER out of uniform? If the problem is real, and it's about behavior manifesting inside their ranks or inside the walls at USMA, then maybe this was their only recourse, short of resignation. If I were the Commandant of Cadets or the IG up there, those in the picture might warrant a reprimand yes, and some re-training on Army Values and the statues involved here. And then I'd be thinking long and hard about whether there's a bigger issue at here. Maybe they're off-base, and MAYBE...they aren't; and nobody's been listening. The article says there were many sessions with senior leaders about the issue before this happened. Were they taken seriously?

That is divisive! IMHO

Yes and I am positive that the appropriate disciplinary action is being taken, or has already. Remeber these are college students, it will likely not be there last mistake. I am sure that they will go on to become stellar officers in their chosen field.

Allow me to be frank, the candy assing around the facts here is disgusting. They are in clear violation of UCMJ. If those stairs were covered with blonde haired, blue eyed, white women throwing up their right arm in a heil salute this would be on every news channel and every newspaper in the world. They should all be suspended from the academy and disqualified from service in the military. These "future leaders" have publicly demonstrated racial bias while in uniform.

So I may be out of line saying this ...but This should be corrected and adjusted. After seeing all the images of the people holding the same stance and stepping upon our flag in the past couple of years makes the average person would question ones agenda doing the same stance while in uniform and being under oath for said country that flies this flag. Sorry if this may sound questionable but my brain does not function well today as it did 20+ years ago. (Not a dead head just mentally drained from chronic pain).