FLASHBACK: Ultra-Liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg Said Kneeling for Anthem Is “Dumb,” “Disrespectful,” and “Terrible”

The left has embraced Ginsberg for her ideology and her steadfast liberalism.

As protesters now demand that white people kneel before them, Ginsburg's statements on kneeling have taken on new meaning.

CNN confirms Ginsburg's comments:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, never shy to weigh in on the controversies of the day, said she thinks "it's really dumb" for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and others to refuse to stand for the national anthem.

But the 83-year-old justice said she "wouldn't lock a person up for doing it."

Ginsburg made the comments to Yahoo's Katie Couric while promoting her book "My Own Words."

In the interview, Ginsburg steers clear from criticizing presidential candidate Donald Trump but calls the rhetoric from the election cycle "distressing." She updates her health status, her thoughts on Hillary Clinton and Merrick Garland's nomination and admits, to an amazed Couric, that she's never even seen the famous parody of her on "Saturday Night Live."

Of Kaepernick and others she says, she thinks their actions are "dumb and disrespectful".

"I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it's a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act."

Kaepernick said Tuesday it was "disappointing to hear a Supreme Court justice call a protest against injustices and oppression 'stupid, dumb.' "

"I was reading an article and it refers to white critique of black protests and how they try to de-legitimize it by calling it 'idiotic, dumb, stupid,' things of that nature, so they can sidestep the real issue," he told reporters Tuesday, according to the Mercury News. "As I was reading that I saw more and more truth how this has been approached by people in power and white people in power in particular."

[...]

Of the athletes, Ginsburg said, "if they want to be stupid, there's no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there's no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that."

The American flag and national anthem are supposed to be unifying symbols.

That is the time when we put our differences aside to say that we are one nation under God.

Yet, Kaepernick wanted to protest the flag and the anthem itself, thereby also protesting unity.

It will be interesting to see if Ginsburg is asked about the viral videos of white people being asked to kneel before members of Black Lives Matter.

Multiple viral videos show protesters demanding that white people kneel before them.

The Guardian also confirms Ginsburg's harsh criticism of Kaepernick's kneeling:

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest is “dumb and disrespectful”, the supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in an interview released on Monday.

In a wide-ranging interview with Yahoo News’s Katie Couric, Ginsburg said she thought that while Kaepernick’s protest was legal, it was “a terrible thing to do”.

“What do I think? I think it’s really dumb of them,” Ginsburg said. “Would I arrest them for doing it? No. I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.”

Ginsburg went to some lengths to say that the protest was legal but that she disagreed with Kaepernick and other athletes’ stance.

“If they want to be stupid, there’s no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there’s no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that.”

In August, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick began sitting or kneeling during the national anthem in the pre-game buildup. Kaepernick he was protesting against racial injustice in America, especially against police brutality.

It caught national attention and later inspired a host of other NFL players and sports stars to follow suit.

Now, the symbolism of kneeling has taken on new meaning.

Across the country, protesters are asking white people to kneel before them and "atone" for the sin of racism.

Below are just a few of the videos going viral on social media.