Pinko and Ringo

Better Dead Than Red
Milo Radulovich, a symbol of the excessive anti-Communism of the 1950s, has died at the age of 81. Radulovich had spent 8 years in the Army Air Force, including top secret work in Greenland, and was serving in the Air Force Reserve when he was removed as a security risk. Radulovich’s offenses: a father who had read a Slavic language newspaper considered to be pro-Communist and a sister who had picketed a Detroit hotel that refused to admit Paul Robeson, who had publicly praised Stalin. Radulovich’s story was told by Edward R. Murrow on See It Now, although the program’s sponsor was nervous and pulled advertising, leading Murrow and producer Fred Friendly to spend their own money to promote the show. Viewer response was overwhelmingly in favor of Radulovich’s case, helping to earn his reinstatement, and buoyed Murrow and Friendly to take on Joe McCarthy in two more broadcasts. Now, this is just a historical footnote, because no modern politicians would ever falsely overstate a serious situation to inflate American’s fears for the purposes of political gain nor would they create enemies of the state out of thin air. And if they did, surely America’s media would have the courage to expose such actions.

Late that Night, No One Could Save the Life of Ringo
Jim Ringo, an undersized center who set a record for consecutive games played and went on to be named All-Pro seven times for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles has died at the age of 75. Ringo’s contributions to the power sweep helped the Packers to championships in 1961 and 1962, but his attempt to gain a raise from $12,000 to $15,000 before the 1963 season made for one of the great negotiation stories. Ringo brought an agent to his negotiation, surprising Lombardi, but the Packer legend encouraged the men to make themselves comfortable in his office while he took a quick phone call. Moments later he told them, "Gentlemen, you're talking to the wrong team. Jim Ringo now belongs to the Eagles."