Carlos Cortez was the real deal.

January 24, 2005 8:11 PM

Carlos Cortez, Rest in Peace. Carlos Cortez-- poet, woodcut artist, veteran wobbly, WWII conscientious objector, longtime contributor to The Industrial Worker newspaper, longtime board president of working-class publishing house Charles Kerr Publishers, passed away last week. In a time of dime-silly protests, we lost a great man (Chicago Tribune) who leaves behind a simple, powerful example of sustained resistance.
posted by juggernautco (8 comments total)

I only met him a couple times at bookfairs in Chicago, but he was such a memorable person, his big spirit filled the room.
posted by memexikon at 8:42 PM on January 24, 2005

I didn't know about this guy at all, and now I do. This is a well constructed and thoughtful post, and those who make posts to this site should look to it for a lesson about what amount of information a good metafilter post can contain. Thank you.
posted by interrobang at 9:07 PM on January 24, 2005

It's a shame more of us haven't heard of him before (while we know all about nonentities like Paris Hilton). He seems like a guy who spent his life making a difference--that's the lesson we should take away with us (and prints are so well suited to socially-conscious art...Sue Coe's worth a look too.)
posted by amberglow at 9:14 PM on January 24, 2005

WWII conscientious objector?

Sixty years ago this week concentration camp Auschwitz end death camp Birkenau were liberated by the allied forces.

That is an interesting dilemma. How can you object fighting a regime such as Nazi Germany?
posted by FidelDonson at 1:18 AM on January 25, 2005

How can you object fighting a regime such as Nazi Germany?

It doesn't mean they didn't want to help defeat Nazism, Fidel; many begged for a chance to contribute as medics in the field, like Hollywood star Lew Ayres, or grunt workers near the front lines. They were usually rejected, a stupid move by a military too narrow-minded to give them a chance to show their worth. WWII-era CO's, like those in other times, simply could not bring themselves to kill another human, and stood their ground in the face of sometimes awful discrimination.

It's not that hard to understand moral courage like that, is it? Ayres, for example, eventually won his fight to join the front lines as a medic/chaplain's assistant, and went on to earn medal after medal for his bravery under fire.
posted by mediareport at 6:11 AM on January 25, 2005

And, what interrobang said. This is a fantastic post. Thank you.
posted by mediareport at 6:13 AM on January 25, 2005

Fantastic except for the basically off-topic need to denigrate current protests.
posted by danOstuporStar at 9:30 AM on January 25, 2005

now what...
posted by nanojath at 8:50 PM on February 23, 2005