Source: Fraser, C. (1998). "Welcome to L.A.!" In Revolution, She Wrote (pp. 259-261). Seattle, WA: Red Letter Press.
First Published: Freedom Socialist, Summer 1978
Transcription/Markup: Philip Davis and Glenn Kirkindall
Copyleft: Internet Archive (marxists.org)
2015. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
From the majestic peaks and evergreens of Washington State through the rolling hills of Oregon and Northern California and the fertile valleys and desert winds of Southern California, it was a trip to remember.
The return route along the Pacific was a driver’s dream: picturesque Santa Barbara, the misty towers of San Simeon, the picture-postcard ambience of Big Sur, Monterey and the 17-Mile drive on the cypress-swept shores of Carmel, the Redwood Forest, the rocks that flank the wild Oregon coast, the never-ending thunder of the sea ...
Sigh ... But this isn’t a travelogue. It’s a story about people, a unique breed of folks called comrades who were the reason and inspiration for the 3000-mile jaunt.
Portland, the City of Roses, was in a flurry of preparation for the impending descent of born-again Jimmy Carter, slated to spend one entire evening with a middle-class family in a "typical" neighborhood. The media neglected to notice that I was concurrently ensconced not three blocks away in the spacious if older home of a Radical Women collective — an infinitely more significant occasion!
My sessions with the Portland comrades were immensely rewarding. I came away imbued once again with the awe that invariably overtakes me when I meet youthful radicals of both sexes consecrating their intelligence, thirst for knowledge, unflagging energy, and high good humor to the service of the revolutionary cause.
From the Golden Gate Bridge, the view of San Francisco in its high-rise alabaster glory has got to be one of the wonders of the world. And the comrades I talked with there vividly express the drama and dynamism of their fabled city.
These paragons of revolutionary vitality are voluble trade unionists, gifted poets, front-runners in the arenas of women‘s and gay rights, combatants in the minority liberation fray, and eager students and exponents of Marxist theory. And they seem to know everybody in town from Haight-Ashbury to Alcatraz.
They also know some superb restaurants, as befits healthy, red-blooded organizers. Right on, ‘Frisco!
And now for the good news — for the best is yet to come. Final destination: Los Angeles. Purpose: a national conclave of the Steering Committee of CRSP, the Committee for a Revolutionary Socialist Party founded on July 26, 1977 (fittingly the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution).
Convened in an enchanting setting replete with a tropical patio for us solar-heat-starved sunworshippers from less favored climes, CRSPers from New York and the West Coast wrestled valiantly with the burning questions of an inflamed planet and a politically dilatory country — ours.
The rhythm of the three-day event veered from pounding debate to the lilt of agreement and the deep cadence of hard looks at complex issues. And throughout the alternating views and moods ran the leitmotif of proletarian democracy at work — open, candid, invigorating, and therapeutic free speech and careful listening.
Exhilarated by the productive meeting, the body joyously determined to hold the First National CRSP Conference in October, over the Columbus Day weekend. Seattle was awarded the coveted honor of host.
The Angeleno members of CRSP who so generously provided excellent meals, transportation, shelter, meeting sites, and enthusiasm for the out-of-towners will receive their reward for good planning and hard work in a close encounter with the impressive natural beauty of the conference site on Puget Sound. Comrades: we faithfully promise to facilitate for you, and for all the CRSP members and guests who will invade our space in the fall, a total political, social and scenic experience every bit as meaningful as my own trip to L.A.
The comradeship of revolutionists engaged in a common crusade is devoutly to be cherished. Thank you, L.A. — and onward to the forthcoming American October!