Starting at the Beach: A Novel: Finding Love Through Meditation(1 The Carlssons)

The Revolution Begins The anarchy prologue to Starting at the Beach exposes revolutionary undercurrents affecting UC Santa Barbara as the 1968 - 1969 academic year commences. ... "Anarchy reigns! In six more years fleshing out my organization completes!" Jack Taylor's excitement builds. Besides enabling anarchy, Jack Taylor's actions will increase funds flowing to his unnamed organization. While the organization's headquarters sit in New York City, Jack Taylor focuses on three UC campuses for recruiting - Berkeley, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles in addition to Columbia. Following his assassinated father's earlier advice, Jack decided not naming his organization protected it from the FBI. He first pinpointed Berkeley because in 1958 radical students formed a political party called SLATE. In the fall of 1964 Jack discovered a freshman there named Randy who exhibited skills that Jack wanted in a principal subordinate. Randy Demont would graduate from Berkeley in 1968. He'd finish his doctorate by 1973 at Columbia. Good credentials, good location for recruiting. Randy climbed aboard the Free Speech Movement's protest campaign at UC Berkeley during the 1964 - 1965 school year. He'd spend the 1968 -1969 school year at UC Santa Barbara training seven potential members, meeting with Free Speech Movement alumni teaching on the UCSB faculty. Over four years Randy and Jack spent hundreds of hours talking with each other on Sproul Plaza, Randy sitting, Jack standing next to him, facing streams of students passing by. Randy never got a good look at Jack. Jack made it a point to stay unidentifiable. The seven possible members included one super candidate, William Alexander, a black who'd arrive at UCSB in the fall of 1968, someone who survived the Watts Riots without being photographed, fingerprinted, or arrested. Randy discovered him on a visit he made to South Central Los Angeles. A very bright guy who needed direction. Randy thought he might have the capability to be a leader in the movement. Jack believed the other six cannon fodder. If Jack started a riot in Isla Vista, they'd help. The police would catch one or more of them. Important they learned little to nothing about the organization. Randy didn't recognize the dichotomy in the organization. He believed the idealism Jack taught. Jack would ease him into the violence. Randy didn't understand Jack used anarchy as a means to increase his personal wealth. Randy planned sharing an apartment in Isla Vista with Ross Nugent who'd start working on his doctorate in economics after graduating from Berkeley in 1968. A fraternity man, Ross concerned Jack because Ross thought of nothing but sex. Jack preferred Randy not have a roommate; however, Jack and Randy made use of Ross at Berkeley, convincing him he raped several coeds, that Randy knew enough to imprison him. Having control over Ross helped them. Ross would help Randy train a girlfriend, misleading her about her future with Randy. College theater work in Canada taught Jack how to change his looks to fit various situations. Randy knew Jack face to face by different names in several of his UCSB roles, never realizing Jack and his wife Meredith ran the organization. It made Randy think the organization bigger. Meredith stayed invisible to Randy and other organization members. Jack laughed when he thought about how most UCSB students would expect a typical UCSB party school experience together with finding someone to marry. Teaching Randy how to make a bomb, exploding it at the faculty club would terrify, handcuff Randy to the organization. ... Sondra Rogan sought the man who'd drive her passions, believing he attended UC Santa Barbara. Complicating her search, Tony Barbero spotted her, managing an introduction. Odd circumstances raising her curiosity, she agreed to a date. After the date, Sondra avoided Tony.