Quoting from the FAQ for The Lspace.org Domain, which can be found at http://www.lspace.org/faqs/lspace-faq.g.html
Calling ourselves [Robert Collier, Leo Breebaart, Mike Knell and Colm Buckley] the L-Space Cabal was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the legendary Usenet Backbone Cabal: a supposedly elite group of powerful sysadmins, who were accused by various conspiracy theorists of secretly running Usenet.
The Usenet Backbone Cabal really did not exist, and this was written down in a FAQ of the period as: "Usenet Rule #0: There is no Cabal". Over time, both concept and phrase became part of Usenet folklore.
When the L-Space Cabal first revealed itself, experienced a.f.p. Usenetters were quick to pick up on the reference, and a ritual running gag was born that to this day has not died out: any mention of the Cabal must immediately be followed by the phrase "There Is No Cabal" ("TINC", for short), and much subsequent hilarity ensues, particularly if the ritual successfully manages to confuse the uninitiated.