Indeed! The "cabal" references are an inside joke among SHOT-SIGCIS members. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai -- the person who claimed to have "invented email" and who several book reviewers took seriously -- referred to historians as a "cabal of insiders" who are just looking to protect BBN. In other words, someone made a ridiculous claim, and when called on it, defended himself with an equally ridiculous claim about his critics. Then he had associates go on the attack for him. One example: an associate of his pretended to write an objective piece in HuffPo, attacking "this coterie of industry insiders including consultants, employees, alumni and an Internet cabal of SIGCIS 'historians' with ties to Raytheon/BBN." The coworker's piece also cited Noam Chomsky, who allegedly talked of how "deplorable are the childish tantrums of industry insiders who now believe that by creating confusion ... they can distract attention from the facts" -- the "facts" being, according to Ayyadurai and his own (ahem) cabal, that he alone "invented email". Soon after, when Medina (another historian) had her article basically plagiarized, Tom wrote the satirical message that you found. Ever since, SIGCIS members jokingly refer to themselves as a cabal. There's even been discussion of a secret handshake. :)