"DARK SIDE," THE

"DARK SIDE," THE
(From The Dissenter’s Dictionary, 1999)

Back room deals, Brown Act-violating secrecy, the
old quid pro quo

     A term, borrowed from the "Star Wars" saga, used by some reformers and other observers to refer to the Old Guard/Board Majority/Mathur axis. Writers for Reform newsletters edited by IVC instructor Roy Bauer (Dissent and The 'Vine) have occasionally used the term to refer to that particular group--which, as it happens, is dominated by WASPS. They have never used the term to refer to particular individuals. Nevertheless, the Chancellor, in a deposition for Bauer's successful First Amendment lawsuit, asserted, with typical ruthlessness and ignorance, that Dissent writers have used the term as a racial slur against Miller-White and Mathur, who happen to be people of color. That no one has cited a single instance of such usage--none exists--did not prevented Sampson's patron, John Williams, from repeating the charge in a guest editorial in the OC Register.
     See the BOARD MAJORITY/OLD GUARD AXIS.