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The Sebaceans are a fictional alien race from the Farscape universe.

They are the core species of the Peacekeepers — a militaristic mercenary organization who will enforce the law of the lands they inhabit for a price. There are, however, non-military Sebacean settlements on various planets.

Origins

In the Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars miniseries, it is implied that the Sebaceans were originally humans, taken from Earth tens of thousands of years ago. At the dawn of the Eidelons period of usefulness, they developed need of a guard for their effort toward peace. The Eidelons took great care to choose a species no one had met before. They found a primitive race, barely clothed, far removed on the galaxy's outer spiral (likely a reference to the location of Earth). Having brought some of them back to their homeworld of Arnessk, their evolution was accelerated with "generous alterations", until they became the Eidelons' trusted acolytes.

With the disappearance of the Eidelons from the galaxy 12,000 cycles before the Farscape setting, the Peacekeepers attempted to carry on. However, lacking the Eidelon's mediation abilities, they kept the peace the only way they could - at the muzzle of a weapon.

Physiology
Although they have various internal differences, Sebaceans are so physically similar to humans as to be outwardly indistinguishable from them. They also have the abiity to breed with humans, due to the fact that the race appears to have been engineered from them. They have a considerably longer lifespan than humans. Some Sebacean senses are sharper than those of humans, however, human smell and taste has been seen to detect rotten food that Sebaceans may not notice. This is counterbalanced by an extreme sensitivity to heat as Sebaceans lack the gland that regulates their body temperature under these conditions. They may suffer heat delirium if exposed to extreme temperatures for a prolonged time. If left untreated, heat delirium can lead to the "living death" — a state in which they have lost most of their higher brain functions and that most Sebaceans consider worse than death and for which they routinely euthanize patients.

Paraphoral nerve
The paraphoral nerve is an internal organ of the Sebaceans used to eliminate toxins from the body. In this sense it may be analogous to the human liver, or possibly the kidney. If it is damaged, death will occur within approximately 3 days (50 to 60 arns in Farscape terminology). The only known treatment for a damaged paraphoral nerve is either a transplantation of a healthy organ from a compatible donor or a synthesized sample injected into the patient.

Morality is often used as a justification for war. However, most wars are not started because of a moral issue. Rather the moral issues are tagged onto the war as a justification to motivate the masses to follow a powerful factions' war plan. In Why Nations Go to War, by John Stoessinger, the author points out that both sides will claim that morality justifies their fight. He also states that the rationale for beginning a war depends on an overly optimistic assessment of the outcome of hostilities (casualties and costs), and on mis-perceptions of the "enemies" intentions. The motivations of the people supplying these assessments and mis-perceptions are the focus of this article.

Most disagreements could be better solved from the point of view of the average citizen by negotiation. However the good of the average citizen does not drive government policies. In most nations there exist powerful groups with special agendas. http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS20725.pdf
James Madison discussed this at length in Federalist Paper #10, in what he called "the violence of faction". http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm

Some factions want more territory or access to resources, some are hateful of other ethnic or religious bands, and some simply want to sell their goods or services to the highest bidder. War creates a bigger market for certain specialized goods and services. For some private companies and certain branches of government, peace is a financial disaster.

When the decision is being made whether or not to go to war, special interest groups are much more influential than the average citizen. Here are six to consider.

*1. The companies who supply war materials have always been driven by the profit motive. Now that the United States has privatized many aspects of war-making, these material suppliers have been joined by a burgeoning war services industry. This lobby will be gaining in power. Reference: Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill,Chapter 17, Joseph Schmitz: Christian Soldier. When the only tools you are selling are hammers, every problem begins to look like a nail. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/v1-11.htm Also, a look at historical stock prices of military contractors would demonstrate this point. Example: Lockheed Martin Jan 28 2000 $16.97, Jan 29 2007 $95.39, plus a dividend yield of 1.3% annually. Return nearly 600% in 7 years.
*2. Military and intelligence branches of government that do business with the aforementioned companies are staffed with people who have made a career of war and may expect to be hired by one of the companies they are doing business with after their government service is over. http://www.pogo.org/p/contracts/c/co-040101-contractor.html These branches also directly benefit from war by having their budgets increased and their sense of importance raised. When you are walking to work down a well polished hall of a multibillion dollar branch of the federal government, not advocating a war might seem like blasphemy. Aggression is a cultural norm in some environments. Aronson, et al, Social Psychology Fourth Edition p 419. Also, once a war starts, prior intelligence failures or missed opportunities for peace may be glossed over by the perceived need to finish the task that has been started. Critical oversight is weakened. http://en. .org/wiki/Sunk_costs
*3. Access to territory and/or the natural resources in it can motivate non-military companies or special interest groups to promote a war as a means of gaining preferential access. Borders don't move freely in peacetime. A motivated faction which wants borders to be redrawn may choose to endure the trials of a war to gain the eventual reward of land.
*4. If a religious disagreement is involved, the religious group most savvy in lobbying the government may join forces with the other interest groups to sell the conflict. They may never realize a true long term benefit, but they can vociferously support a war anyway. Religious groups may also be conscripted by clever propagandists to support a war which may clearly be against their moral and religious tenets. (need photo here of German WWII belt buckle featuring Gott Mitt Uns logo)
*5. In modern society, the popular media may also be enlisted to sell war. If media outlets find they will be rewarded for sending pro war messages or disseminating false or misleading information, the profit motive may cause them to avoid or minimize anti-war messages or opinions. See Herman and Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent, Chapter 1, A Propaganda Model. A threat to withhold the purchase of ad time or to boycott advertised products could also be used to alter the media slant on a conflict. Even letter writing or e-mail campaigns, if well organized, could serve to pressure media to favor a particular line of reasoning. The average citizen writes no letter, sends no e-mail to the media, so a small, focused minority can seem larger than life. Alternately, if well-heeled factions recognize the power of the media to control public opinion, networks may be bought outright in order to control policy via editorial comment posing as "news". See Walter Lippman, "The Pictures in Our Heads". http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/Lippman/CH01.html

*6. A newly powerful type of media influence in the world is the "think tank". This type of operation can be focused on target groups or even individuals deemed to be powerful or influential. Think tanks can be set up by anyone with sufficient money to hire like-minded advocates, and an invitation to speak or participate in a think tank activity can be a flattering proposition. An example of this can be found in "War and Anti-War", by Alvin and Heidi Toffler, Chapter 20, The Genie Unleashed. In this example the Tofflers are invited to participate in a think tank scenario where North Korea has destabilized and presents a nuclear threat. The psychological technique known as framing is used to direct participants thoughts down the avenues desired by the sponsors. The idea that they are taking part in an important exercise reinforces the belief that the frame they are in is realistic. The addition of time limits and a sense of desperation reduces the participants ability to escape the frame. The Tofflers make no mention of who funded this exercise, their motivations, or what criteria were used to choose the participants, which indicates they were captured by the frame provided. (An insider input would be valuable here, regarding who paid for the set in the example and who decided it would be strewn with styrofoam cups, time limits, etc.) Think tanks may also pay speakers substantial fees to come and say exactly what they want to hear, reinforcing the world view of the sponsor on both the paid speaker and the audience. http://en. .org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance (need some examples here of invitations for a person of interest like Condoleeza Rice to speak at events under control of a think tank, e.g.the Heritage Foundation or the American Enterprise Institute)

Conclusion:

Once the decision has been made to attack another nation, it becomes very difficult to change course later, even if other facts come to light.
In the worst scenario, some early military successes embolden the politicians to broaden the scope of the war, and serve to quiet dissent. This can lead to a world war.
In the next worst scenario, stubborn leaders see early defeats as challenges to be overcome instead of policy mistakes. Ego plays a huge role here. When things eventually turn bad in the public eye, what politician could hope to succeed in the government by stating "I was duped by special interests into a stupid war, and a lot of people died unnecessarily, but I'll do better next time"? At this point instead of inviting the citizens to question the workings of the government, politicians emphasize patriotism and religion to keep the populace in line. No one wants to seem unpatriotic when their relatives are dying in combat. In WWII, the Germans put "Gott mit Uns" on their soldiers belt buckles.

The Terra Nova Green Party is the name of the Green Party of Canada's chapter in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Newfoundland's first Green Party was founded at St. John's in 1988. It was called The Newfoundland & Labrador Green Party Association. Newfoundland's first Green Party candidate was Nicholas Murray in the 1989 provincial election. Murray ran in the electoral district of Carbonear as an "Independent Green" and received 62 votes in a three way contest against a Liberal and a Progressive Conservative.

By 1990, The Newfoundland and Labrador Green Party Association was defunct and remained inactive until the 1996 provincial election when Jason Crummey ran as an independent Green candidate in Quidi Vidi and garnered 124 votes. That year, the Newfoundland Greens were recognized as a provincial association of the Green Party of Canada, under its newly ratified constitution, under the name "Terra Nova Green Party." Later that year, Crummey sought the leadership of the Green Party of Canada, placing last in a field of four candidates. However, he impressed members at the party's 1996 federal convention, resulting in his acclamation as the party's national fundraising chair.

The 1997 federal election saw the first federal Green Party candidate run for office in Newfoundland and Labrador with Jon Whalen's candidacy, in St. John's East. Whalen focused on environmental and fisheries issues such as banning draggers and creating a sustainable harp and hood sealing industry.

Under the leaderships of Ontario's Chris Lea and Wendy Priesnitz and then Alberta's Harry Garfinkle, relations between the Green Party of Canada registered leader and the Terra Nova Greens were amicable; The Terra Nova Greens with their strong Newfoundland and Labrador nationalism proposed national policies that included: banning draggers, a capelin moratorium, an Atlantic salmon moratorium and unilaterally extending Canada's 200-Mile (370 km) Limit to include the Nose and Tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap. The Terra Nova Greens also highlighted historic border disputes with the Province of Quebec, in the event of Quebec's secession from Confederation.

When British Columbia's Joan Russow became registered leader of the Green Party of Canada, relations with the Terra Nova Greens were rocky. Conflicts mainly centred around the Terra Nova Green Party's support for a sustainable Atlantic Canadian seal fishery. At that time, the Green Party of Canada had no National Policy on the topic: On the Atlantic seaboard, the Terra Nova Greens had one policy while on the Pacific seaboard, the British Columbia Greens supported an opposing policy; there was a federal Policy Vacuum with two provincial organizations separated by thousands of kilometers and eight other provinces endorsed opposing policies. Initially, the conflict was mediated by BC Green Party leader Stuart Parker and BC party strategists Dr. Julian West and Steve Kisby, who were close associates of Russow but supporters of the TNG policy. However, relations continued to deteriorate after Parker began working with the in their efforts to prevent a seal cull on Vancouver Island's Puntledge River in 1999.

The conflict culminated in the Terra Nova Greens organizing a public protest rally in downtown St. John's against what they claimed was the Green Party of British Columbia's domination of the federal Green Party. Starting in 1998, the Terra Nova Greens began running their own slate for the federal Greens' national executive which, lacking support from other provinces. No members of the Terra Nova state were elected in 1998 or 2000 and suffered a series of defeats. As part of these efforts in 1998, Cac MacDonald was the first female Newfoundlander to run for the leadership of any federal party. When she challenged Russow for the leadership, she garnered over 15% of the votes cast, indicating that some of the opposition to Russow's leadership outside the province was coalescing around the Newfoundland slate.

Although Crummey was able to make considerable inroads into the federal party by traveling to its 1996 Castlegar convention, serving as a member of the national board from 1996 to 1998, and working as a volunteer on the party 1997 federal campaign in BC, as relations worsened, Terra Nova Greens ceased attending national conventions, despite running slates for the party's board and submitting policy proposals to the 1998 and 2000 conventions.

The Terra Nova Greens had submitted a slate of candidates and a list of policy proposals to the 1998 national convention in Winnipeg. In fact, the policies and candidates were the only ones submitted before the party's internal filing deadline. Relations with the TNG deteriorated further when the party's national executive chose to re-open nominations for a month rather than acclaim the TNG slate. In the mail-in balloting that followed all five members of the slate were defeated. At the Winnipeg convention, members adopted a number of the policies the group proposed. However, the sealing policy did not reach the convention floor.

The Terra Nova Greens ran two candidates in the 1999 provincial election, Jason Crummey in St. John's South and Jon Whalen in Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi. The party's election motto was Ban Draggers and its campaign focused on the issue of overfishing on the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap. On February 9, 1999, Whalen received 42 votes while Crummey received 101 votes.

During the final years of Russow's leadership, relations with the Terra Nova Greens reached their nadir when she refused to sign the nomination papers of the three successive candidates Newfoundland party members had nominated for the St. John's West 2000 by-election. When 2000 general election was held several months later, the Terra Nova Greens did not submit names for the federal general election, Nor did Joan Rossow call for candidates to be ran in the province. Throughout the conflict, no member of the party's national executive or Russow's leadership circle ever visited Newfoundland and Labrador.

When Chris Bradshaw became registered leader of the Green Party of Canada, relations with the Terra Nova Green's improved dramatically. He even ran in the Trinity-Conception by-election and vowed to move to the district if elected.

In 2002, the Terra Nova Greens submitted policy proposals to the National Convention held at Montreal but no slate of candidates were submitted for the National Executive. At this convention, the Green Party of Canada finally endorsed the Terra Nova Green's policy proposal for a sustainable seal fishery in Atlantic Canada.

In 2003, Canada's Federal Fishery Committee called for a Capelin Fishery Moratorium. A capelin moratorium has been Terra Nova Green Party policy since 1996 and had been Green Party of Canada Federal Policy since 2000.

The Terra Nova Green Party remained active at the provincial level, fielding a single candidate, Steve Durant in the 2003 provincial general election. Durant broadened the party's focus from the single issue anti-dragger campaigns of the past, receiving positive coverage from local media. One article described him as, "Passionate about issues such as innovative health care, universal education and a healthy environment".

With the election of Jim Harris, the Green Party of Canada set aside simmering conflicts with the Terra Nova Greens in its successful effort to field a full slate in the 2004 federal election. The most prominent candidate was Ed "Sailor King Moondog" White who was the 1981 W.W.F. Tag-Team Champion. The Green Party of Canada's commitment continued with the party's support of Crummey's candidacy in the Labrador 2005 federal by-election.

Unfortunately, the dispute over sealing broke into the national media during the 2006 federal election: Dr. Jane McGillivray, a Happy Valley-Goose Bay medical doctor and environmentalist resigned as the federal candidate for Labrador. She quit the campaign in protest, saying Jim Harris' stance against the seal fishery was unfair and biased against the people of Canada's East Coast. CBC Radio reported Doctor McGillivray exclaimed, "The party needs to mature in such as way that it reflects the fact that there are regional differences...I don't see the Green party standing up and banning feed lots in southern Ontario, which are clearly contributing to all sorts of greenhouse gases and in fact are very inhumane in terms of the way pigs are treated and cows are treated."

Lori-Ann Martino, an organizer for the Greens in Newfoundland and Labrador, also resigned from the party in the middle of the election campaign. Martino was a former federal candidate in Labrador during the 2004 general election. Lori-Ann Martino resigned from the Green Party of Canada because she disagreed with Jim Harris' opposition to a sustainable seal fishery in Atlantic Canada; she said she could not abide by the Green Party's opposition to a commercial seal hunt: at an earlier national party meeting held in Ottawa, 93% of the delegates on attendance voted in favour of phasing out the annual hunt.

When Lori-Ann Martino resigned, Sharon labchuck (a resident of Prince Edward Island) was hired by the party to organize Newfoundland and Labrador: Of the seven federal candidates in the 2006 election, four of them were parachute-candidates, the majority being residents in Nova Scotia. Three Newfoundland residents who were endorsed as candidates were: Stephen Eli Harris (St. John's East) Shannon Hillier (Avalon) and Martin Hanzalek (Humber--St. Barbe--Baie Verte).

On August 29, 2006, VOCM Radio reported that the registered leader of the Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May, stated: "Green Party Leader to Review Seal Hunt Policy". The radio article explained Elizabeth May exclaimed..."there's a need for more discussion about the seal hunt...says the Green Party will review its policy on the hunt." Elizabeth may claimed "... one thing for sure, the Green Party will never again treat people in this province (Newfoundland and Labrador) without respect."