Otto, actually, those high numbers work against the plaintiff's case. Because the killings are not limited to Coca-Cola it is much easier to argue that the paramilitary forces are hunting down the unionists because of their political beliefs or simply because they are a threat by organizing as a powerful entity.

It's horrific. There is no one who can say it isn't. However, I was reading a column on this at PoliticsOL.com which started making sense until the guy made the assuption that obviously some companies are ordering these deaths. That's way out there. Coca-Cola may have some degree of blame for not providing better security at the plants knowing of the volatile climate but if the claim is that Coke is killing unionists -- that's hard for me to swallow.

The paramilitary forces will kill those threatening to weaken their own power. Maybe they have a political agenda where they feel that if Columbians begin unionizing it will send the out-of-country corporations packing to the next union-weary Latin American country. Maybe. Though I think it is more a case of showboating for power. It's disturbing, but I'm not branding Coke a sin stock until I see some evidence that the company has played a part in the slayings.