10 worst Corps. of 2001,I cant believe Monsanto missed out.

[mattd]

The Ten Worst Corporations of 2001
by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman In a year marked not only by the 
now-standard forms of corporate marauding but also by brazen wartime 
profiteering, it was no easy chore to identify Multinational Monitor's 10 
corporations of 2001.
The competition was even tougher than usual. But choices had to be made. 
And now decisions have been reached.
Multinational Monitor has named Abbott Laboratories, Argenbright, Bayer, 
Coke, Enron, Exxon Mobil, Philip Morris, Sara Lee, Southern Co. and 
Wal-Mart as the 10 worst corporations of 2001
Appearing in alphabetical order, the 10 worst are:
Abbott Laboratories, for its TAP Pharmaceuticals, a joint venture with 
Japanese Takeda Pharmaceuticals. TAP was forced to pay $875 million to 
resolve criminal charges and civil liability in connection with allegations 
of major Medicare reimbursement fraud. Among other alleged fraudulent 
activities, as a way of hooking doctors on prescribing Lupron, its prostate 
cancer drug, TAP gave doctors free samples and then encouraged doctors to 
bill Medicare for the free samples.
Argenbright, the security company, for repeat violations of regulations for 
airport security. Argenbright's appalling record -- including violations of 
security rules it had been caught breaking just a year earlier -- helped 
convince Congress to federalize U.S. airport security operations.
Bayer, for its overcharge of the government and public for the anti-anthrax 
drug Cipro, based on a patent monopoly that may well be improperly 
maintained by virtue of a collusive arrangement with a generic 
manufacturer. Bayer also secured a place on the 10 worst list for its 
dangerous peddling of antibiotics for poultry (contributing to antibiotic 
resistance among humans) and its harassment of a German watchdog group, 
Coalition Against Bayer Dangers, for maintaining a BayerWatch.com website.
Coca Cola, for its sponsorship of the first Harry Potter movie and possible 
sequels, using a children's favorite to hawks its unhealthy product, and 
for alleged complicity with death squads in Colombia targeting union 
leaders there.
Enron, for costing many of its employees their life savings by refusing to 
let them dump company stock from their pension plans, as Enron plunged 
toward bankruptcy.
ExxonMobil, for leading the global warming denial campaign (even O'Dwyer's 
a leading rag of the public relations industry, has chastised the company 
for its "stubborn refusal to acknowledge the fact that burning fossil fuels 
has a role in global warming") and blocking efforts at appropriate remedial 
action, plus a host of other reckless activities.
Philip Morris, for its "we've changed" marketing campaign -- revealed to be 
a hoax by a Czech study it commissioned alleging cost savings from 
smoking-related premature deaths, as well as the company's ongoing efforts 
to addict millions of new smokers.
Sara Lee, for a scandal involving its Ball Park Franks hot dogs. 
Listeria-contaminated Ball Park Franks killed 21 and seriously injured 100 
in 1998. In 2001, with civil and criminal litigation around the case 
heating up, the Detroit Free Press reported that Sara Lee stopped 
performing tests for bacteria after it started recording too many 
positives. The U.S. attorney, which handled prosecution of the criminal 
case, insists Sara Lee did not know about the presence of listeria in its 
hot dogs. In an extraordinary move, the U.S. attorney issued a joint press 
release with Sara Lee announcing settlement of the case. The final tally: 
21 dead. A misdemeanor plea. A $200,000 fine.
Southern Co., the largest electric utility in the United States, for its 
efforts to defeat sensible air pollution regulations. Southern is a heavy 
user of coal, and leads the fight to maintain a ridiculous "grandfather" 
clause in the U.S. Clean Air Act, which exempts power plants built before 
1970 from Clean Air Act standards.
Wal-Mart, for continuing to source products from overseas sweatshops, for 
viciously battling efforts to unionize any fraction of its workforce (the 
largest in the United States, among private employers), and for 
contributing to the sprawl that blights the U.S. landscape.
For a complete version of Multinational Monitor's article naming the 10 
worst corporations of 2001, see www.essential.org/monitor.
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime 
Reporter. Robert Weissman is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based 
Multinational Monitor. They are co-authors of Corporate Predators: The Hunt 
for MegaProfits and the Attack on Democracy (Monroe, Maine: Common Courage 
Press, 1999; http://www.corporatepredators.org)