Mysterious Deaths in Alabama: Could They Be Related to Monsantos Bt Cotton Crops?Daisy Luther While the cause is currently unknown, its interesting to note that Southeastern Alabamas cotton fields are in full bloom this time of year and that some of these crops are Bt cotton. Bt cotton is a genetically modified cotton that contains a Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) pesticide within the plant. There is no proof that this is related to the mysterious illnesses in Alabama, however, history shows us that serious illnesses occurred in India wherever Bt cotton was grown. When Monsantos cotton was planted in India, two stories were presented. If you are to believe the Monsanto PR folks, however, their seeds and Indian farms were a match made in heaven. They even created a page on their website to celebrate ten years of partnership and to explain how Bt cotton improved the farmers standards of living: Despite Monsantos glowing description of the partnership, cotton farmers in India began to commit suicide at a rate unheard of previously, as the crops failed and they could not pay their debts to Monsanto. Anthony Gucciardi ofNatural Society wrote: Regardless of PR efforts to debunk claims that the Indian farmers were suffering due to Monsantos practices, the Indian government last year cancelled the cotton license with Monsanto, citing unfair trading practices. We have given fair chance to the company and all charges of unfair trade practice have been proved, says Sudam Adsule, the director of inputs and quality control for Maharashtra, Indias biggest industrial region, in the ENS article. Hence, under the existing cotton seed act, we have taken action and it cant be revoked. This year, Monsanto introduced 3 new varieties of Deltapine cotton, with 180 growers testing them out. This means that the communities around these growers are unwitting lab rats in Monsantos latest experiment. Are the mystery illness victims casualties of this current experiment? If so, proving it will be difficult and because of the Monsanto Protection Act, it is unlikely that, even if proven, any penalty or charges will ever be forthcoming against the company. Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor. Her website,The Organic Prepper, wherethis article first appeared, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy onFacebookandTwitter, and you can email her atdaisy@theorganicprepper.ca 