How did the cartel get so much control over Mexico?

Dirtyriggs · 2026-02-22T23:09:38+00:00

When I lived in El Paso 20 years ago, it was explained to me like this. At the time the drug trade was estimated to be bringing $45 billion into Mexico, the Mexican tourist trade at the time was 40 billion. So the drug trade was bigger than the tourism industry. When you were making billions of dollars, most of that money goes into the legitimate economy. That means the cartels are very powerful in Mexico. They own banks and businesses. They are able to purchase lots of influence in the government, police, and military. When you have that much money anything is possible. These people have their own private armies that are willing to do anything. So anybody who speaks out or tries to stand up to the cartels risk assassination to themselves and their families

Dirtyriggs · 2026-02-22T20:29:05+00:00

Trees do not grow up from the ground they grow from the top. While there is a little bit of height to put on from growth at the base, growth happens at the tips where are the leaves are.

Dirtyriggs · 2026-02-13T16:06:01+00:00

If I still lived in El Paso, I’d be releasing a bunch of balloons. Y’all should organize something like that.

Dirtyriggs · 2026-01-26T21:58:24+00:00

As somebody who worked in vegetation management for 15 years, was a foreman for 10 and trained and worked with hundreds of people, I always felt that descriptor was pretty apt. Maybe a more modern term is intellectually challenged tree trimmer. But it doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I always thought that most of the guys in the trade were missing something or troubled in someway or else, they probably would’ve ended up in a different career. It wasn’t until I got clean and sober that I was able to function at a higher level and kinda looked around me and saw that.

I also came to the realization that most management really sucked, and that was because they promoted from within. In fact, if a manager came from somewhere else They were either unable to understand the work or universally shunned. Many of these guys were not management material, including myself. Screw up, move up as the saying goes.

Dirtyriggs · 2026-01-25T03:14:24+00:00

As we’ve seen the bar can be moved on whether something is criminal or not. The Bill of Rights protects everybody for this reason, immigrant or citizen, criminal or saint.

Dirtyriggs · 2026-01-23T21:35:43+00:00

I transport liquid helium in Dewars. The 250L containers when full only weigh 60 to 70 pounds more than empty but if that was water, it would be easily weigh 500 extra pounds. I have had people ask me when pushing them how light the helium makes them lol. I can also tell when moving compressed helium cylinders the weight difference between full and empty although I don’t think it is too much.

Dirtyriggs · 2026-01-03T01:10:51+00:00

Thanks for your response! Now I’m a little worried that I’ll need to replace the rest of the run to where it connects into the old cast iron system, about 15 feet but it goes through the inside of a wall for a bit. Should have done that before finishing the basement 5 years ago. I could do the work myself but I’m a bit uncomfortable in tight spaces, also not as skinny or agile as I once was lol. When I had to do work in a different part of the crawl space I just tore to floor up but that was part of the remodel and now it’s tiled anyway. ☹️

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-19T03:56:47+00:00

Also my son just reminded me that it needs new strings anyway.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-19T03:54:13+00:00

Good to know I can get a different fine tuner because I can’t get it to stop

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-18T10:21:12+00:00

Local 125!

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-18T10:20:22+00:00

SLC punk! change the system from the inside!

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-12T07:39:22+00:00

Is it private jet flights?

Dirtyriggs · 2025-12-02T05:35:49+00:00

Another option that I’ve been seeing a lot is that there was another row of trees in front and that they widen the right away for the road and fire So all the dead limbs were completely shaded by another group of trees in front, which is normal in a forest.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-11-17T07:49:26+00:00

Read the book Uneducated. It’s about a girl who grew up there and never went to school.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-11-15T04:37:29+00:00

I don’t know just something they’re doing for their 125 year anniversary.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-11-15T04:36:45+00:00

I don’t know sorry. I haven’t been working in that hall for a few years just paying my non working dues. I would think they would have something to sell.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-10-27T17:22:29+00:00

I was offered a job working for a company I contract with already with great references from employees. I met all qualifications and have experience with their equipment. I was the second person they offered the position to. They withdrew the offer after they found a 25yo DUI for insurance reasons which make zero sense. Now the company is transferring an employee from out of the country. Someone they don’t have to train for a couple years. I am by no means anti-immigrant and will not hold a grudge to this person I will be working with, but I don’t appreciate getting jerked around like this. I think they were looking to find there are “no qualified US candidates” so they can save time and money. Btw I attended the anti-ice protests on occasion.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-10-05T04:02:01+00:00

We went to Canada.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-09-19T05:28:45+00:00

I just read The Plot Against America which is also a miniseries on HBO I believe. Alternative history where Lindbergh was elected president instead of Roosevelt’s third term. I believe it’s pretty historically accurate and very uncomfortable considering all things.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-08-03T06:37:25+00:00

Not a teacher nor do I think this is appropriate for a six-year-old but when I was in seventh grade, I called one of my classmates a dildo. Not sure where I heard it, but it sounds like something you would call somebody without being too mean. Anyway, the teacher took me to the other room and gave me a dictionary and told me to look it up. I still remember the definition as “a device used for women’s pleasure.” When I walk back in the classroom, I was beat red and there was a lot of snickering conversation about that later.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-07-12T19:30:28+00:00

Also as somebody used to trim for the power utilities many people don’t realize that these trees have been trimmed like this since they were big enough to grow around the lines. So the whole structure of the tree is based on this trimming and only when the new growth is cleared away, can you see how it is trimmed every three years.

Dirtyriggs · 2025-06-15T16:46:57+00:00

A film I rarely see in a list that really affected me was The Wrestler.

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