Remembering September 11, 2001

by Rod Williams, Sept. 10, 2026- It is hard to believe that it has been twenty-five years since the terrorist attack of 9-11 and the collapse of the Twin Towers. I am an old man now and have witnessed a lot of historic events in my life. For me, the September 11th attack ranks as the most important historic event I have experienced, overshadowing the Kennedy assassination, the US's humiliating defeat and chaotic exit from Vietnam, the moon landing, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and other historic events. It seems to be fading into the background now for much of the public. 

About 30 percent of U.S. residents were born after 2001, and about 7 percent of the population were 5 years old or younger. That’s 37 percent of the population that was at least too young at the time of the attacks to be aware of what unfolded. As divided as we are now, it is hard to believe that there was a time when America was so united, even it was united in grief.  I think for those who experienced the attack of September 11, 2001, we will never forget where we were or how we felt. Below is my remembrance written down five years ago. 

 by Rod Williams, Sept, 11, 2020 -  On September 11, 2001 I got up like most days and got ready for work. As I recall, I had the TV on when a program was interrupted, saying a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I did not think a lot about it at first. No details were available, and I assumed some private small plane had flown off course and accidentally crashed into the building. 

By the time I got to work, the second plane had hit and it was clear that the U. S. was under attack. My long-time, long-distance girl friend, Louella Ballenger, who is now my wife, worked in Washington DC at the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, located right next to Union Station which is across the street from the back of the US Capitol. I do not recall the sequence of events exactly, but it must have been after the Pentagon was hit and I started wondering what was next. I feared we were under an all out attack. I tried several times to reach Louella. I wanted to see if she was all right and tell her I loved her. I feared the worst. 

After several attempts, I reached her. Chaos reigned at her workplace. People were free to leave work, but the subways were not running and the roadways were jammed. She was waiting out the crisis at her office. We told each other how much we loved each other. 

After getting off the phone with Louella, I just had a sense that I needed to talk to people I love so I next called my daughter. Rachel was in no danger of course. She was in Chattanooga attending college but I just wanted to hear her voice and tell her I loved her. I then called my mother. I remember how everyone at work and everyone I talked to was affected by the event. 

I was working at the Woodbine Community Organization, which was a community-oriented social services agency, neighborhood organization, and a housing counseling agency.  I went to my boss, Cathie Dodd, and said we ought to do something. She agreed. We busied ourselves the next day putting together a program and emailing and calling people to tell them about it. With little advance notice, we had a full house. Co-workers and people from other agencies we work with, friends, agency clients, and people from the community joined in a memorial service at work. We prayed and sang songs and were comforted. All rancor and petty conflicts were put aside as we held hands in prayer and hugged and comforted each other. People cried. It was a healing process. 

After the immediate crisis was over, I asked Louella to quit her job and move to Nashville. We had, had a long-distance relationship for about ten years and were in love and we planned that when she retired, she would then move down to Nashville and we would get married and be together. I think 9-11 made us realize that you don't know what tomorrow holds and that life is short. Louella took early retirement, we bought a house, and on Thanksgiving weekend Louella moved to Nashville. 

This song by Alan Jackson captures that day perfectly for me. Alan Jackson said a day or two after the event, he woke up and this song just poured out of him. He said it was the easiest song he ever wrote.

 

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning  

Were you when the world stopped turning 

that September day 

Out in the yard with your wife and children 

Working on some stage in LA 

Did you stand there in shock at the site of That black smoke 

rising against that blue sky 

Did you shout out in anger, In fear for your neighbor 

Or did you just sit down and cry 

Did you weep for the children 

Who lost their dear loved ones 

And pray for the ones who don't know 

Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble 

And sob for the ones left below 

Did you burst out in pride

For the red white and blue 

The heroes who died just doing what they do 

Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer 

And look at yourself to what really matters

I 'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? 

Teaching a class full of innocent children 

Driving down some cold interstate 

Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor 

In a crowded room did you feel alone? 

Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her 

Did you dust off that bible at home? 

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened 

Close your eyes and not go to sleep 

Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages 

Speak with some stranger on the street 

Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow 

Go out and buy you a gun 

Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching 

And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns 

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger 

Stand in line and give your own blood 

Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family 

Thank God you had somebody to love?

 

I'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

I'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

The greatest is love 

The greatest is love 

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

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Data Center Paradox

by Alex Tokarev, Kristin Tokarev, The Independent, Sept. 9, 2026- It’s easy to fear and hate a giant
windowless warehouse full of computers, sucking up electricity and destroying jobs. Data centers sound at best like a bad deal for the communities that host them. At worst, they could be an existential threat to the human race.

People are always uneasy when new technology disrupts the old ways of working. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, textile workers feared that machines would replace them and used their wooden shoes (sabot) to break the gears. That may be how we got the term “sabotage.”

Over time, machines improved productivity and safety, increased incomes and living standards. The AI boom will be no different. It is disruptive like all previous innovations. And, as with previous changes, tomorrow’s benefits will vastly outweigh today’s costs.

What about those utility bills? The higher demand will surely put a nasty dent in your family budget, right? Economics often produces counterintuitive answers. Sometimes, adding a gigantic new customer can lower the average cost of electricity for everyone else.

For a couple of decades, electricity demand in the USA was basically flat. We built infrastructure for a certain capacity and then spread those costs across all users. Data centers can utilize the grid more efficiently. Your bill can go down because the average fixed cost declines.

Higher consumption can lower the cost per unit consumed. Between 2015 and 2024, the arrival of data centers was associated with a modest decline in average retail electricity rates. The explanation is economies of scale in generation, transmission, and distribution.

Data centers can also shift computing workloads from expensive peak hours to cheaper off-peak periods. That reduces total grid costs by flattening demand and making better use of the existing infrastructure. The AI boom could make the system more efficient, benefiting everyone.

Here’s where the economist adds, “On the other hand…” Yes, the opposite can also happen. If a data center arrives where the grid is already under strain and the government intentionally sabotages the construction of new power plants, the result will be high bills and shortages.

Rather than imagining a post-apocalyptic world ruined by AI, we should focus on restraining politicians with a knack for making things worse. Our public servants should neither block nor subsidize the development of new data centers. The market can handle that one if left alone.

Unfortunately, at least 38 states compete desperately for data centers with their residents’ money. They waive or reduce sales taxes on essential tech equipment. They offer sales tax exemptions on the electricity consumed. And they grant long-term property tax reductions or abatements.

Data centers are extraordinarily capital-intensive. They also create very few local jobs once construction is over. If governments subsidize them while customers and taxpayers fund the new infrastructure, we are transferring wealth to some of the world’s richest investors.

Of course, a data center isn’t just a building. It is a gigantic piece of infrastructure linked to a vast global network, supporting cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and many industries. Most of the economic benefits accrue elsewhere. And they register much later.

Judging a data center solely by the number of people employed inside its walls is like judging a railroad by the number of people working at the local station. Still, instead of speculating about the net effect of the externalities involved, let the investors pay their costs as the rest of us do.

The data-center boom may turn out to be a terrific economic opportunity. It may also produce some spectacularly bad government deals. If a new facility requires a $500 million transmission upgrade that wouldn’t otherwise be needed, don’t make retirees and small businesses finance it.

It’s a terrible idea to craft our policies based on what Keynes called the “animal spirits”—the public’s overconfidence or anxieties. Current evidence suggests that data centers are neither the economic disaster their critics fear nor an automatic windfall for the communities that host them.

States and counties must end the costly competition to attract businesses at the expense of their taxpayers. A coordinated repeal of all direct and indirect subsidies is a step toward refocusing government action on promoting the general welfare rather than special corporate interests.

Free enterprise means that producers are free to compete for the customers’ money on the value they create, not on how much “free” money they can extract through politics.

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Zoolumination Canceled Due to Visa Issues for Chinese Light Festival Group

by Nicolle S. Praino, Nashville Post, Sep 9, 2026 - The Nashville Zoo has canceled its 2026 Zoolumination Festival of Lights due to visa issues for the Chinese company that had crafted the displays.

Inlight Festival Group artisans have traveled to Nashville from Zigong, China, for the partnership since 2019 to create what has been billed as the largest lantern festival in the U.S. 

...  Nashville Zoo provided a statement that visa applications for the Inlight Festival Group artisans were denied. (link)

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You Are Being Lied to; It is Not Due to the Reappraisal That Your Property Taxes Increased.

by Rod Williams, Sept. 8, 2026- So many people blame their increase in property taxes on the most recent reappraisal. Most of the time, that is simply not why your property taxes went up. 

The regular property reappraisal is for the purpose of equalization. Take for example, that you live in an established neighborhood of older, established homes. Assume lots of homes in your neighborhood get added on to, beautified, freshly painted and updated, and you do not do that to your home. You should not be paying the same taxes as your neighbor. The reappraisal values your home at market value, so the neighbor who improved their home pays more property taxes than you do.

Or, consider that you live in a home of a certain age, size, and condition in one part of town and your friend lives in a similar home in another part of town. Assume that since the last appraisal, your friend's neighborhood has become very trendy and more expensive. He should pay more taxes than you do because his property is more valuable, even though he did nothing to make it more valuable. 

After the reappraisal, your property should go up in value only if it has increased more than the average home. It should go down if it increases less in value than the average home. This is the law. The Tennessee Certified Tax Rate process is designed to ensure “truth-in-taxation” following a county-wide reappraisal. The process ensures the amount of total taxes collected for a county remains the same after a reappraisal, even if the combined value of all property in the county rose or fell following the reappraisal. Let me quote the law:

TN Code § 67-5-1701 (2025)

(a) (1) Upon a general reappraisal of property as determined by the state board of equalization, the county assessor of property shall certify to the governing bodies of the county and of each municipality within the county the total assessed value of taxable property within the jurisdiction of each governing body.

(2) The assessor shall also furnish each governing body an estimate of the total assessed value of all new construction and improvements not included on the previous assessment roll and the assessed value of deletions from the previous assessment roll.

(3) Exclusive of such new construction, improvements and deletions, each governing body, in the event of a general reappraisal as determined by the state board, shall determine and certify a tax rate which will provide the same ad valorem revenue for that jurisdiction as was levied during the previous year.

(4) For the purpose of calculating the certified rate, the governing body shall use the taxable value appearing on the roll exclusive of taxable value of properties appearing for the first time on the assessment roll. The governing body may also exclude from the taxable value appearing on the roll:

(A) The taxable value of properties subject to tax increment financing provisions adopted by the governing body pursuant to title 13, chapter 20, part 2; and

(B) The taxable value of properties within an area for which an economic impact plan has been approved by the governing body pursuant to § 7-53-312 or § 7-53-314.

(5) In calculating the certified tax rate, the governing body of the county or municipality may adjust the calculation, according to a method approved by the state board of equalization, to reflect extraordinary assessment changes anticipated from appeals to the state or local boards of equalization. The state board of equalization shall order recapture of an excessive adjustment in the following year if the certified tax rate is found to have been overstated due to overestimation of the appeals adjustment, and in these cases the jurisdiction may exceed the recapture rate only after public hearing.

So, why do most of us get a tax increase after a reappraisal? This is what normally happens. Following the finalization of the mass reappraisal, the new certified tax rate is calculated. Since property values increase, the new certified tax rate, which is lower than the current tax rate, is passed by the Council. Then, in almost all cases, the very next order of business is to pass a bill establishing a new tax rate that is higher than the certified tax rate that the Council has just passed. The Metro Council has chosen to set tax rates above the state‑required “revenue‑neutral” level.

Politicians who just raised your taxes will blame the tax increase on the reappraisal. They know better. They may also defend the increase in taxes by saying the tax rate is lower than last year's tax rate. That is irrelevant; they raised your taxes. What I would like to see happen is for a state law to be passed prohibiting a local government from raising the tax rates in a year in which the certified tax rate is adopted. That would be real "truth-in taxation."

The Pamphleteer has created a tax calculator tool that shows you how much of any tax increase you may have experienced is due to the reappraisal and how much is due to the city choosing to raise taxes. Below are the results for my home. Notice that the reappraisal would have lowered my tax bill by $157. Instead, I had a property tax increase of $825, all due to the Council's new tax rate. 

To use this handy tool, follow this link. 

Your property tax went up

+$825

per year · +$69/mo · +21% vs 2024

What moved your bill

Reappraisalthe Assessor

−$157

Rate hikeCouncil, to fund the budget

+$983

Your increase is entirely the Council's rate hike — the reappraisal alone would have lowered your bill.

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Beacon Poll Finds 51% of Tennessee Voters Disapprove of President Trump's Job Performace

 Beacon, September 3, 2026- Today, we released the latest installment of the Beacon Poll, a statewide
survey of 1,200 Tennessee voters featuring questions about voters’ views on artificial intelligence, data centers, and the forthcoming November general election.

Senator Marsha Blackburn starts out with a commanding 21-point advantage over Democrat Jerri Green in the race for governor, 55% to 34% among likely voters. Blackburn’s big lead comes after a hard-fought and divisive Republican primary against Congressman John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts that left some bruised feelings within the party, but any lingering divisions have not yet dented her standing heading into November.

In a surprising twist, President Trump’s job approval in deep-red Tennessee has gone underwater for the first time since Beacon began polling the state in 2023, with just 48% of voters approving of his job performance and 51% disapproving (-3%).

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Knox and Hamilton Counties Continue Scrutiny of Flock Cameras

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, Sept 6, 2026 - Two Tennessee counties have taken action on automated license plate readers as questions of privacy and efficacy continue. 

Former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs signed a bill this week that would ban Flock cameras in his last action as mayor. 

Hamilton County, Tenn., Sheriff Austin Garrett said his department is pausing the use of Flock License Plate Recognition and Motorola License Plate Recognition. Chattanooga is the county seat. 

"The primary factor is the tremendous concern regarding public data and potential misuse of what is captured," Garrett said in a statement posted on social media. "Within the HCSO program, your Sheriff’s Office oversees approximately 70 cameras across Hamilton County."

Garrett asked state and federal leaders to begin a conversation about the technology. 

U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo., are. They introduced the FLOCK OFF Act, which bans the use of taxpayer money for the technology. 

"The federal government shouldn’t provide 'security' grants to cities and police departments that have gone beyond the pale and turned their communities into a version of 1984," Massie said in a statement.

Flock Safety has defended the use of automated license plate readers, which are now synonymous with the company's name. 

"In 2025, we estimate Flock technology supported more than one million public safety investigations, assisted in 20% of solved cases in jurisdictions that partner with Flock, and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people," the company said in a July email to The Center Square.  "Rather than banning a critical public safety tool, Congress should consider strong, clear safeguards that ensure accountability, oversight, and responsible use are enshrined in law. We do not have to choose between protecting privacy and giving law enforcement the tools it needs to keep communities safe. We can – and should – do both."

A database from the Institute of Justice shows 203 reports of reported abuse of the automated license plate readers as of Sept. 4. The incidents range from the arrests of law enforcement officers who have used the technology in some cases to stalk romantic partners to innocent people being held at gunpoint by police because the camera misread a license plate. 

Law enforcement agencies are defending the use of the cameras, saying they are a tool for capturing criminals.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said use of automated license plate reader technology from Georgia helped the agency find a 1-year-old child taken from Tennessee.

"ALPR information has helped the bureau and its partner agencies locate missing and endangered children and vulnerable adults, identify vehicles associated with wanted fugitives, and develop leads in investigations involving violent crime, drug trafficking, and organized criminal activity," the agency said in a statement.

Christopher Ingraham, an investigative reporter for the Institute for Justice, said in an interview with The Center Square that the fundamental question is whether the crimes would have been solved without the cameras.

"We don't know," Ingraham said. "The thing that I get concerned about is our law enforcement agencies crediting a camera with the entire case when it's really just a small piece of a case."

Rod's Comment: 

I am concerned about the increased loss of privacy. I find it concerning that the government can read the license plate of every car passing through an intersection and follow a car with a network of cameras. 

Much of the loss of privacy is because we voluntarily surrender it. We choose to use a feature on our phones that can know our location at all times. The use of facial recognition software is coming. Facial recognition has already been perfected. There will be a temptation to use it. In a mass protest, the technology is already available that would allow the government to be able to identify everyone in attendance, unless they hid their face. 

Some argue, "I am not doing anything wrong, so I don't care if the government searches my home, or surveils me, or intercepts my email." I do not agree. I find a surveillance state a threat to liberty. I do not want to live in a Big Brother state. I concede that if we were all watched and followed all the time and we no longer had protections against unreasonable search and seizure, it would reduce crime. I am not willing to pay that price for crime reduction.

There may be places and circumstances where license plate readers can be justified, but guardrails on their use need to be in place, and their use should be limited. I welcome the pushback against Flock cameras.

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