Anybody want to talk tariffs?
If there is someone, anyone, who can make the case for the tariffs imposed by President Trump, I would love to hear it. And print it in this column next Monday.
Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court’s ban on most tariffs, essentially saying that only Congress can pass a tax. The vote was 7-4, but the court put a stay on its decision to give the defendants (Trump and the Justice Department) time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
My question: If the issue is whether Congress must approve the tariffs, then why doesn’t Trump simply ask Congress to do that? As he proved with his “one big beautiful (budget) bill,” he owns them. At least until the 2026 elections. Here is the ruling: gov.uscourts.cafc.23105.159.0_1
Three veteran KPD officers promoted
Three veteran Knoxville Police Department officers have been promoted to advanced supervisory ranks.
Sgt. Michael Dabbelt has been promoted to lieutenant, while Officers Tim Campbell and Robert Cook have been promoted to sergeant. The three have accumulated over 40 years of combined law enforcement experience.
Dabbelt joined the KPD in 2009 and was promoted to sergeant in 2020. He has spent the majority of his time at the KPD on patrol and most recently served as an investigator within the Office of Professional Standards.
Campbell has served the KPD since 2011. A member of the department’s Special Operations Squad, Campbell has spent the entirety of his career on patrol. Most recently, he served on the Co-Responder Unit, working alongside a behavioral health clinician to respond to calls involving individuals in crisis.
Cook joined the KPD in 2008, spending the early part of his career on patrol. In 2013, he became a detective in the Special Crimes Unit before transferring to the Violent Crimes Unit in 2015. He served in that role until 2022. Most recently, he supported the department’s hiring efforts as the internal background investigator.
“I am excited to promote Michael, Tim and Robert to new supervisory positions,” Chief Paul Noel said. “These three have displayed a commitment to our organizational mission and values and are ready to take on greater responsibility. I am confident they will excel in their new roles and help propel our department forward.”
All three will be assigned to field operations squads. The promotions took effect on Sunday, August 24.
Blotter
On August 27, 2025, Judge Thomas A. Varlan sentenced a 34-year-old Sevierville man to 360 months in prison for production of child pornography. Local, state and federal law enforcement, led by Sevier County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jerry Vandergriff, discovered the minor victim in the CP images was a 7-year-old related to the defendant. In pleading guilty, the defendant admitted using his phone at his home to take the images. He then used the CP images to go onto chat forums and trade for other CP images with the group forum. Details here.
In Memoriam
Dot Fox
Dorothy “Dot” Fox, 95, of Knoxville passed away on August 28, 2025. Born in Blaine, Tennessee, she worked for 35 years as a psychiatric nurse at Lakeshore Hospital. She was preceded in death by husband William C. “Bill” Fox, former chief of Knoxville Police Department. She is survived by three children. The full obituary is here.
Notes & Quotes
Knoxville Bar Association and Legal Aid of East Tennessee are offering an in-person, free legal advice clinic for veterans on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty Street. The next clinic will be on December 10. Or call to preschedule telephone option: 865-637-0484. General info here.
Frederic J. Frommer writes: In his autobiography,“Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen recalled his embarrassment in touring Europe after the album’s release with what he considered excessive pre-concert publicity. He ranted: “This is not the way it works. I know how it works. I’ve done it. Play and shut up. My business is show business, and that is the business of showing … not telling.” Springsteen tore down all the posters and flyers he could get his hands on.
James A.H. Bell unloaded on the politicians of Washington, D.C., in a mighty rant (on Facebook) that ended with: The views expressed here are my opinion. … I don’t care what the government thinks. I have been challenging them in one form or another since 1973.
As far as the tariffs go, the U.S. has had a trade deficit for a number of years. Previous administrations have left this go unchecked. Some countries have a 20% tariff on our goods going into their country while we only had 5% (as an example) on theirs coming in here. That makes no sense.
The other thing is this will motivate our businesses, as well as some others outside the U.S., to make their products here to be free from any tariffs. This creates jobs and boosts our economy in a number of ways. I know these tariffs can be painful at first, but should pay off in the long run.