The mosque-fighting, anti-Black Lives Matter, 9/11 Truther, insurrectionist Laurie Cardoza-Moore will help pick your child’s textbooks.
Cardoza-Moore was confirmed by both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly with a final House vote Monday, securing her spot on the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission Monday. The House vote ran along party lines with 66 members voting to approve her, 26 voting against, and two members who were present but did not vote.
Read our past stories about the controversial Cardoza-Moore here and here.
Cardoza-Moore was nominated to the board by House Speaker Rep. Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and the resolution for the nomination was carried in the House by Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster). On the House floor, Weaver gave no speech about Cardoza-Moore. Only Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) spoke against the nomination.
“There are almost 7 million Tennesseans to choose from for the textbook commission and we pick the leader of an organization that has been on a hate group list, one who said 30 percent of Muslims are terrorists, and one who is a 9/11 Truther,” Johnson said.
Johnson quoted Cardoza-Moore from a video attempting to recruit others for the Capitol insurrection saying “God did not put us on this earth to be cowards. He brought us into this world and prepared us for this moment in time. … We have to go in, march into the battlefield and go to the front line and hold the line.” Johnson said Cardoza- Moore tapped active-duty military officials and veterans to join the insurrection, too.
I think we’re better than that. And I think this is a huge mistake.
Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville)
“I think that’s frightening,” Johnson said. “I believe that there are millions of people in this state that would serve our textbook commission well. It’s not about ’Is this person able to do the job?’ It’s ‘Is this someone we elevate at the state level?’ Someone who’s a 9/11 Truther. Someone who believes that 30 percent of Muslims are terrorists and someone who literally tried to incite violence and a military coup at our Capitol. I think we’re better than that. And I think this is a huge mistake.”
Sexton asked Weaver, who carried the bill, for a rebuttal. Weaver said “thank you for your comments.” House members then voted to approve and immediately took up and approved a resolution making the ladder the state tool.
Cardoza-Moore’s term begins July 1st, 2021 and ends June 30th, 2022.
The textbook commission is composed of 10 members. Three spots are vacant. The only Memphis-area member of the board is Millington High School geography teacher Billy Bryan.
According to the state website, the commission’s “responsibility is to recommend an official list of textbooks and instructional materials for approval of the State Board of Education.”
