In the hours after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and acquitted on manslaughter charges, the Tea Party News Network—a shoestring operation that is exactly what it sounds like and that launched last fall—sent out an email blast touting the voices of "black conservatives" sounding off on the verdict. The press release featured statements from five people, all of whom provided a view that seemed to clash with that of Rev. Al Sharpton.

"While I’m thrilled with this outcome, it should never have come to this. This case should never have been brought forward," wrote Horace Cooper, a former law professor. "The rush to arrest and indict Zimmerman merely to appease the media or race-based interest groups not only jeopardized Mr. Zimmerman’s rights and liberty, but the precedent suggests that all of our rights could be infringed."

"Despite a not guilty verdict, we must remember that George Zimmerman is not truly free," wrote Lisa Fritsch. "This trial will forever remain in his mind for his remaining days."

"For too long, people such as the NAACP’s Ben Jealous and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have spoke out in hate and ignorance and found placement in the media," wrote Emery McClendon. "It’s time to stop the madness. We must turn the tide. If we put as much time into restoring our Constitution as we did into the Zimmerman trial, America would be a better place for all of us."

Never heard of them? Cooper, it turns out, was once a staffer for Dick Armey and was charged with five counts of public corruption for exchanging gifts from Jack Abramoff for political favors. Fritsch, a Tea Partier and occassional Fox commenter, has ranted about the "diabolical liberal agenda...corrupting the black community." McClendon, a self-described Tea Party activist in Iowa, has penned circuitous missives explaining why the Tea Party is not racist. (Why is the Tea Party not racist? Because "the tea parties are not picking on anyone because of color, ethnicity or race.")