I understand and appreciate what you are saying. I guess when I said “unfair,” I meant the extent and manner of the ostacization, not the rationale for it.
The problem was that Joe flouted the First Law of Holes, which is to stop digging once you find yourself in one.
Sobran used to be one of my must-reads. I remember being shocked at the time, when Sobran's tone suddenly changed, and it became evident that it wasn't just a one-off rant. After not too long, I crossed him off my list, and I was far from alone in that.
I checked Sobran's writings a couple of years later, just to see, and it just as shrill, and (understandably) a whole lot more bitter. That was it -- I was through.
Still, RIP to Mr. Sobran. I hope in his final days he found the peace he needed.