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.
The last time I saw Joe — which was, perhaps, at the incipience of his fall — he seemed morose, but over the edge. Do you think he developed a drinking problem?