https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbD7pIqUOoA If anybody wants to read or post on the Youtube comments.

Dave in the Philippines

I watched the video and read the comments. While I want to support Sobin's efforts to bring attention to the negative effects of the registry, something said by one of the commenters bothers me.

This person said that Sobin's conviction was for photographing nude children at a nudist colony resort. Of course, he claims he didn't commit any kind of crime, which may be true. I don't know.

However, my morals are such that I object to the very idea of a nudist colony, especially one in which children are present. I have a conflict about this, because I don't want to be held accountable by a Higher Power for supporting any person or activity that goes against the moral standards set out by the Higher Power to which I submit myself.

Does anyone else here have this same conflict?

Yeah, I caught that too, honestwitness. It's where the rubber meets the road, I guess. You and I, all of us weren't there. I could see it going down both ways. BUT, I think the point, the focus is, or should be this. Say it DID happen as he was charged. Okay, he was arrested, tried, convicted and served 10 years. It's the concept of the perpetual punishment meted out by the ever expanding laws and being n the registry that's the issue and problem. Lot's of people are guilty as charged, some aren't. He either was sent to prison unjustly as a innocent man, or maybe their was guilt, which he then ended up paying for.

The 'punishment' should have stopped after he was off whatever parole he had. But then the registry kicked in, adding more and more punishments and restrictions.

Also, just being acquainted with issue, you know how may detractors will come out with bad things to say about an individual, or their family. Just saying..Like I said, we weren't there.

Dave in the Philippines

It is no one's job to judge the past but judge current behavior. Otherwise we're no different than the rest of society. So long as Sobin is not out committing new crimes, I couldn't care less what his past says.

That is a very good point. I mean who among us hasn't screwed up a time or two in our lives. It's what they do today and the tomorrows after that means more. Sobin is not only drawing attention to the issues of being on the registry itself, but also the means and manner that folks on the registry are treated by those who work in government. I think what he is doing is a very good thing.

Sobin was the DC area "porn king" and virtually invented the old 976 phone sex business back in the day. He was also always a political activist. He did take his children and a video camera to a nudist colony in Florida of all places and we may never know the real reasons but by all accounts from his friends and business partners it was not to produce CP. Some people understandably complained and he was arrested. Florida offered him a no jail time misdemeanor plea which kind of says CP wasn't involved but he refused the offer and started a PR campaign to discredit the local sheriff and others which backfired which led to being found guilty at trial.

The time he spent in Federal prison didn't have anything to do with the Florida case. His federal charges had to do with bankruptcy fraud. He tried to hide all his money and filed for bankruptcy and he got caught doing it.

Judging people that have already been punished is just wrong. He at least is doing something about it.

We seem to want to believe that Sobin "just maybe" committed "a criminal act" and then possibly covered up the crime by erasing the evidence. And that's the problem - people would rather believe the worst in others and want them to believe the best in us- ...They became hysterical about the "possibility he may have" and he was convicted due to the outcry- not on fact. If this had been a murder where video evidence may prove innocence or guilty, his attorney would have found a way to prove the video had not been altered.

That, to me, is the main issue with sex crimes and the registry- Convictions are based upon "may have" not on did with intent to commit a criminal act - "she claims he did something" therefore, without proof, he did. Plead guilty to some charge - because your attorney cannot defend you.

So Sobin was foolish enough to take "vacation" videos of his family - and their vacation was at a nudist camp- that vacation choice was their right. I have no issue with nudists- but he was foolish to video there. Many camps restrict the use of cameras and video equipment to protect the privacy of others using their facility.

We all know how easy it is to allege and convict some one of a sex crime- but to purpetuate the punishment because "it protects society" is stupid. And people still send their children out treat or treating, begging for candy every year thinking that because of the sex offender registry their children are safe from a sex offender is just as stupid.

From my understanding, since there was no evidence if CP on the video, he should have been found innocent. We shouldn't take the word of one person over another, especially since there was no evidence of the video being tampered with.
He hasn't been charged with any other sex related crimes since his conviction, so I have no issues with him.

Well I did mention his alleged offense occurred in Florida. That should be enough for anybody to realize odds are he didn't do anything illegal :)

FloriDUH. 'Nuff said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiTM2HQ0g98

Lol even Bugs knows better!