[freedomben]

I have long pondered this also. I don't have a great answer for you, sadly. I have come to decide that there are many factors involved:

1. People want to feel safe, and for a long time (and still in many small towns) police were/are viewed as protectors and people that will help you when you've been wronged by another. Because of this they are willing to give benefit of the doubt, even when it isn't justified. I've seen some of these people starting to come around actually, especially after that nurse at the hospital in Utah.

2. Many people aren't actually all that anti-government. I've come to believe that only about 10% of the population here actually is. A surprising number of people vote for and continue to vote for politicians that just continue to grow the size and power of government. They support government control over things as long as it doesn't affect them. They also like to stick their nose in other's business, and then using the government to force that person to live the way they think they should.

Those are some random thoughts, and could be completely wrong, so take with a heap of salt :-)