I hope and pray that you are wrong. I do agree with you that they do not want to surrender easily, but once they sense that the tide of support has swung away from them, they may become more interested in preserving their own hides than anything else. These are not, in general, strong people. They hide behind their credentials and cloaks of invincibility, but when TSHTF they will very likely scurry like rats deserting a sinking ship. "Pay no attention to that little man behind the curtain..."