Right, the OP should have used some other word than Skeptics.
What are the "staunch Csicop-supporters" afraid of? That's easy, just follow the group publications. They're not shy about stating the problem. They're afraid that science is actually a fragile and recent phenomenon, like a single candle in the darkness, afraid that our civilization could be snuffed out by hoards of ignorant "believers." Afraid that a slow-rising tide of irrationality will engulf the world. Afraid that something like the religion-based US government of the SF story "The Handmaids Tale" could end up coming true.