As for the high interest in Area 51, I believe it has something to do with the fact that we have or believe we have all this technology in our country and we aren't doing anything with it. Kinda like when you were a kid, and you were told to stay out of your parents room when it got close to Christmas time. You didn't know exactly what was in there, but you wanted to find out. That explains a majority of the people, at least. As for the people who are extreme about it, I have no clue...
The government has to keep secrets from its people, because information made available to its people is also information available to its enemies. Area 51 has pretty much been an experimental aircraft testing facility and because of its unique aircraft it earned the reputation for UFOs (which the aircraft technically were because they were flying objects that had never been seen before by the public). It can't officially exist or have its info released without compromising part of its purpose.
I just find it irritating that everyone's freaking out that the government keeps secrets and claim there's alien spacecraft there.
Not that I'm a fan of having things withheld from us, but you have to realize that the need for secrecy is high, especially in instruments of warfare.
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