Signs of the Apocalypse: Part III

"Murder Rate Hits 40-Year Low
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By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN Associated Press Writer

October 17,2005 WASHINGTON -- The nation's murder rate declined last year for the first time in four years, dropping to the lowest level in 40 years. Experts said local rather than national trends were mostly responsible.
The rates for all seven major crimes were down and the overall violent crime rate reached a 30-year low, according to the FBI's annual compilation of crimes reported to the police.
There were 391 fewer murders nationwide in 2004 than the year before. The total of 16,137 worked out to 5.5 murders for every 100,000 people.
That's a decline of 3.3 percent from 2003 and the lowest murder rate since 1965, when it was 5.1."

Are you, like me, wondering how the suicide rate is looking?
well, i'll tell ya.
According to the CDC, suicide took the lives of 30,622 people in 2001 (CDC 2004).
That's up from 29,199 Americans in 1999.

It seems to me that you're in some trouble when folks would rather kill themselves than other people.