Mass shooting vs terrorism?

One week ago we were all shocked as a gunman walked into a night club frequented by the LGBTQ community and (evidently after several hours of being there) opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle and (supposedly) pistols.

And he checked social media during it all to see if he was getting his “15 minutes of fame” in.

News reports were very interesting. First they reported the event as a “mass shooting.” When it was found out that the shooter was a Muslim the story shifted to an act of “terrorism.

All because he was a Muslim.

But the gunning down of Edward Tiller in the entry way of the church that he attended was a “murder.” Not an assassination. Not “terrorism.” Just murder.

The bombings of abortion clinics are not acts of terrorism. They are just bombings. Or acts of arson when someone breaks in and sets the place on fire.

And the backpack bomb that was found on the parade route of a Martin Luther King parade? A hate crime. BTW: It had bolts, nails, and other items that were soaked or treated with rat poison. That makes it harder to stop the bleeding so the wounded people pretty much bleed to death. That's not terrorism though.

And the African American churches that are burned. And Mosques. And Sikh Temples. This isn't terrorism. We can call it a “hate crime” though. Doesn't sound as bad.

And all these cases the perpetrators are white and the victims are not. They are other races.

So why do mass murders by whites get called “mass shootings” while attacks by non-whites, and especially Muslims, get immediately labeled as terrorism?

What is the rubric that is used by the government and media to maker this distinction?

I call the event of June 12 a mass shooting by a deranged individual.

Terrorism is the daily prejudice and problems that the LGBTQ community faces on a daily basis as they try to live their lives in a society that refuses to accept them.