text: Agreed - terrorism is a specific kind of violence and should be understood and analyzed as such. Acts of terror have a political goal that stretches beyond the immediate localized consequences of the violence. Terrorists specifically target places and people, and orchestrate their attacks, to generate maximum media attention and cause a maximum public reaction. To say that "every mass shooting is terrorism" is false. Some gangster doing a drive-by on several enemies is not terrorism. Those people don't have political aims and don't care how the general public reacts. A mental case killing their spouse and children is not terrorism. Analyzing motivations and categorizing these attacks *is* a useful and valid exercise especially for law enforcement agencies. It helps them know how to utilize and divert investigative and community outreach resources.
  
  Sure it doesn't have that feel good let's-condemn-everything-equally quality to it, but categorizing these things is valid and necessary.