Orlando not the worst

Please stop referring to the Orlando massacre as the worst mass shooting in American history. Not by a longshot, to use a terrible play on words, one of many idioms that belies the fundamental violence of our society.

Our history is replete with mass violence. Wounded Knee - over 200 non-militants shot dead, after the cavalry rode in waving white flags. Sand Creek -160 dead, mostly women and children. Battle of Blair Mountain (Matewan) — at least 60 coal miners killed by a private army hired by coal companies The Lawrence Massacre. The Colfax Massacre — at least 60 black freedmen killed in political violence, many of their bodies dumped in the river. The Greenwood Massacre. Mountain Meadows.

There's more, sadly, that top the 49 killed 53 wounded at Pulse, for whom we must all grieve. For some reason mass violence committed by the government and corporate entities is overlooked, even when it is outside of war, the worst mass violence.

Tell me why these should not be counted, why they should not be remembered. Journalists need to vet their stories and speak the truth. So do we all. And where is Congress? For $174,000 per year, we should be able to count on them to write policies that make our lives better, not just spew opinion and political diatribe. We can get that for free.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Orlando not the worst."