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With a barrage of Republican lawyers telling him that what President Donald Trump was asking him to do was illegal, Vice President Mike Pence had to choose between their advice and the demands of his unhinged boss. That he listened to the lawyers is hardly a profile in courage as some are making it out to be ("To Mike Pence: Thank you," Readers Write, June 18). Neither he nor those lawyers went public with their well-founded concerns at that time, which could have prevented the assault of Jan. 6, as well as the ongoing assault on democracy which is Trump's big lie about the election results.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom should go to the members of the House Committee on Jan. 6 for their painstaking review of the actions of Trump that led to that terrifying day. Without that committee, it is unlikely that any of these lawyers or Trump's allies would have spoken up. The true profile in courage is that of committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney, a staunchly conservative Republican who has been stripped of her leadership posts by her Republican colleagues for her role on the committee and faces several Trumpian challengers in her next election as a result of her commitment to the Constitution and the truth. Voting with Trump 93% of the time is apparently not enough for Trump or the craven leaders of the current Republican Party.

Susan Lenfestey, Minneapolis

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After watching just the six hours of presented Jan. 6 hearings and knowing I certainly am not the only American to have this thought, I'd just like to simply ask: How have we come to this point in 2022 when we must call a citizen as well as an elected leader to the second-highest office in our country a hero for doing his job? Someone who did his legal, constitutional and mandated job, performed by every single VP before him, is now a hero? How low the bar for heroes today, I'm sad to think, and how hurtful for our true heroes, both extraordinary and everyday!

Nothing more pathetic and nauseating than all these editorials ("Bolster Ukraine to counter Russian gains," editorial, June 16) and letters to the editor by my fellow Americans who are all gung-ho about helping Ukraine save the world from the evil Russians — after we in America killed up to a million Muslims and terrorized Afghanistan and Iraq for 20 years.

Frank Erickson, Minneapolis

I was at the Minneapolis school board meeting on June 14. After listening to public comments asking the directors to reconsider program cuts and asking for transparency about possible building closings and staff reductions, the board voted to accept the 2022-23 school year budget with the cuts intact ("Divided school board OKs cuts," June 16). It is proud of the increases to teachers' and education support professionals' pay, and it should be.

But the justification for the cuts is boilerplate. The school board laments that budget shortfalls are due to state and federal government failure to fund special-needs and English-language-learner services. This has been an issue for over a decade and will not be resolved anytime soon. So, let's look further. One idea that we can focus on is the impression that the board can't control declining enrollment. Why not? Educators, parents and students know that music, arts, sports, advanced placement courses, smaller class sizes and extracurricular activities, to name a few, will make our schools more attractive and drive increased enrollment. We need to use the budget reserves, borrow money, dare I suggest reducing the size of the school board — anything we can think of to grow, not cut, our way to success.

Leslie Haugland-Smith, Minneapolis

In 1910, every Minneapolis student was required to take and pass at least one music class in order to matriculate. In 1940, 1 in 6 students played at least one musical instrument. Thanks to Thaddeus Paul Giddings, the superintendent of music education, the Minneapolis school system was the first in the nation to make music education compulsory. Now our school board is reducing the arts in the high schools including music and eliminating music teaching positions. We seemed to have come full circle in a little more than a century, haven't we?

Tom Burke, Minneapolis

Gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen's threat to fire members of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice ("Jensen eyes state board of medical practice," June 18) should he be elected is disheartening yet not surprising in this era of rage politics. As a former public member of the board, I can attest that the board is highly professional and politically neutral. Health licensing boards in Minnesota are complaint-driven. That means the board does not investigate a licensee on its own initiative. It only investigates a complaint from a third party. In fact, the board is required to investigate. Threatening the board with retribution for doing its job is simply petty and perhaps revelatory as to the candidate's character.

V. John Ella, Robbinsdale

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Douglas Mayo, Richfield

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Dr. Jensen, in a recent Twitter video, said he is being victimized by the investigations of his medical practice by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. In the video, Jensen said that he is performing as a physician who does what his patients want him to do. The statement pertains only to politicians who are by definition representing the wishes of their constituents. It, in contrast, is not ethical for any physician to act solely on their patient's requests. He/she must practice medicine consistent with the guidelines, best practices and evidence-based care that is consistent with their physician peers. Unfortunately, Dr. Jensen has conflated the patient-centered role of a physician with the role of constituency-focused politician. Possibly his confusion is due to the unfortunate reality today that too many Republican candidates for public office must deny certain facts to achieve Republican endorsement. It is regrettable that Dr. Jensen has put himself squarely in the crosshairs of this professional dilemma.

James Jordan, St. Paul

The writer is a retired psychiatrist.