Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Former President Donald Trump's handling of documents, compared to President Joe Biden's and former Vice President Mike Pence's, is like comparing the following two more relatable situations: In one, an individual going 10 mph over the speed limit immediately pulls over and apologizes to the officer and accepts the ticket with humility. In the other, an individual driving 110 mph with a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit flees from the police in a high speed-chase for 10 miles until crashing into a roadblock, endangering the lives of countless people, and when pulled over blames the police for endangering him, refuses to admit his wrongdoing, claims he does not have a drinking problem despite two prior DWIs and claims he is innocent.

The Republican apologists for Trump are like the codependent family members of the second driver, afraid to confront him, deceiving the court and public as to his drinking, and thereby enabling his continued reprehensible behavior ("Stolen U.S. secrets," front page, June 10). Wholesale denial is not the cure for the alcoholic; it always leads to a continuation of the insanity. Just as with an out-of-control alcoholic, it is time for detachment from the blaming and resentment that always goes with such behavior. The healthy approach is to collectively let go of the Trump experiment and move on.

Robert Speeter, Minneapolis

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If Republican members of Congress and commentators on radio and TV claim that the upcoming trial of former President Trump is rigged, biased, weaponized, overblown or without merit, as they have been loudly exclaiming over the past several days, I suggest they offer themselves as witnesses for the defense, where they can present their hard-hitting evidence under oath. Or they can respect the judicial process of our country and just shut up.

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For the first time in American history a former president has been indicted on federal charges by a grand jury. The charges include willful retention of information related to national defense, making false statements and obstruction.

Since the news about the indictment, the former president has had many opportunities to honestly mark this somber moment in our national life. Here is what he should have said to the country:

"I am a former president, and I have been indicted by a grand jury on serious federal charges. I respect our legal system and believe that just laws and their unbiased administration make America great. Nobody is above the law, and all the laws apply to all of us equally.

"I ran for office in 2016 and again in 2020 as a law-and-order candidate. You will remember during the George Floyd protests the picture of me taken June 1, 2020, in which I was holding the Bible outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Both the law and the Bible guide us to the truth. I value the truth. I therefore urge all Americans to respect our justice system so that the truth may come out as I address the substance of the charges against me. I expect all serious Americans will refrain from wild speculation, dishonest or false assertions and self-serving misinterpretation of the evidence. I look forward to vigorously defending myself and to answering the charges fully. Most importantly, I promise to accept the legal judgments rendered at the conclusion of the proceedings. All Americans who are honest about valuing law and order should have no difficulty accepting the determinations of our courts.

That the former president has of course written and said many other things about the indictment raises the question of why he would avoid mentioning some obvious truths while introducing extraneous comments. But this is what he should have said. If he has problems making any of these statements with a straight face, we can talk about that.

I am glad to help. I will be here all week.

Sam Imbo, St. Paul

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I just can't understand how people continue to support Donald Trump after all that he has done and tried to do with the privilege of a U.S. president. Never mind refusing to accept the outcome of his election — we now have well-documented alleged retention of government secrets. Why, and what was he going to do with the information? It's clear that there was no mistake. He meant to, and as with all things illegal and shady, it's the coverup.

Trump's appeal is so confusing. It really wasn't a better time — except for those who don't respect laws at all.

Anne Martineau, Plymouth

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What if a June 10, 2027, Star Tribune headline says "STOLEN U.S. SECRETS: CHARGES: BIDEN HAD NUKE DOCS, ATTACK PLANS"?

Will Rep. Tom Emmer say Biden's indictment "stinks to high heaven"?

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I admit I don't get it. What is wrong with the Republicans who continue to support Trump despite his cavalier attitude toward national security, his being found liable for sexual assault and his continued insistence that he won the election despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary? What more does he have to do before they stop making excuses for him? And why aren't the normal, intelligent Republicans speaking out?

Michele Hake, Apple Valley

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I think the most surprising thing about the upcoming Trump indictment is that he will be tried as an adult.

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It is not surprising that Trump thinks he is above the law, but considering the weight of evidence, it's mind-boggling that a good deal of the Republican leadership think so as well. The more troubling question is if Trump were to become president, how could anyone in their right mind give him a security clearance again, let alone the nuclear codes? He has demonstrated over and over again that he is neither honest nor trustworthy and only operates in his own best interest. The Republican Party seems to admire these qualities in a president and thinks somehow this will make America great again.

Good luck with that!

Thomas Jesberg, East Bethel

June is the time of the year for Pride festivities, and I plan on attending in beautiful Detroit Lakes, Minn. I bring this up to remind people that not all LGBTQ+/allied people live in upscale metropolitan enclaves.

I seek to initiate a conversation about how LGBTQ/allied people find a fair and proper place within a part of Minnesota that is a bit more rural, slow-paced and more conservative.

To help launch the conversation in my neck of the woods, west central Minnesota, I started a Facebook group called the Prairie Equality Initiative.

The LGBTQ and allied community is quite diverse, but sometimes the diversity gets glossed over or even whitewashed by well-meaning, and well-financed, urban activists. Not every queer or allied person can live in the big city, nor do they necessarily want to.

Thanks to mostly volunteers, groups like the Prairie Equality Initiative exist. Pride festivities are happening in Alexandria, Bemidji, Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls, Minn.

I intend to keep the conversation going and perhaps that is what Pride is really supposed to be all about: an ongoing conversation about how human beings everywhere can live their lives free of harassment and unfair discrimination.