I am no fan of Mike Pence, but credit given when it is due. Vice President Pence was absolutely heroic on 1/6 and the days leading up to it. A lesser person would have caved under the pressure, leading to even more horrific events.

Although he clearly knew what was being planned in the days before 1/6, and his staff understood the possible dangers, I still admire his steadfast determination in the face of relentless pressure. I try to see it through the eyes of a Republican that respects the rule of law. Pence and this army of lawyers and advisers were given multiple scenarios that would justify maintaining the office. All of them said that 'that's insane, you can't do that', but they also respected the law, and researched it to see if the 'nutty' ideas had any basis in law. They owed that to the country and to their party of choice. They also owed it to have a factual and legal argument to disavow tfg and Eastman and his cronies from their plans. The wall they kept facing was that tfg didn't care if it was legal or factual, only that he maintain power.
I absolutely support that if these people had publicly voiced their opinions, it might not have gone as far as it did, but I understand, from their viewpoint why they didn't, and how they did not anticipate the violence of that day.
My anger is directed towards the people in the Capitol that night, that were terrified by the carnage and outraged at tfg, but today curry his favor. Those are the ones that are today's clear and present danger.​

Parkland
Las Vegas
Sutherland Springs
Sandy Hook
Buffalo
Uvalde
El Paso

In no particular order or location or time, except they are all mass killings, seven of hundreds in the past few years.  Common denominators?  Assault weapons.  Look at the hundreds of other.  They are spread across the country, in different venues, different times of day, different killers.  They all had a weapon of war in the hands of a shooter.  

"Show me a hero, and I will show you a tragedy."  F Scott Fitzgerald.  Another common denominator is that every mass killing had at least one hero:  a mom, a security guard, a pastor, a teacher, someone.  No more heroes, please.  Let's get rid of weapons of war in the hands of the populace, and start eliminating the need for so many heroes.  I would like to take all the guns, but am willing to compromise on these - because until we do, the next one happens while you read this.

This is Pride Month, and it's good, because the LGBTQ+ community is marginalized.  Like all marginalized people everywhere, they face daily prejudices and micro-agreessions. Sometimes the aggression is blatant and violent.  They want and need to be a regular part of society, and want and need to be regular enough that a 'Month' becomes more of an honor than a necessity.

They need allies and they need allies all year long, not just in June.

When your child or friend or family member comes out to you, be an ally.  Prepare to be an ally, and try to be better than I was.  Recognize the difficulty they experienced in talking to you and honor that by being serious and welcoming.  Listen instead of talking.
Twelve years ago:
My child:  Mom, I'm gay.
Me:  Oh thank  goodness <smiling and mildly laughing>.
My child:  Okay, I am confused.
Me:  Honey, I have known for years - the whole family has.  We just kept waiting for you to know.
My child and me:  Lots of hugging and kissing and talking.

In the end, it turned out well, but my flippant attitude could have easily sunk the conversation.  I could have been more sensitive and more in-tune to the difficulty and courage she was experiencing.  Be an ally this month.

And the next one and every one after that.