Hot Buttons: Talk show topics

MALVO SAYS HE PULLED TRIGGER

Sniper suspect John Lee Malvo, 17, allegedly said he pulled the trigger in the shooting last month that took the life of an FBI analyst. Malvo made the admission during seven hours of interrogations last week, the Washington Post reports.

Malvo said the shootings were well planned, and that he and his partner scouted out shooting locations beforehand. The shootings were at different areas around the nation's capital to cause confusion, Malvo reportedly said.

Malvo and John Allen Muhammad are believed connected to 21 shooting incidents in recent months. According to the Post, Malvo was talkative during an interrogation, even bragging, but would not specifically discuss Muhammad. Instead, Malvo would use the term "we."

Information from a laptop computer found in Muhammad's car when he was arrested led investigators to look for possible crimes in North Carolina and West Virginia, The Post says.

-- Why would someone write about alleged crimes in a laptop?

-- Do you think Malvo and Muhammad wanted to be caught?

IRAQ ATTACK PLAN

President Bush wants the U.S. military to hit Iraq with an intense and compressed air attack, if necessary, before using up to 250,000 troops in a wider offensive by land and sea, The New York Times reports.

Quoting senior administration officials, the Times said the plan to swiftly seize footholds inside Iraq has been approved by Bush in recent weeks although no order has been given to implement it.

The plan calls for quick capture of land and the establishment of bases within Iraq, relieving some of the inevitable diplomatic discomfort with attacks launched from Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries.

Under the plan, a "seamless transition" from attack to a military occupation would include efforts to deliver food to Iraqis and to engage them quickly in planning for economic development and eventual democracy.

-- If attacked, do you think Iraqis will give up Saddam Hussein's men and the weapons locations to the Americans?

-- Do Iraqis want democracy?

VETERAN'S DAY

Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died as a result of combat, United Press International reports.

While those who died also are remembered on Veterans Day, this day is set aside to thank and honor all who served honorably in the military -- in wartime or peacetime.

In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service and to underscore the fact that all those who served in wartime and in peacetime -- not only those who died -- have sacrificed and done their duty.

"More than 48 million have answered the call to military service since the United States was founded, and 25 million are still with us," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi says in a statement.

-- Does the United States do a good job of honoring its 25 million who served in uniform?

-- Has Memorial Day turned into "the first day of summer" and Veteran's Day "a day to shop" instead of honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice or done their duty?