Just two days before Omar Mateen murdered 49 people at an Orlando nightclub, House Speaker Paul Ryan released a national security plan called "A Better Way."

The four-step plan on the campaign's website zeros in on how to "defeat the terrorists," "protect the homeland," "tackle new threats" and "defend freedom."The strategy calls for a strengthening of technology systems to combat the increasing number of cyber threats, returning military funding back above pre-9/11 levels, continuing to promote free enterprise abroad and winning a battle of ideas against "radical Islamic extremism" in the Middle East.Also outlined is an immigration strategy, calling for an acceleration in "the deployment of fencing, technology, air assets, and personnel at the border."After the Orlando massacre, terrorism and national defense are once again major areas of debate in the presidential race. The administration's concept of "leading from behind," Ryan states, is evidenced by the fact that our enemies no longer fear us and our allies no longer trust us.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued one of the strongest responses in the wake of the attack at the Pulse gay club in Orlando.In a video posted online, he called the mass shooting a hate crime against the LGBT community, pointing how some authorities like Iran, and fanatic groups such as ISIS, still execute people for being gay.Netanyahu also explained how the shooting wasn't merely an attack on the LGBT community, but an attack on all of us, on our common values of freedom and diversity and choice."This week it was gays in Orlando," he stated. "A few days before that it was Jews in Tel Aviv. Before that it was music fans in Paris; travelers in Brussels; Yazidis in Iraq; Community workers in San Bernardino; Christians and journalists in Syria."All of us are targets."When it comes to home defense, the Israeli leader can speak with knowledge and authority. Since Israel is surrounded by enemies, it must be entirely dedicated - without compromises - to the task of protecting itself and defeating terrorism.Israelis learn at a young age to be aware of their surroundings. For decades, schoolchildren have been taught to avoid picking up seemingly innocent items such as loaves of bread and cigarette packages on the ground because they could be booby-trapped with bombs.One big security difference between America and its Middle East ally is that the Israelis use extensive profiling to identify threats.Arabs are regularly stopped and questioned. Tough interview techniques by Israeli airline security officials effectively ended the hijackings that plagued Israeli flights during a period of their 68-year history.Here, objections of rights groups to profiling have restricted security and law enforcement. Thus, toddlers, the infirmed and elderly are given the same scrutiny as young Arab men who of course, are the most common perpetrators of terror strikes.After last week's Orlando attack, James Kallstrom, former assistant director of the FBI, blamed the White House for hamstringing the FBI and other officials with the rules of engagement they must follow, even when it comes to investigating Mosques or suspicious Muslims.Technological can carry us so far when it comes to security.As the Israelis have proven, it comes down to personal interaction and the public's involvement and cooperation are vital.People should not have to feel intimidated or fear being called a religious, ethnic or racial profiler when they discern something or someone suspicious, such as a person with a Middle Eastern accent acting nervously in a crowded venue.After the Orlando shooting, Kallstrom was correct in his demand to "Get this wet blanket of political correctness off the backs of law enforcement (and) the FBI."Jim Zbick |

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