When the Coast Guard was transfered into the Department of Homeland Security,
so was the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Now all auxiliarists have to be
fingerprinted, and if they want to volunteer as crew or for other jobs,

they
have to pass a security background and criminal check.

I know an auxiliarist
friend of mine who had long hair and was told to cut it. Does anyone feel
that
the government is going a little overboard for civilian citizen volunteers?

If the jobs for which the Auxiliary members are volunteering normally require a
person to pass a background and criminal check, there's not really a problem.
The Homeland Security Dept would want to make sure that a bad actor didn't get
access to places ordinarily secured against public access by volunteering for
the USCG Aux.

I know an auxiliarist
friend of mine who had long hair and was told to cut it.

Unless there are personal grooming standards that an auxiliarist agrees to upon
joining the organization, that's BS.

What were the circumstances of the order to cut hair? By what authority?


What about the auxiliarist who has been volunteering for the past 15 or 20
years? Is he or she a security threat?

Only if a registered Democrat. :-)

Maybe it is time to consider the U.S.
Power Squadron and tell the USCGAUX enough is enough! I hear that 60% of the
auxiliarists in my division will not submit to the fingerprinting.

Does anyone feel that
the government is going a little overboard for civilian citizen volunteers?

Reportedly, 60% of your organization does. That should say something, since
these are the people closest to the situation who can make the most accurate
judgment.