“(I wish they hadn’t moved the Coasties to Dept. of Homeland Security.)”
Weren’t they part of the Treasury Dept or Interior before?
On 25 November 2002, President Bush signed HR 5005 creating the Department of Homeland Security. Soon after, Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, was confirmed as the department’s first Secretary. On 25 February 2003, Transportation Secretary, Norman Mineta transferred leadership of the U.S. Coast Guard to Secretary Ridge, formally recognizing the change in civilian leadership over the Coast Guard and ending the Coast Guard’s almost 36 year term as a member of the Department of Transportation.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_USCGhistory.asp