Santa Cruz, CA, October 7th, 2005: A Red Cross advertisement on Santa Cruz County's only remaining billboard, the "whale billboard" along Highway 17, was modified today by the Billboard Liberation Front who struck in the name of truth-in-advertising.



Where before the billboard exhorted people to give to the Red Cross, the added text reads "'cuz the government ain't doing squat."

This became painfully clear in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. It was revealed that not only had the Bush administration pulled funding for levy repair in New Orleans to fund the war in Iraq, but left National Guard troops unavailable in the wake of the disaster. The largely poor and black sections of the city were left without food, water, or relief. Critics of the government’s response to the disaster, pointed out that government response to the disaster was inadequate at best, and In many cases made a bad situation worse.

The Red Cross itself, while taking in record contributions in the wake of the disaster, is a first-responder, providing only immediate aid to those in need. In refusing to shade aid with local community groups, the Red Cross does little to help rebuilt shattered communities.

The modified billboard stands prominently along southbound Highway 17 just before Scotts Valley. It is known to some commuters as the "whale billboard," because of the ubiquitous and smiling Blobby the Whale mascot advertising a local car dealership. This month, the billboard features not Blobby, but a Red Cross advertisement urging people to give to the Red Cross.