Mission of Burma's Roger Miller responds to Burma/Myanmar tragedy

It was just a couple of months ago that the Mission of Burma dudes threw down at Great Scott during their "Burma for Burma" show to draw attention to the abuses visited on the people of Burma by the military junta that's ruled the country for about the past quarter-century. With the death toll topping 25,000 (and possibly headed closer to 50k) in the horrific aftermath of a once-in-a-generation cyclone, we asked Burma's Roger Miller -- now on tour with one of his other band, the Alloy Orchestra -- for his thoughts.

"There are obviously two disasters in Burma (Myanmar) simultaneously: the storm and the government," Miller told OTD. "Too bad it couldn't have been a 'smart storm' and only taken out the government.

In this, he was echoed -- even more forcefully -- by an unlikely ally: Laura Bush. "The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs," the First Lady said, without a hint of irony. New Orleans' 9th Ward (the neighborhood, not this guy) was unable to be reached for comment, but we'll speak for it: pot, kettle, black, etc.

More irony: the US Campaign for Burma, beneficiaries of the "Burma for Burma" shows, was in the midst of a celebrity-video-driven campaign -- starring Sarah Silverman (see below), Jennifer Aniston, and Eddie Izzard, among others -- to bring attention to human rights abuses in the country. The campaign's home-page has now shifted gears and is acepting donations for victims of the cyclone.

After the jump: video of Sarah Silverman, and then Mission of Burma, for Burma . . .

Sarah Silverman for Burma