Standing at attention is supposed to keep you a little off balance - not that much, but a little. Some people lock their knees when they stand, which will ultimately make you faint. Standing “gut in, chest out” makes you to lean forward slightly, forcing your knees unlock.
Because these guys are ceremonial guards they crank the whole thing up to eleven and it tends to look ridiculous at times.
Sure, but I’d rather have it relocated to a landfill where it’ll be kept out of the water supply and will eventually get covered with dirt and turned into a park or forest preserve.
Landfills aren’t just a hole in the ground people throw shit into. They’re complex, managed systems that efficiently store garbage and keep it sequestered while it breaks down over long periods of time.