talbotlucas.org: a word to the wise is sufficient

The news this week in the ongoing investigation into U.S. interrogation tactics included memos relating to the approval/disapproval of specific types of tactics. The whole mess is not a laughing matter, but I still found myself chuckling over one particular Rumsfeld tidbit.

It seems one of the interrogation techniques recommended was forcing prisoners to remain in uncomfortable positions. One such position: standing for four consecutive hours. As the Times article noted, "Mr. Rumsfeld, who labors in his Pentagon office at a stand-up desk, added this handwritten postscript [to his approval of this technique]: 'I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to 4 hours?'"

I don't think I know of anyone else who has used such an arrangement for their day-to-day work, although I suspect that it was more common years (decades?) ago. The only thing it brings to mind is the office of Scrooge & Marley from A Christmas Carol (or at least the office as depicted in the 1951 version, Scrooge, starring Alastair Sim. I seem to remember that Scrooge gets to sit at a large desk, counting his coins, while Bob Cratchit has to stand over his ledgers, shivering.

(Photo from the DoD web site.)