Bringing the wrong tools forward

On a recent trip to Germany, I stopped by the Medieval Crime Museum in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (a lovely city, by the way). The museum is a fascinating look into the development of standards for criminal justice.

Two tools in particular stood out for me--and I think we've revived the wrong one in modern times. In the section on investigative procedures, there were several exhibits on then-accepted methods of torture used to extract information and confessions. Our ancestors didn't mince words, either--most practices were referred to as torture.

With that in mind, our leaders should take a tour so they can stop arguing over whether waterboarding is, in fact, "torture." When it's listed as such in a several-hundred-year-old Latin manuscript, it should largely put the matter to bed.

On the other hand, I was intringued by the notion of "shame masks," which I don't recall hearing of before. Seems that if one was observed gossiping, swearing or generally making a nuisance of oneself, a magistrate could lock your head into one of these embarrasing metal masks for a period of time. Seems reasonable: act like a beast, you get to look like one for a while! Given the shamelessness of many modern citizens, not to mention their leaders, perhaps this is one custom that could use a revival. Just a thought.