00:00 The podcast explores the space between what we think our country is about and what we're actually doing.

06:22 Heidi Schreck's play, "What the Constitution Means to Me," explores her personal experience participating in a debate club about the Constitution as a teenager and reflects on the ways in which the Constitution has both protected and failed her and others in the country.

10:56 Heidi Schreck's personal journey of learning about her family's history of abuse and the ways in which the Constitution has failed to protect women from violence.

16:42 Heidi Schreck's personal journey of learning about her family's history of abuse and the ways in which the Constitution has failed to protect women from violence led her to dig into what the Constitution has to say about birth control, Roe v. Wade, the 14th Amendment, and domestic violence, ultimately discovering that the Constitution is designed to outline how government functions and protect citizens from encroachment by the government, with the due process clause falling into the category of negative rights.

20:54 Heidi Schreck explores how modern constitutions contain positive rights that protect citizens, unlike the US Constitution which primarily consists of negative rights, as exemplified by the Supreme Court case Castle Rock v. Gonzalez where a woman's restraining order was not enforced, leading to the tragic murder of her children.

25:28 The Supreme Court case Castle Rock v. Gonzalez highlights the lack of protection for women from physical and sexual violence in the US Constitution, as justices focus on technicalities rather than the human beings involved, leading to the death of the 14th Amendment for women.

30:41 The murky space in the Constitution allows for interpretation and flexibility, but it can also fail to protect basic rights, leaving them hanging in the balance.

35:36 The play forces the playwright to confront her childhood optimism about the Constitution and grapple with its imperfections and the ways it has failed to protect certain individuals and commit crimes against others, ultimately leading to a deep form of love that criticizes the country and the Constitution for their failings.

40:04 The speaker reflects on her childhood optimism about the inherent goodness of the country and the Constitution, and emphasizes the importance of facing the truth about its imperfections in order to create a hopeful future for all, suggesting that the Constitution should actively look out for the well-being of everyone.