November 3rd: Today in 1783 the United States Continental Army was disbanded following the signing of the Treaty of Paris. As many know, I have a love/hate relationship with George Washington. I suspect he was a difficult man for me to have liked personally, he had a huge sense of entitlement, read his expense accounts for a real lesson on privilege, and as a field commander he was no Napoleon, but as a political leader I have a ton of respect for him. He hated political parties and his resignation speech is absolutely brilliant and a corner stone document in American history. It was his example that let the country disband the army, however briefly it was gone, and his distrust of standing military that has echoed throughout America’s history.

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