Five things the WPM is not.

The WPM is not a real militia.
The WPM is not a team.
The WPM is not a confederation of teams.
The WPM is not a marketing gimmick.
The WPM is not one man's path to world domination.

What the WPM is:

Part 1: Definition

WPM (alternate: wpm, W.P.M., or the ever-casual “us” and “we”, as in “we totally rocked that game”) is synonymous with the Wisconsin Paintball Militia. The WPM is a paintball organization located in southeastern Wisconsin. Focus resides on providing event schedule, research and social resources for the individual player, and making special accommodations for groups and teams of players. There is a lean towards Woodsball, although other types of paintball players are also warmly welcomed.

Part 2: The organization of the organization

In Principle:

The WPM adheres to the “organization” paradigm in its truest form, taking inspiration from non-profit, and local government models. This paradigm creates a robust system, which can outlive the many social shifts that players often make during their varied paintball conquests.

The WPM is first and foremost, an organization of players.

Other paintball networks tend to be either one large team, with all the requirements that come with team memberships, or they are a large unions of teams, in which there is no place for the individual who isn't on team X or team Y. That is why the WPM's organization of players approach encourages an open environment in which players may connect regularly, regardless of what status they may or may not hold in other groups. In effect the WPM acts as a sort of “paintball security blanket” for its members. This is not to discourage the formation of teams, but to lay a foundation that does not rely on teams to exist.

In Practice:

The WPM has a painstakingly crafted constitution, which is followed at all times.
The WPM maintains a membership body, with only the most basic requirements to join. No fees or dues are ever required.
Major decisions and changes to the WPM are voted on by the body.
To keep autonomous consistency in its direction, the WPM holds regular elections for four governing offices, affectionately dubbed: The Politburo.
Those office(r)s and their respective duties (in very brief) are:
The Minister of Affairs – plans out events and other activities, such as games and meetings.
The Minister of Intelligence and Communication – gathers information, and liaise with entities outside the WPM universe.
The Minister of Technology – develops, administers and archives the website and related software.
The Minister of Finance – keeps records of assets owned by the WPM itself.
The Chairman – is elected by the politburo members to chair meetings.
The Politburo officers have a no secrets policy, publish their findings and make many announcements to help promote a transparent governance.

Part 3: Past, Present and Future

20th Century:
The future founding fathers of the WPM began a group called the Oconomowoc Paintball Militia (OPM) in the late 90's. The OPM was a loose-knit group of teen, paintball fanatics. The OPM suffered from various logistical problems, mostly surrounding adequate locations to play paintball legally in the region.

21st Century:

2006 saw the beginning of the WPM, with the historic fourth of July launch of the website. The name “Paintball Militia” was to stay as an homage to the later day OPM efforts. Soon after, the Constitution was drafted and first elections were held.

2007 was the make-or-break year for the fledgling WPM. There was a swelling of the ranks and many only theoretical ideas were fleshed out. The Warlords team was formed from some of the WPM's most experienced players.

2008, Present Day:
The WPM as we know it today is busy with a variety of pursuits.

Scrimmages
During the warm months, members of the WPM scrimmage as often as twice a month. They have several private fields to chose from.

Research
New locations, new dates, new gear, new people, new team formations, new online toys, and inroads with other organizations fall under current, active research in the WPM.

Collaboration and Publication
The WPM's self-published newsletter The Sentry is an ongoing legacy and one of its most well received projects thus far. News editorials, the Paintballpedia Project, and the planning of new Woodsball scenarios for the coming year are also collaborations already underway.

Lively Chatter
The WPM is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Even during the winter months when the Calendar is near empty, there is always paintball related chit-chat, both in public and private channels of the WPM.

Recruitment
The current aim of the WPM has always been to consolidate as many players from within southeastern Wisconsin as possible.

Pervading Attitudes
Most members of the WPM tend to agree that the foremost approach to the game of paintball is to treat it as a fast-paced “action” or “extreme” sport. This is usually played on small, uniform fields, using man-made structures and barriers. The game played is generally referred to as Speedball. Speedball, games are usually brief, indulgent and require excessive resources. Often, success in Speedball comes more from the cost of equipment, than from the player’s skill during play. While that statement can and is argued to no end, it is the opinion of the WPM, after a decade in the field, that Speedball is useful for sharpening combat skills, but that far more can be done with Paintball. While no less intense, rather than an “Extreme Sport” the members of WPM prefer to approach the game more as a slow and deliberate pastime. Games organized by the WPM are often played in heavily forested fields, a game usually referred to as Woodsball. Emphasis is placed on cooperative, often experimental tactics and strategy.