Stalin vs. the 'despicable' homeowner

Ray Martin, a white-haired 51-year-old software engineer who drives a pickup and likes to tinker with the tiny prop plane he's building next to his house, seems an unlikely criminal.

Yet in the eyes of county government, that's essentially what he is.

In a stinging ruling that called Mr. Martin's actions "despicable," the county Board of Appeals earlier this year said: "He does not respect the rule of law and the place of regulation in an orderly society."

Mr. Martin shoots right back with even more heated rhetoric, comparing what he sees as meddling bureaucrats to Josef Stalin.

His "despicable" crime? Building a...