Trump Has Nothing on Me

Today I outdid myself. I got banned from Skype…for ETERNITY.

Air France is holding my wife’s luggage hostage in Johannesburg. It has been in their hands for 52 days. We have been through amazing struggles, trying to get them to spend 10 minutes tossing it on a plane to Lusaka, as we paid them to do, but they refuse. If they can hold onto it long enough, they can auction it along with all the other luggage they refuse to look for.

We are far from alone. Go to Air France’s Twitter feed and look at all the furious tweets about lost bags. They don’t care at all. Means nothing whatsoever to them.

We have made small advances in our efforts to battle the 5 airlines and 1 airport involved in this mess. We have found that doing two things over and over are somewhat helpful: calling the airlines and visiting the Lusaka airport.

I called Air France in Johannesburg, because Air France/KLM here in the US refuses to help. They were eager to take the money, you understand, but that’s about all the customer support we got. I got a cell bill for $86 and accomplished nothing.

I found out I could make calls cheaper on Skype, so I paid for “unlimited” (mind the asterisk) international calls, and today, I started calling Air France in Johannesburg again. Over and over, their phone system hung up on me. I didn’t get to speak to human beings. Every time the system hung up, I called back. Then Skype told me I was suspended.

It’s hard to describe how hard it is to get through to Skype support. Log in. Click this link. Log in again. Click that link. Log in again. Click another link. Click more links. Chat with a entry-level employee. Receive a security code by email, after a failed attempt. Chat with a higher-level employee. I would guess it took me about 20 minutes.

The entry-level guy told me things would be cleared up right away. The supervisor told me that was not quite correct, because I was actually being banned permanently. I asked why, and he gave me a list of things that MIGHT have been the reason. Spamming and so on. I told him I was trying over and over to connect with a faulty phone tree, but that didn’t interest him. He said he didn’t even know why I was banned. It looks like the algorithm is the real supervisor. I’m not sure what the actual people are for.

He kept saying “this account” is banned. Naturally, I tried to get clarification. I asked if that meant my cell number was banned in perpetuity. For all I knew, I could start a new account and begin calling again. He confirmed that my number could never be used again.

So that’s it. No international Skype. I believe the ban only applies to international services, but I’m not sure. Let me try calling a US number.

I’m not sure, but it looks like I can only call people who have Skype accounts. I am not able to find a way to call random US numbers.

Obviously, I’m not getting a new cell number, so that’s it for Skype.

The supervisor was very timid. I think he was afraid I was going to go off on him. He kept waffling and avoiding giving me clear answers. I was polite, but I was blunt. While trying to decode his answers, I said it looked like the algorithm was in charge, which was apparently true. I don’t think tech people like having the unpleasant aspects of their defective systems pointed out. Or, more likely, he was afraid to express himself freely on a monitored system. “Yes, the algorithm is an idiot and a tyrant, but that’s 2022 for you. Wait…a flashing chat window just opened up on my Apple watch…”

I wonder who will ban me next. I have been exiled from 4 forums and Skype.

The rapture represents God’s response to Satan banning his children from the earth. When I find myself ostracized these days, I see it as part of the process. I really hate being part of the matrix. It’s an evil thing. Anyone who is happy in here is sick and feckless. It may seem nice when you’re part of the gang, but when you become “other,” your problems may mount in a very big hurry.

What would you do if your phone, Internet service, TV, credit cards, and bank account stopped working today? What if you tried to start your car, and you found it had been disabled remotely? What if your computers’ operating systems were suddenly closed to you? All those things are going to start happening to God’s children soon. Being de-Skyped without explanation made me think about that. Is there a way to prepare? Not really. You can’t buy enough dried food and gasoline to fix a problem like that. The only way to prepare is to get close to God and try to be raptured.

I didn’t do anything wrong today, but I still got pushed out of the herd again. It’s my destiny. It’s a supernatural thing. If you get close to God, it will happen to you, too, but you should be glad, because to be pushed away from Satan’s flock is to be pushed toward peace, healing, prosperity, joy, and eternal life in heaven. To be accepted is to be drawn closer to hell.

The world hates us. Jesus said it would. Don’t act surprised. Don’t get the idea something is wrong. Embrace it. It’s a very good sign, and if it’s not happening to you, something is badly wrong.