Either the species whose individuals are being struck by lightning possess variants that are able to better resist lightning, or they don't. It is implicit that the article is using the lightning as an indiscriminate culler. Given that the population posesses no variation that can be selected for or against from the organisms point of view, then no adaptive evolution can occur; therefore no selection occurs.
Yup. That's why it isn't part of Natural Selection. However there is still selection, it just isn't selection affected by the alleles.
I do concede that random culling can change the allele frequency within a population, however, but I put it to you that this is better described as genetic or neutral drift, rather than natural selection, since the alteration of allele frequency has nought to do with the alleles themselves.
I agree. The idea is stupid.