Author | Lightnews

Clay

@cashlessclay.bsky.social

320 followers 850 following 270 posts

Ice Cream Truck Driver • Freelance Music Critic • Leftist Albertan • Alpine Climber • Skateboarder • Movie Watcher boxd.it/vCjj cupsncakespod.com exclaim.ca

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Nov 28

It has occurred to me that very few (if any) of my bluesky followers know anything about me, so I'm going to start sharing some of my writing. If you're interested in Canadian music, I think you'll find something in my writing that resonates with you.

#music #canadianmusic #altscene

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · 10d

Where is The Herald's backbone? Such an obvious attempts at libel chill should be easily rebuffed by the @calgaryherald.com

Euan Thomson @drugdatadecoded.ca · 11d

NEW:
On Oct 1, @guyfelicella.bsky.social wrote an op-ed in @calgaryherald.com responding to Marshall Smith’s piece favouring more police power to address drug use.

On Oct 6, a defamation notice from Smith to Felicella prompted the Herald to drop Felicella’s piece.
drugdatadecoded.ca/i-didnt-know...

"I didn't know that was a thing": Calgary Herald pulls Guy Felicella's op-ed after defamation notice

On October 1, Guy Felicella published an op-ed in the Calgary Herald responding to a piece written by Marshall Smith that favoured expansion of police power to address public drug use. On October 6, a...

drugdatadecoded.ca

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Sep 18

I think he throws his well-done, ketchup laden steak against the Whitehouse walls.

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Aug 31

This week in Alberta Politics, I learned that no one can remember the term "malicious compliance". Danielle Smith said "vicious compliance" and other commentators have said "vindictive compliance".

Anywho, book bans are dumb.

Reposted by Clay

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · Aug 19

The latest inflation data for car & home insurance, by province.

Alberta absolutely in a league of its own here.

Two line charts showing Alberta well ahead of every other province in terms of price inflation for auto insurance premiums (which have more than tripled since 2002) and home insurance premiums (which have increased more than sixfold).

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Reposted by Clay

Oliver Moore @oliver-moore.bsky.social · Aug 17

Pour one out for the Sunday reporters desperately trying to find a stranded Air Canada passenger who will say something even vaguely original

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Aug 17

Get outta here with this union busting BS.

Reposted by Clay

Dave Cournoyer 🇨🇦 @daveberta.bsky.social · Aug 17

"To legislate us back to work 12 hours after we started? I'm sorry, snowstorms have shut down Air Canada for longer than we were allowed to strike."

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Air Canada flight attendants to defy back-to-work order, remain on strike: union | CBC News

Air Canada flight attendants will defy the back-to-work order and remain on strike after the federal government ordered binding arbitration to end the work stoppage, the Canadian Union of Public Emplo...

www.cbc.ca

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Aug 12

The thrift gods were smiling upon me this day #VHS

A stack of VHS movies, including a Life of Brian, Charade, Planet of The Apes (1968), Dune (1984), Close Encounters of The Third Kind, Casablanca, 12 Monkeys, Scarface, and a Rocky box set

Reposted by Clay

Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · Aug 11

Sending in federal troops and taking over a city police department on an easily debunked lie, just curious if the it's-not-fascism people want to weigh in

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Reposted by Clay

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · Jul 29

This morning Alberta's justice minister said "we encourage" Elections Alberta to stop seeking guidance from the courts on a proposed referendum on separation.

This afternoon Elections Alberta issued a public statement reminding everyone it is "an independent, non-partisan office."

@mickeyamery
Statement: Response to Citizen Initiative process

The recently passed amendments to the Citizen Initiative Act are intended to be broadly permissive and to allow Albertans the opportunity to launch a referendum petition without needless bureaucratic red tape or court applications slowing the process. As it is the Government of Alberta that ultimately decides how or if to implement any referendum result, those government decisions will ultimately be subject to constitutional scrutiny.

We encourage Elections Alberta to withdraw its court reference and permit Albertans their democratic right to participate in the citizen initiative process.

Statement re: Citizen Initiative Application Update
July 29, 2025 Media inquiries

The Chief Electoral Officer is an independent, non-partisan Officer of the Legislature.

The Citizen Initiative Act permits important questions that have constitutional implications to be put to a referendum. The constitutional referendum question proposed is:

Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?

This is a serious and significant question, with the potential to have profound impact on all Albertans.

The Chief Electoral Officer has responsibility under the Citizen Initiative Act to determine if the requirements of s.2 of that Act have been met. One of those requirements set out in section 2(4) of the Act is that “An initiative petition proposal must not contravene sections 1 to 35.1 of the Constitution Act, 1982”.

Given the potential implications of the constitutional referendum proposal and given the Legislature has expressly authorized the Chief Electoral Officer to state a question seeking the opinion of the Court, the Chief Electoral Officer has referred a question to the Court for its opinion.

The Chief Electoral Officer has requested the Court provide an opinion on the following question:

Does the following proposal contravene section 2(4) of the Citizen Initiative Act, in that it contravenes any or all of sections 1 through 35.1 of the Constitution Act, 1982:

“Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”

Without limiting the scope of the question posed, does the proposal contravene any of the following sections?

Section 1 – The guarantee of the rights contained in the Charter
Section 3 – Democratic rights of citizens
Section 6 – Mobility rights
Section 7 – Right to life, liberty and security of the person
Section 15 – Equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of law
Section 24 – E…

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Reposted by Clay

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · Jul 29

In April 2019, an RCMP officer found a guy sleeping in a stolen truck in rural Alberta and ended up shooting him in the face.

An investigation was launched.

Today, more than six years later, a charge of aggravated assault was announced against the officer, who has since retired.

April 8, 2019
Investigation continues into RCMP officer-involved shooting
On April 6, 2019, at approximately 8:15 a.m., RCMP were advised of an Eckville, Alberta location
where stolen oilfield property might be found. An RCMP officer responded to the reported location
at the rear of a strip of businesses on the north side of Eckville.
The officer found four vehicles at the location. As the officer was checking the vehicles, he located a
man who appeared to be sleeping in a Ford F250 truck and made cursory observations of the
interior of the vehicle. The officer returned to his police vehicle and checked the licence plate
number, which came back registered to a different vehicle. The officer requested assistance to his
location, placed a spike belt and returned to his police vehicle to await assistance.
While the officer was waiting for assistance, a confrontation occurred that resulted in the officer
discharging his service pistol.
The man sustained a single gunshot wound that resulted in serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
He was treated on scene by EMS, transported to hospital and admitted. He remains in hospital.
The Ford F250 was determined to have been stolen approximately 5 days earlier from Saskatoon
and the licence plate was also determined to have been stolen.
With the investigation underway, ASIRT will not make any further comment until the matter is
concluded.

Retired RCMP officer charged with aggravated assault
July 29, 2025 Media inquiries

On April 6, 2019, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) was assigned by the Director of Law Enforcement to investigate an RCMP shooting causing injury in Eckville. ASIRT’s investigation showed that, during a stolen property investigation, an RCMP officer shot an occupant of a vehicle in the cheek.

The evidence gathered during ASIRT’s investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offence had been committed. As is required by the Police Act, the investigation was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) to determine whether the evidence met the standard for prosecution.

Following a review of the investigation and having been advised that the ACPS was of the opinion that the evidence met its standard for prosecution, ASIRT Executive Director Michael Ewenson determined that the involved officer should be charged. On July 28, 2025, Geordie Erickson was charged with aggravated assault. He was released on an appearance notice and is scheduled for first appearance on Aug. 28 in the Red Deer Court of Justice.

As this matter is now before the courts, no further information will be released.

ASIRT’s mandate is to effectively, independently and objectively investigate incidents involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.
ASIRT

This release is distributed by the Government of Alberta on behalf of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 22

"The pit opened up like a gaping maw and ate the audience whole, prairie rage bleeding from the stage, until it got so wild that someone’s stained menstrual pad literally fell from their shorts in the midst of the fury. The pit continued to churn undeterred, like sharks in freshly chummed water."

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 22

Every year, I count down the days to Sled Island. This year was as special as the rest. Read about it here (including one of my favourite lines I've ever written): www.cupsncakespod.com/features/202...

Sled Island 2025 - Diary #2 — Cups N Cakes Network

Sled Island 2025 arrived with ominous clouds that had barely settled before they broke loose and drenched festival-goers, memories of the 2013 flood hanging heavy in the humid air—but a soggy pair of ...

www.cupsncakespod.com

Reposted by Clay

scary tall bart @tallbart.com · Jul 21

Jubilee should make a 1 vs 20 video where the creator of Jubilee has to defend its existence and if he loses he has to delete the channel

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Reposted by Clay

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · Jul 18

One last thing on this for the moment: Scorched Earth Conan was incredible TV for a few weeks, and Scorched Earth Conan's enemy was fucking Jay Leno. Scorched Earth Colbert should be really good TV.

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Reposted by Clay

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · Jul 15

NEW: The agents who executed the arrests of pro-Palestinian students like mahmoud Khalil testified Tuesday that the orders they received were unusual and described by their superiors as urgent.

w/ @joshgerstein

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 15

It'll be quite a moment when the democrats start campaigning on the release of the epstein files, only to refuse their release once elected.

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 15

They voted to block the release of files that don't exist. Makes sense to me! Nothing to see here!

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · Jul 15

There it is.

Republicans just BLOCKED the release of the Epstein Files.

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 14

It's pretty ironic to discover a pop culture show 7 months late

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Reposted by Clay

Toby Buckle @polphilpod.bsky.social · Jul 9

"Because reactionary centrists do not really have values, they struggle to understand the motivations of those who do."

www.thebulwark.com/p/when-moder...

When Moderation Becomes Appeasement

If your chief goal is to find a middle ground with the far right on social issues, you’ll end up condoning its values—just ask Keir Starmer.

www.thebulwark.com

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 10

Great choice of punctuation in that passage.

Reposted by Clay

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · Jul 7

1. Here’s the other thing on the Epstein matter that has been mind-numbing in the past few months in particular.

Due to Trump officials making promises they couldn’t keep, Trump supporters have had this idea — untethered from reality — of how Epstein-related disclosures would unfurl.

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Reposted by Clay

Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social · Jul 6

They finally made the milk from that hotel

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Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 6

I think it would serve us well to understand and accept the fact that vast swaths of Americans have not only accepted fascism, they're actively embracing it.

Clay @cashlessclay.bsky.social · Jul 6

Those clips of repentant trump voters seem prolific only because the left wing online types love them, and so the algorithm responds accordingly. I'm not convinced that those clips are representative of any real shift in trump's support in any meaningful way.

Pam Keith @pamkeithdc.bsky.social · Jul 6

I see many clips of people who regret voting for TACO because they have been hurt. That’s what it takes for the empathy-free to learn anything.

But I am always mystified by never asking the follow up question:

WHY DID YOU BELIEVE HIM?

No one asks that question. To me it seems so fundamental