FOCUS on Canadian Gay Marriage Law

With a Congressional vote on a bill to legalize gay marriage in Canada upcoming, religious groups in America are not sitting tightly waiting for the gauntlet to fall. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of support have been crossing the borders to our northern neighbors in an effort to stimulate grassroots opposition to the bill. Knights of Columbus in Connecticut recently paid $80,782 to have two million postcards distributed to Canadian Catholic churches, saying there is no limit set on how much his group will offer... "Whatever it takes," he said. "The family is too important." James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, recently aired a radio show as a paid broadcast to 130 stations in Canada stating, "It is clear here in the United States that the American people do not want same-sex marriage. I would hope that Canadians who also do not want same-sex marriage would be encouraged by what has happened down here."... Roger Robins, a professor at Marymount College in California who has studied the role of religion in U.S. politics, said few leaders of the religious right wield as much clout as Mr. Dobson... "It's huge. James Dobson may be one of the most important religious right figures in America right now."... If James Dobson calls attention to an issue and urges people to write about it, [legislators] are inundated."... Same-sex marriage supporters worry the involvement of powerful U.S religious groups risks tipping the balance in the debate... "We simply have no way to protect ourselves against an American invasion by the religious right," said Alex Munter, national co-ordinator for Canadians for Equal Marriage... "In terms of resources, we're just not equal on that basis."...