Has Doc Dave, one of the Order's leading thinkers, lost his Orange marbles?
Dr David Hume is the Orange Director of Services and during a sabre-rattling speech to Scottish brethren, issued a battle-cry for Ulster Scots folk to vote in the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence.
My sources in Big Alex Salmond's ruling Scottish National Party have dismissed Doc Dave's Orange PR stunt for Glasgow Orangemen as "an unworkable and pathetic attempt to play to his Orange audience".
But Doc Dave may come to regret his William Wallace-style battle cry. What happens if Big Alex reconsiders Doc Dave's plea and rallies hundreds of thousands of Ulster Scots from the nationalist tradition?
The core of Doc Dave's idea about Ulster Scots voting in the expected 2014 referendum was that Ulster and Irish Prods of Scottish descent would turn out in the same numbers as they did in September 1912 to sign the Covenant.
But the hard reality is that nationalist Ulster Scots are voting in much greater numbers than their loyalist counterparts.
And with hundreds of thousands of Ulster Scots of nationalist descent expected home for the all-island Gathering, Big Alex could suddenly find himself staring at a substantial majority for an independent Scotland.
I have known Doc Dave for many years since he was a cub reporter.
As well as being a very competent journalist, he was also an accomplished author. His speeches around 12 July were always well-crafted Unionist drum-beating.
But after reading Doc Dave's Glasgow gaffe on Ulster Scots voters, I wondered if someone had slipped a Mickey Finn into his orange juice.
Pro-Union Ulster Scots are abandoning the ballot box in their droves. In 1912, almost half a million Unionists signed the Covenant.
Does Doc Dave seriously believe that the spirit of 1912 can be mobilised to save Scotland, when Unionist unity cannot even protect previously safe Unionist seats at Stormont and Westminster?
Gone are the days when Protestants turned out in their hundreds of thousands at Belfast City Hall to cheer former First Minister Ian Paisley's 'Never, never, never, never' speech in 1985.
Equally gone are the days when Unionist voters could guarantee the return of all but one of the North's Commons MPs.
Such is the apathy, that the Unionist family is only winning the numbers games at Stormont by a handful of MLAs over nationalists.
In 1981, republicans mobilised 100,000 for hunger striker Bobby Sands MP's funeral.
If Big Alex changes his mind about Ulster Scots voters, what happens if Sinn Féin can organise these 100,000 nationalist 'Ulster Scots' to vote for the SNP?
And how would Doc Dave feel if many loyalist Ulster Scots also vote for the SNP campaign to try and wrench more concessions from London.
Even if the SNP does not win the independence referendum, a strong tactical 'Yes' vote will guarantee even more devolved powers for Big Alex's nationalist majority government.
That could have huge knock-on benefits for Stormont, and especially the DUP/Sinn Féin Executive, which looks like it will be in power for quite a few years to come.
But the real danger coming from Doc Dave's speech is what happens if Big Alex snubs him, but decides to agree to give the vote instead to the Scots Irish lobby in Ireland, America, New Zealand and Australia?
