As the 6/29/09 bulletin recounted, Merlin the Magician guarded the British throne from ambitious rogues, after the old king died, by embedding a sword in a stone that could only be withdrawn by the true successor. All the nobles swaggered to take their turn, but the sword wouldn’t budge, until a young man — the future King Arthur –tried and it slid out like a knife out of butter.

The news reported by Reuters on July 18th should make even diehards realize that the current plan for the World Trade Center is a pretender to the throne and just not meant to be. While the sad spectacle at Ground Zero goes from bad to worse to awful, Twin Towers II has been getting better all the time.

Ken Gardner has never stopped improving upon his superior design. The rest of the summer will be spent “letting the cat out of the bag,” because when people see how much more inviting Twin Towers II is than what is currently being offered — which is why it is highly regarded by some very prominent engineers and builders — even the most opinionated among us are are going to start to question their assumptions.

Comparing the new Twin Towers to the original Twin Towers is like comparing a classic ‘69 Mustang to 2009 Mustang. A new showcase for the project is about to be unveiled and will surprise many. From the lobbies to the offices to the retail to the memorial to the transit hub to the grounds — in terms of significance, style, economy, and popularity — the current plan can’t compare to Twin Towers II. We don’t have to sell it — we just have to show it. Twin Towers II has nothing to do with resurrecting forty-year-old buildings, but everything to do with resurrecting the confidence and spirit of the American people.

Officials seem to think that if they beat a dead horse hard enough it will get up and run. But sooner or later, they will see how fortunate we are that such an amazing alternative exists. Hopefully it will be before Larry Silverstein sticks it to the people with another arbitration judgment. It’s time for him to go. And Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward should go, too. He is talking tough, for good reason, but Mr. Silverstein’s creative accounting doesn’t make Mr. Ward’s and Chairman Coscia’s choices any less irresponsible. At least we’re assuming Mr. Ward didn’t pour all that concrete and sign all those contracts just on his own say. The decision to gun their engines after the superior feasilibty of Twin Towers II had been brought to their attention, instead of giving it a closer look, can’t be justified.

There is nothing to stop us from making the switch but political gumption — although doing what most people have always wanted doesn’t really require a lot of courage. Especially since the economy of Twin Towers II would pay for the transition. But even more compelling than the dollars and sense of the plan is the delight that would sweep the city, the country, and even the world at the sight of the towers starting to rise at last. Why would anyone want to stand in the way of that? When the Lewis & Clark expedition finally reached the Pacific Ocean what they recorded in their journal was: “Ocean in View — O! The Joy!” Officials should just imagine the 21st-century version: “Towers in View — O! The Joy!”

In June, 2007, Alicia Colon wrote “A Bigger, Better Ground Zero” in her New York Sun column that is as penetrating now as it was then — and at least as relevant today. One of the comments posted after the column was particularly powerful:

“My husband died in the 9/11 attacks at the WTC and honestly, I am sick and tired of seeing this continued argument of whether to rebuild or not and if so where… 6 years later. I still work in Manhattan and have to pass that gaping hole 5 days a week. I commend Alicia on raising up the voice of the people who are “connected” to those buildings that were destroyed and the lives that were lost with them. I would truly appreciate the visions of rebuilding on my daily commute rather than still.. empty.. nothingness.

“All of us New Yorkers who were present that horrible day were victims even if we did not lose our lives or the life of a loved one. We lost a part of our world. I’ve lived my whole life in NYC and truthfully only set foot twice inside the twin towers and that was in the shopping plaza and subway stations both below ground level. I’ve never even experienced that awesome view I’ve only heard about. I’d hate to think that I never will.

“I agree with you Alicia, we need to rebuild those towers….that will be MY memorial.”