The body scanners aren't on the way. They're here. Installed back in 2008.
There are about 40 full body scanners operating in about 19 US airports, although the majority are used for secondary searches, following an amendment approved by the US House of Representatives last summer saying the machines could not be used for primary screenings.
And many more are coming. 150 in American airports to be precise.
These scanners will not "make us safer" (insofar as the odds of airborne terror are remote in the first place). Dangerous X-rays aside, they will only make terrorists more clever -- diverting them to other targets.
Meanwhile, we've sold out our dignity as Americans and human beings. We're allowing ourselves to be photographed naked by our government simply because we're scared of a very, very insignificant threat (compared with, say, losing our health insurance or being poisoned with radioactive body scanner X-rays).
This is unacceptable and pathetic. Terrorism will always be with us -- the least we can do is to maintain our dignity, privacy and liberty in the face of it. But instead we're acting like George Costanza plowing down children and old ladies at the first sign of smoke. Dignity, people. Dignity.