"Wouldnt this be a great time for cash gold buying [and silver] to blow away the shorts awaiting expiry day next week. Have they thrown everything at us? It feels so...at any rate I am looking to mark down 5/20/10 as a significant turn point day."

I have been waiting for that moment for at least 4-5 years now. The only thing I can say for sure is that that moment is approaching.

How near it is and how awful the circumstances under which it happens?

All I can say is that the circumstances are getting worse by the day.