syntax error 2299 creating template db; making RPM/Linux

RH Linux 5.1
PostgreSQL 6.4

i am trying to create an RPM for 6.4.  among other problems, i fail to
create a template db.

(1) i (my script) run the following command:

-------------------
su postgres -c LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/var/tmp/pgsql-root/usr/lib
/var/tmp/pgsql-root/usr/bin/initdb --pgdata=/var/tmp/pgsql-root/var/lib/pgsql
--pglib= /var/tmp/pgsql-root/usr/lib/pgsql
-------------------

(2) i have narrowed the problem down to the following line in initdb:

-------------------
cat $TEMPLATE \
| sed -e "s/postgres PGUID/$POSTGRES_SUPERUSERNAME $POSTGRES_SUPERUID/" \
      -e "s/PGUID/$POSTGRES_SUPERUID/" \
| postgres $BACKENDARGS template1
-------------------

(3) once i set debug to 1 in initdb, i get the following at the end of
the output from the above command:

-------------------
Creating template database in /var/tmp/pgsql-root/var/lib/pgsql/base/template1
Running: postgres -boot -C -F -D/var/tmp/pgsql-root/var/lib/pgsql -d template1
.
.
[ much debug output skipped ]
.
.
> CREATED relation pg_description with OID 17066
> Commit End
Amopen: relation pg_description. attrsize 63
create attribute 0 name objoid len 4 num 1 type 26
create attribute 1 name description len -1 num 2 type 25
> Amclose: relation (null).
>       syntax error 2299 : parse error
-------------------


is this a problem with the template?  please advise.

thanks,
--sasha/sasha@forum.swarthmore.edu