apparently, /usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages IS in the sys.path, which
would seem to indicate that python would actually load pure python
modules from there.

Which means that the only fixes that need to go within distutils would be:

1. a fix so in 64bit arches, pure python modules are STILL INSTALLED
within the /usr/lib/python2.X dir instead of lib64
2. making every RPM built out of a pure python module depend on the
specific Python interpreter it was built under, to a precision of
major.minor version.

Right?

This sort of busts my plan of providing universal RPM packages for all
distributions, BUT... BUT... at least means that a single package can
work in all platforms of all distributions that have a particular
version of the interpreter it was built in.  Which is a space / busywork
savings of at least platforms*distributions.