So I got a request to install Subversion 1.5 on our master dev server because it has uber merge support. Now Debian admins out there know that Debian doesn't ship with 1.5, it's too new. It shows up in Lenny but not Etch. So I went a-huntin' and discovered the following blog post:

http://www.rooftopsolutions.nl/article/198

This article shows the proper way to build an upgrade for Etch's subversion package. Hope this helps anyone else out there that's looking for a quick hack to get Subversion 1.5 on their Etch box.