FWIW, I fixed my apt-get problem by following the old adage: when in
doubt, blow it out.
I purged apt from my system, manually ftp'ed (if that's a verb!) apt from
the slink/admin directory, and re-installed via dpkg.
Apt-get now goes online, gets the potato stable lists with no problem, and
starts the upgrade process ('tho I didn't continue 'cause the time
estimate was 19 hours!).
- Nick
ncook@idt.net