Another question about wheel alignment

So I just figured out a really nifty way of checking the alignment of the rear wheel against the backbone of the bike using a laser from Home Depot. Works a treat and appears to be really accurate. I was going to post how to do it, but checked 'alignment' questions here first and discovered that the "real" alignment should be the front wheel versus the rear, not the rear versus the backbone. Then others say it really doesn't matter much anyway, just get the chain straight. Would it be useful to post how to set the alignment of the rear against the backbone?

What is important is that the axles and pivot are parallel in the horizontal sense, and the wheels align. What happens in between the pivot and the steering head is largely irrelevant. If the rear wheel effectively moves sideways when the suspension is compressed or the wheels are out of line, the handling can feel stiff.

I measure from the center of my swing arm pivot to the rear axles center. Just as Acotrel posted parallel is what's important. In the field a sighting down the chain works just fine.

Acotrel: by 'pivot' can I assume you mean the swingarm pivot?

I had a heck of a time getting my alignment right until I discovered that the front hub offset was way off.