I wish I was enough of an authority on the subject of Sociopaths to give sound advice but I feel that everyones experience is unique enough that any advice I give would not fit. My worst fear would be that my advice would make a situation worse for someone. I will say that, if you feel you, or your children are in danger, you need to take action to remove yourself, or your children, from that danger. There are too many stories where someone "hung in there" and someone got seriously hurt.

It's been a little while since I've posted anything new. I am encouraged by the many responses I've received, though.
I've been dealing with my situation in a somewhat successful manner. My situation involves my small son, of course, and will differ from others. What I basically do is make sure my son knows that I love him and tell him so. I spend most every weekend with him. I make sure to say nothing at all about my opinion of his mother and let him draw his own conclusions. I spend a decent amount of money buying him clothing, toys and things that he needs, regardless of what I already pay his mother. And, I also give his mother extra money, in addition to the 1,102 I already give her every month, for things concerning Loren. You could say I am buying good will from his mother; a form of manipulation, in itself. The thing is, it's working!
I know that not everyone can afford, or may even desire, to do this. In my case it has literally bought me good will and calm relations with his mother so that the stress is much less on my son. This is my primary goal, above all else.
Some may think I am, in a sense, trying to beat her at her own game. I like to believe that I am beating her by "not playing her game." The end result is that my son looks forward to spending time with me every weekend and does not look forward to leaving for his mothers. Once again, I am not saying anything to influence his opinion. I simply make sure we enjoy our time together and keep the stress level down to a minimum.
Again, I realize everyones situation is different. The human condition, and all its myrid dynamics, will never be perfect. And, I will always harbor some ill feelings about my situation. We simply deal with it as best we can and enjoy life to the fullest extent possible.

I've received an email detailing anothers struggle against a sociopath that is consuming the lives of thier parents. I sympathize with their attempts at legal intervention because my own were fruitless. My impression of the legal authorities is they assume both parties are lying for their own ends. And, in the authorities defense, it does appear that most people believe that lying is acceptable if it can be gotten away with. If the authorities do not have overwhelming evidence they do not appear to rule in anyones favor and choose to do nothing.
Here's another aspect to consider. If you read Martha Stout's book you could conclude that many business people, politicians, police, lawyers and maybe judges are possibly sociopaths. Now I'm not a big advocate of conspiracy theories but given the types of occupations sociopaths gravitate towards it's almost looking like they could be running the show, to a large extent. This being the case, it would not be in their best interest to seek legal precidents against anyone that could be a sociopath. Please remember this is just a thought of mine and is certainly not based on any research.
Now, getting back to the question of whether there is any way to battle a sociopath that is manipulating parents or anyone else, whether it be parents, other relatives or friends, you have to let the others come to their own conclusions. Sociopaths are just too good at lying and making others believe them. Many times people have to loose most of what they have or be abused to a great extent before they come to their own conclusion and say enough is enough! Trying to convince someone that a sociopath is manipulating them is like banging our head against the proverbial wall. People that are being manipulated have difficulty conceiving how someone could have no conscience. You can explain it as much as you want but without a reference frame to what sociopaths are capable of they can't understand it until it's already happened to them. Then they may still be in denial.

I've had a few people ask me how things have progressed with my situation. I've had to face some harsh realities. I've concluded that fighting a sociopath is mostly an uphill battle due to the enormous burden of proof it takes to bring one down. I've decided the best thing I can do is be a loving father to my son and let him make his own decision, as he gets older. He already says he wants to stay with me and I see it as highly likely he will make that decision when he is old enough to decide which parent he wants to stay with. In the mean time, I make decisions that keep the peace between his mother and myself. Anything else would add stress to my sons life and that is the last thing I want.
If I believed there were some immediate harm occuring to my son I would definitely not take the tact I have. Barring some physical risk I will bide my time and do the best I can with the hand I've been dealt. I'm sure everyones situation differs from mine and that my decision will not prove a good fit for everyone else. The one piece of advice I would give to anyone else, keeping in mind that I am no expert in the field, is to do what you think is right for your child. If you are in a relationship with a sociopath and there are no children involved I would tell you to get away as fast as possible.

I've made it back from Iraq, although without realizing all of my financial goals. I ended my work prematurely to be with my son. It's difficult to imagine how much a person can love one of their children until they have to spend a substantial amount of time away from them. I eventually decided that being with my son was more important than my financial debt. I've been back for over a month now and although the battle with his mother has begun all over again it is definitely worth it to spend time with him. This is the only thing that makes it tolerable to put up with his mothers lies and manipulation.
It's really quite amazing how easily a Sociopath can tell a lie without the slightest hesitation or expression of emotion. I think what I notice most about it is how unemotionally they do it. The lack of emotion is what tells on them. Not a trace of guilt comes across in their expression or mannerisms. When I think of how guilty I would feel telling the same lies she does it almost makes me ill. My main hope, as "Anonymous" stated, is that she will self-destruct and I will be there to assist my son and, yes, I admit it, witness her downfall with some satisfaction. It may sound petty but with all I've suffered from her divisiveness I will feel some vindication when she does fall.

It's been awhile since I've come to terms with the fact the legal system gives fathers no rights, even when he is the better parent. Society simply is not ready to give fathers equal rights in regard to children. I'm not saying they should give all fathers equal regard. After all, there are some fathers that are obviously not capable of taking care of a child. I am saying both parents should be honestly evaluated and be regarded in the context of modern psychology and caregiving for a child. Irregardless, I've come to terms with the disheartening reality and am now working on paying off my legal fees incurred. To do this, I've had to take a job in Iraq for a year and hope it will be enough. It tears me apart to spend time away from my child but bankruptcy is not a viable option.

A Perfect Target
Thank you for sharing your own experiences Catherine. Not that I would wish it on anyone, but it does me good to know I am not alone in what I have suffered.
With the statistics of 4 percent of the population being Sociopaths, I can only imagine many others have suffered the same situation we have. Sadly, I believe most people discover they have been dealing with a Sociopath only after the fact. As we did. It's kind of the nature of the beast and the facade they put forth for the unsuspecting to see. They are the "Preying Mantis' of humanity. Camouflaged to our view and then pouncing on their unsuspecting prey and ripping them apart, emotionally.
With the plethora of Sociopaths in society, we almost need an advocacy group to educate people about them. Although, I would imagine the liklihood of that happening would be pretty slim, due to all the other pressing issues being dealt with on a daily basis in America and around the world.
I will pass on word of your blog to others in the hope it will benefit them as much as it does me.