I don't have Dish/Direct, but I do have FTA. I'm also a news junkie and lean slightly to the right politically and think most of the "Americans are fat, dumb, and ignorant" talk is a load of crap -- despite what CNN/FOX/MSNBC sends our way (and, IMO, they are interchangeable and not bias isn't their problem, but their major problem is passing crap off as news).
Having said that, an FTA set up is worth it, just for AJ English. Yes, it has a pro-Arab slant. No, it is not Jihad TV. It's not hilariously anti-American and filled with anti-West diatribes (if you want that, Iranian State News is in English on the same bird). However, when Kenya was erupting and Casto was resigning, I was watching AJE while CNN was interviewing pop stars' psychologists, MSNBC was bashing the president and FOX was "Breaking" with a car chase.