When I woke up on Saturday morning to see the news, I was surprised by the reaction of many friends on social media, as well as the national media. The New York Times headline read, "Cuban Revolutionary Who Defied U.S., Dies at 90." Al Jazeera's headline read, "Castro: The Making of a Legend." Others on Facebook and Twitter seemed saddened by the death of a "revolutionary." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Castro a "remarkable leader."

Let's be clear—Fidel Castro was not a good person.

His ideas were not good.

His policies destroyed the liberties of millions of Cubans.

His government is responsible for the murders of tens of thousands of people.

His "legacy" should be one of pure shame.

I won't delve into the history of Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba—but those lamenting the loss of such a "great leader" would do well to crack open a history book, or at least spend a solid 90 seconds reading Wikipedia. As opposed to restoring the freedoms lost under the U.S.-backed dictator that Castro ousted, he crushed them.